An old building often has a long story, full of secrets that its former residents have left behind. That's one of the reasons why some folks prefer living in the old town—it has an aura. And, every now and then, they resurface.
We at Bored Panda put together a list of pictures people took during their home renovations when they suddenly discovered unexpected treasures. Turns out, things like a locked safe and a 100-year-old Monopoly set can be hiding right between your walls.
All you need to find them is a sledgehammer.
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Collection Of Reference Seeds Found In My Grandad’s Attic
That is, without a doubt, one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Wow.
Restoring My 1880 Victorian House And Found This Vibrant Tile Original To The Home After Partially Removing A Faux Fireplace
Chances are, we'll be seeing many more cool finds. According to Houzz's annual Houzz & Home study, U.S. home renovation activity and spending have reached the highest rates since 2018.
More than half of homeowners (55%) renovated in 2021, up from 53% in 2020 and 54% in both 2019 and 2018.
Following 15% growth in median renovation spend in 2020, homeowners reported an additional 20% jump in 2021 median spend, which now stands at $18,000.
I Took A Knife To The Lino In The Bathroom And Found The Original Edwardian Tiles. My Great Great Grandmother Was A Housemaid Here In Cupar In The 1880s
My Wife And I Are Upgrading Our Kitchen. We Found This Fossil Under The Floor Boards
While Tearing Up Their Carpet, My In-Laws Found A Giant Monopoly Board
That’s SO COOL! Restore it and keep it! All you need is the cards and the pieces… :)
Recent homebuyers, who account for 10% of renovating homeowners, spent nearly double the median ($30,000) in 2021, surpassing the median spend for short-term and long-term homeowners ($19,000 and $15,000, respectively).
Recent homebuyers who had higher-budget projects (the top 10% of spend) invested $175,000, compared with $100,000 for short-term homeowners and $90,000 for long-term homeowners.
Experts say this higher spend potentially can be attributed to the number of projects recent homebuyers undertake at a single time—an average of three to four rooms as well as home systems such as electrical and plumbing.
My 84-Year-Old Father Is Renovating His House. Hidden Behind The Wallpaper He Found These Wall Murals, Which He Believes Are From 1912
Demo Team Pulled This Out Of A Fireplace In A 1950s House We Are Renovating
Found 83 Gold Coins At The Bottom Of A Coal Container After Renovating The House
In 2021, the median spend icreased for all interior room renovations.
The kitchen, which remains the most popular option to be upgraded and is the room with the highest spend, saw an bump in investment of 25% ($15,000 in 2021 versus $12,000 in 2020).
Interior rooms with the most dramatic spend increase are guest bathrooms (38%), laundry rooms (33%), living rooms (33%), and guest bedrooms (28%)
Found These (On The Left) Under Old Carpet When We Got Stairs Re-Carpeted. 10 Months After We Moved In Found "Minton" Or Possibly "Pugin" Tiles In The Hallway Under A Laminate
Twitter User Finds A Secret Hiding Place In His Walls While Renovating, Inside Was A Children's Book Of Poems From 1835
Was Helping To Clean Out An Old Mansion In Minnesota And Found This Civil War Letter In The Attic. He’s Saying That The War Will Be Over Soon And He Will Be Coming Home
Cursive is so beautiful, I’m glad I’m old enough to have been taught this in school.
I mean, theirs is beautiful. Mine was not. I think their pens were more conducive to that style of writing than ballpoints are.
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Find the family and return it, donate it to a local history museum, or have it professionally framed and hang it near where you found it so it becomes part of the history of the house.
This is a transcription of Lee's General Order No. 9, apparently by Brig. Gen. Walter Husted Stevens, Chief Eng., Army of Northern Virginia! A souvenir picked up by a Minnesota man? See the National Park Service Appomattox Court House for a photo of another transcription, done by a different officer, also on Apr. 10. See also Stevens' Wiki entry. (He was paroled on Apr. 10 at Appomattox.)
Yes! One of the reddit commenters transcribed it: Headquarters Army of No. Virginia 10th April 1865 General Order No. 9 After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not tell the brave survivors of so many hard fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of theirs. But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that would compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuance of the contest. I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past service have endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of the agreement, Officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the conciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will
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His script is beautiful. I gather much of it was back then due to the writing utensils
He seems pretty fortunate to have found pen and paper since those were hard to come by during the war (along with a lot of other basics).
That is so toouching. Notice the handwriting is perfect, nobody writes like this anymore, we forgot how.
Find the author he will be thrilled to have this passed over to the surviving generations
Excellent penmanship! Sad my younger siblings aren't even able to read this!
Lee surrendered the day before the letter was written, so the Confederate troops spread through the country began to also surrender. Some never did.
What was the date on the letter? Any idea who wrote the letter? Another thought, who might be the ones to receive the letter. Oh, so many questions explode in my mind. Framing the letter?
My grandma used to write me letters with that same penmanship. I could barely read them but to this day in still amazed that people could write so elegantly and actually put time into correspondence.
