Search

Leave a Message

Thank you for your message. I will be in touch with you shortly.

Browse Homes

11 Weirdest Things People Have Found During Home Renovations

Beth Helvey June 4, 2025

From a scandalous diary to a hidden dungeon, there’s no telling what mysteries a house may hold

Pulling up floorboards and scraping through old wallpaper is like the interior design world’s equivalent of an archaeological dig. Each decorative strata unveils clues about the past, be it decor trends or lifestyle necessities from long ago. Botanical wallpaper and shag carpeting is one thing—but sometimes the discoveries get truly strange. Sarah Jefferys of Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors in New York City says “renovating homes in New York City is always full of surprises. In one particularly memorable project, we found a bullet lodged in a rafter while gut-renovating a former mafia member’s residence.”

In the spirit of surprising finds, here are 10 of the most fascinating and weirdest things people have found during home renovations.

A century-old butter churn

                                         

The churn shortly after being found Photo: Courtesy of Tracy Culleton        Culleton refurbished the churn as a flower pot. Photo: Courtesy of Tracy Culleton

Tracy Culleton (@homeintheblooms) and her husband, Mark, made a slew of discoveries while renovating his grandparents’ 1904 farmhouse at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in Ireland. They uncovered lanterns, a full Guinness bottle from the 1960s, a vintage Nippon camera, coins, medals, and horseshoes. But a favorite find was an antique butter churn dating back to the 1930s. “We found it when digging the foundations where the old parlor used to be,” Culleton says. “My dad restored it, and it’s now a feature outside our home as a nod to Mark’s grandparent’s and the work they did on the farm.”

A scandalous diary

                                   

Pages from the diary Photo: Simply Southern Cottage             Another view of the diary Photo: Simply Southern Cottage

Sara McDaniel of Simply Southern Cottage has renovated almost an entire city block in Minden, Louisiana, so she’s made her share of unusual discoveries. But she says one of the most intriguing was an old diary hidden in the floor of her own home. “Floor joists were being pulled from the attic space for new electrical and ductwork,” she says. “That’s when we found the pages titled Autobiography of Belle Howard Mayfield, dating back to the 1800s.” Within the weathered pages, Mayfield detailed an illicit affair with her teacher and her attempts to get her mother to let her drop out of school at age 16—eventually she did. The find inspired McDaniel to try to find more info about the home’s former residents and why the teen had to hide her secrets in the attic.

A pizza party in the walls

                                             

During the renovation Photo: Courtesy of Rumor Designs                  Vintage soda cans found in the wall Photo: Courtesy of Rumor Designs

“When renovating our office building—dating back to the late 1800s—we found old soda cans from the ’80s that were stashed behind the drywall,” says Lindsey Jamison of Rumor Designs in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. “We also found old pizza boxes from when our building was an Italian restaurant in the 1970s.”

Antique school supplies

                                                                                   

A birdhouse found in the old school house Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Sharp                     Parts of the desk Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Sharp

Stephanie and Adam Sharp of Old Souls, a historic renovation company, purchased a former two-room elementary school in 2022. And though the 1920s school had already been renovated once in the ’80s and converted into three apartments, they still found remnants of its building’s academic days when they got down to business. When their electrician searched for places to run new wiring, he stumbled upon a hidden cavity beneath the central staircase. “Hidden for decades, we found an old birdhouse, school desks, and wooden dowels that would have held educational posters and maps,” Stephanie Sharp says. “The birdhouse was especially meaningful, because we have photos from the 1920s of students with birdhouses they’d made.”

A breast implant

Metro found a breast implant while redecorating this room. Photo: Courtesy of Tracy Metro

“While renovating a bedroom, I came across a very unique thing that gave me pause,” says Tracy Metro of Tracy Metro Designs. The project was for a design show Metro hosted in which she decorated the bedrooms of adult kids still living with their parents. In this particular case, she was clearing out the area beneath an adult woman’s baby pink twin bed. “I had removed old cassette tapes and boy band memorabilia,” Metro says. “Then, I removed what looked like a milky white flattened water balloon. Seemed innocent enough until after descaling the mounds of dust bunnies from the ‘balloon.’ I was able to decipher that I was in fact holding a breast implant!” To this day, Metro isn’t quite sure what it was doing there or why there was only one, but she does say, “It’s one of my favorite mammaries from hosting that show.”