I'm a collector or several things. This letter however, I know personally I would try to find the ancestors(if any) it belongs to. You could contact a civil war museum and do some digging. They are VERY helpful!
The handwriting is beautiful, it's such an art that is lost on today's kids. I don't think they even teach it anymore.
Contact local historical society. (But check out the penmanship - a lost art)
Found A Suitcase In The Attic Of My Dad's Old Comic Books. Most Of Them Seem To Be Marvel Dated In The 70s
The percentage of homeowners relying on cash from savings to fund their renovation projects declined by 7 points in 2021 (to 76%), after remaining stable over the three years prior (83% each year).
Simultaneously, the percentage of homeowners financing renovation projects with credit cards increased by 6 points (to 35%).
Renovation Find
Took A Radiator Off The Wall To Decorate And Found This Ancient, Alien Invasion Wallpaper
I Was Cleaning My Attic And Found A Doll House TV With The Twin Towers On It
OMG I have one of those! It's right here on my desk! Same TV design, same picture, same everything, except that the blue and white are swapped around for some reason. It was indeed part of a dollhouse set my sister owned, which I decided to keep for sentimental reasons. I believe our mother has the rest of it stashed away for the nephew to play with when he comes over.
Day 1 - It Was An Unbelievably Exciting Morning When We Discovered This Gem Hidden Behind Various Layers Of Plaster And Wallpaper In The Master Bedroom
One of the things I was hoping for when purchasing a period property was to find little surprises like this this will become a little project of mine to restore back to its former glory, we are thinking of moving it into the dining area to become a key feature in our living space.
It also looks like renovating homeowners want their investments to be safe. They spent 25% more on home security systems in 2021 than in 2020.
Interestingly, outdoor security systems are now three times more popular than they were in 2015 and the second most frequently installed outdoor upgrade (17% ), behind lighting (22%).
Outdoor security system upgrades are most popular among short-term homeowners (21%), followed by recent homebuyers (20%) and long-term homeowners (14%).
We Tore Up Some Carpeting In Our House Expecting Concrete But Instead Found This 70’s Masterpiece
While Re-Mortaring An Old Brick Wall Inside A Building, I Found A Loose Brick. This Note Was Behind It. 32 Years. Added My Name And Date, Then Mortared It Up Again
Found An Old Monopoly Set In The Walls Of My 1925 House
We Have A 23-19! My Friend Found A Monsters Inc. Door While Doing A Recent Renovation
People who are renovating continue to hire professionals at a high rate—nearly 9 in 10 homeowners relied on pros for their remodels or upgrades in 2021.
Recent homebuyers (those who tackled a lot more projects than the ones who'd been in their home a while), were particularly keen to get help (93%) but hiring was widespread among short- and long-term homeowners as well (88% each).
Found A Floor Safe While Renovating. Trying To Open It Now
$400 for a locksmith later - empty.
Found Original Homeowner In The Walls Of A Teardown
I Took A Wall Out Of My Closet And Found A Makeshift Passageway. With A Large, Heavy, Creepy Basket In It. And The Basket Was Not Empty
My Friend Found An Invite To Walt Disney’s Daughter’s Wedding While Renovating His House In LA
Among the 38% of homeowners who hired construction professionals, general contractors (72%) comprise the largest group, followed by builders (30%), kitchen or bath remodelers (18%), and design-build firms (8%).
The three most popular specialty service pros hired by the 49% of renovating homeowners who brought in this kind of help are electricians (38%), air conditioning and heating specialists (37%), and plumbers (35%).
I wonder if they kept any treasures for themselves...
This Yardstick I Found In My Attic Is Old Enough To Have A 1 Digit Phone Number
Found A Steam Room And Hot Tub In My Basement, Behind A Wall During Demolition
Renovating My Bathroom And I Found Some Lost Treasures From The '70s
The text says:
"Dear Betty-Jean
A little something for your brain.
Warning: the surgeon general has detected that happiness increases with the amount smoked. Please don't overindulge."
Betty-Jean was hiding her stash, given to her by her boyfriend (?) from her parents.
Refitting Our New Houses Loft (Attic) And Found £500 Of 1981 Currency Wrapped In Insulation
Whilst these notes stopped being legal tender in 1996, people should still be able to pay them into a UK bank account. If they aren't accepted, then they can be exchanged at the Bank of England counter in London. However, it is also possible to sell the notes, and they are worth more than their face value.
My Dad Is Renovating His Bathroom And Found A Dress In A Walled-Off Secret Closet. It’s Handmade From The Sixties
The house was built in 1965. I tried it on then put it back in the wall. We’re thinking about adding something to the secret closet, but I’m not sure what yet.
My Grandfather And I, Found A WWII Purple Heart While Renovating A House He Just Bought
Renovating A 100-Year-Old House, Found What Looks Like A Samurai Sword Under A Section Of The House That Had A Dirt Floor. Still Sharp And Heavy
That looks like Imperial Japanese army. Looks like the leather grip is gone, otherwise it looks a lot like a Noncom or lower rank officer Katana. Probably a war souvenir.
Found Old Newspapers Used As Insulation In The Wall Of A 130-Year-Old House
Found This Baby In The Attic. It's Going On The Wall Right After I Press Submit
Beautiful Drawing Found Behind A Wall While Renovating Our Bathroom
Renovating My Bedroom And Found This
Found A Hidden Attic While Doing A Renovation. It Was A Door To A Hidden Room With Old War Time Newspapers, An Old Bed And Old Photos On The Walls
Found A Marriage Certificate From 1895 In A Flooded Cabin We Renovated
There’s A Dried Flower In This 165 Years Old Latin Book I Just Found In Our Attic
Found A Beehive While Renovating An Old House
Found Perfectly Preserved Cans In A Wall I Was Demolishing
Found In A Wall In Vermont
I Work For An Apartment Management Company. I Was Working On Some Dry Wall And Found This In A Pile Of Debris. From 1979
My Sister Bought A House About A Year Ago And Has Been Doing Renovations. She Just Recently Found This Behind One Of The Walls
Getting The Kitchen Floor Redone. Here Are All The Floors Since The House Was Built In 1880
This Confederate Currency I Found In My Uncle's Attic
Be careful, though, as this bill looks too well preserved to be 169+ years old. A lot of reproductions of Confederate currency have been made since the end of the Civil War. A lot of the real stuff didn’t survive, as it became so devalued it was used to line walls and light fires in cookstoves, or given to kids to play with and therefore tear up. What isn’t in museums or private collection is either long gone or undiscovered—-or reproductions. Have an expert check it over.
I Found A Suitcase Inside A Wall
My House Is Built On An Indian Burial Site. I Am Replacing The Furnace, And I Found This Under The Old Furnace
Found This While Renovating. Any Idea? Bomb Squad On The Way
Ha. I remember I did the identification when this one popped up on reddit back in the day - it's a British WW1 QF 4.5-inch Howitzer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_4.5-inch_howitzer) shrapnel shell, with a N°80 fuze. UXO (unexploded ordnance) but unfired so low risk. OP called the bomb squad which confirmed it was live and removed it.
1977 McDonalds' Christmas Trash Found In The Wall Of Our House
Found This Locked Safe Under The Carpet Of An Estate Home I Recently Purchased
Note: this post originally had 107 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
New rule...if you find a hidden safe, you MUST disclose the contents, no exceptions.
Please don't post safes unless you open them AND it's interesting inside.
You think we'd have learned that lesson from Geraldo Rivera's live opening of Al Capone's 'vault'
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Found a take away menu from the 1970s while renovating our kitchen so put it in an envelope with a current menu and note and put it back under a cabinet for the next people to find. Hopefully they add one, although doubt there’ll be paper menus by then!
Does anyone else notice the dinosaurs on the blade of the Peruvian artefact?
Those are 'skinny hippos', Hippopotomnia Deothin. Recently extinct. Associated with the fall of Rome.
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I found a creepy mirror in a hidden room under the stair in the basement. I took it out and hung it up. My kids had nightmares for a week. Probably a coincidence since we just moved and that's a big thing for kids. Nevertheless, I watch a lot of horror movies so that mirror went out with the trash.
Years ago my parents built an add on to their house and we left some things inside the wall for the future to find. For the life of me I can't remember what those things were though.
Not so much found, but my grandfather and I visited the house he lived in as child and asked the new owner if they ever removed the gun his father had used to illegally hunt.
I'm looking forward to doing my house in the future. I have plans for it and have already found evidence of cover ups. The paint over the wallpaper is just the beginning of the dozen or so areas I've seen! Hopefully I'll be able to remove the paint to see what it was.
New rule...if you find a hidden safe, you MUST disclose the contents, no exceptions.
Please don't post safes unless you open them AND it's interesting inside.
You think we'd have learned that lesson from Geraldo Rivera's live opening of Al Capone's 'vault'
Load More Replies... Found a take away menu from the 1970s while renovating our kitchen so put it in an envelope with a current menu and note and put it back under a cabinet for the next people to find. Hopefully they add one, although doubt there’ll be paper menus by then!
Does anyone else notice the dinosaurs on the blade of the Peruvian artefact?
Those are 'skinny hippos', Hippopotomnia Deothin. Recently extinct. Associated with the fall of Rome.
Load More Replies... I found a creepy mirror in a hidden room under the stair in the basement. I took it out and hung it up. My kids had nightmares for a week. Probably a coincidence since we just moved and that's a big thing for kids. Nevertheless, I watch a lot of horror movies so that mirror went out with the trash.
Years ago my parents built an add on to their house and we left some things inside the wall for the future to find. For the life of me I can't remember what those things were though.
Not so much found, but my grandfather and I visited the house he lived in as child and asked the new owner if they ever removed the gun his father had used to illegally hunt.
I'm looking forward to doing my house in the future. I have plans for it and have already found evidence of cover ups. The paint over the wallpaper is just the beginning of the dozen or so areas I've seen! Hopefully I'll be able to remove the paint to see what it was.