A personal speakeasy

These days homeowners like to flaunt their liquor collections with lavish home bars featuring wood paneling and counters made of quartzite. But back in the 1920s, bar design needed to be much more lowkey, as the team at Lamont Bros. Design & Construction in Portland, Oregon, discovered. Joseph Patrick, the company’s co-owner, says, “We found an amazing Prohibition-era hidden liquor cabinet behind a refrigerator. You’d pull a string and a panel slid up to reveal a hidden storage area. The house was built right around the 1920s when Prohibition was in effect, which was a pretty big deal here in Portland.”

A car grille

A Lincoln grille found during a renovation Photo: Courtesy of Philip Thomas Vanderford

Stumbling spare car parts in a garage would make sense, but finding them concealed within an indoor staircase is another story. That’s exactly what happened to Philip Thomas Vanderford of Studio Thomas James, who found a grille and a few engine parts from a late 1980s Lincoln Town car. “We preserved the grille; it hangs in our guest closet and it’s a fun conversation piece,” Vanderford says. “I only wish my original garage was big enough for a town car.”

A concealed fireplace

Berlanga found a hidden fireplace. Photo: Courtesy of Jose Berlanga

“One of the most striking discoveries I’ve made during a home restoration was uncovering an enormous stone fireplace hidden behind the walls,” says real estate developer Jose Berlanga, author of The Business of Home Building. While Berlanga doesn’t have a picture of the fireplace when intact, he did share a photo of the incredible amount of brick and stone that kept pouring out during removal of the old fireplace. “The sturdiness and old style of construction was impressive back then, and the amount of material used is what truly shocked us the most,” he says. “It took days and several people to perform the work.”

A swimming pool

The renovated ADU Photo: Courtesy of Lamont Bros.

Uneven flooring could mean water damage, foundational issues, or—for the Lamont Bros, at least—a secret swimming pool. While replacing flooring during an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) renovation, they noticed oddities and lumps in the concrete below. “We actually pulled up old plans and found that they permitted a pool in there,” Patrick says. “At some point they wanted to remove it, so they just hired somebody to pour concrete. They didn’t permit it or anything. So we had to level the floor to fix the previous poorly done removal of the pool.”

A mystery dungeon

Discovering an extra room isn’t as dreamy as it sounds—especially when it’s more about uncovering clandestine quarters than scoring additional square footage. When Joe Meringolo of JSM Project Management worked on a pool renovation in Los Angeles, his team stumbled upon something unexpected as they started the demo—a hidden concrete room attached to the pool. Inside, there was a tripod set up with a camera, its lens pointing directly into what used to be the pool. There was no obvious way into the room from the house and no clues as to why it was there.

Florida Real Estate Blog

These Are All the Nonstop Destinations from SRQ

Buying Your First Home? FHA Loans Can Help

Why Most Sellers Hire Real Estate Agents Today

The Five-Year Rule for Home Price Perspective

Your House Didn’t Sell. Here’s What To Do Now

Is Inventory Getting Back To Normal?

6 Things to Keep in Mind When a Contractor Promises a Home Upgrade Will “Increase the Value”

Here’s Who’s Moving to and Leaving Our Region

The Rooms That Matter Most When You Sell

Salvador Dalí at Home: Tour the Surrealist’s Whimsical World in 15 Photos

11 Weirdest Things People Have Found During Home Renovations

Why Buying Real Estate Is Still the Best Long-Term Investment

Newly Built Homes May Be Less Expensive Than You Think

Is It Better To Rent or Buy a Home?

Savor Sarasota

6 Surprising Professions That Unlock Special Mortgage Perks Despite Student Debt

Common Real Estate Terms Explained

More Homes for Sale Isn’t a Warning Sign – It's Your Buying Opportunity

Thinking about an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage? Read This First.

April 2025 Real Estate Market Report: Trends in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Looking for fun things to do Memorial Day weekend May 24-27? Top 5 events in Sarasota area

Siesta Beach Named to ‘World’s 50 Best Beaches’ List

The Social Shift That Could Turn Renters Into Future Homeowners

You Could Use Some of Your Equity To Give Your Children the Gift of Home

Why Waiting for 3% Rates to Come Back Around Could Cost You as a Homebuyer

Home Projects That Boost Value

13 Kitchen Remodel Mistakes to Avoid According to Professional Designers

Barrier Island Hotels Reopen After Last Fall’s Storms

Housing Market Forecasts for the Second Half of the Year

The Beauty and Resilience of Florida-Friendly Gardens

If You’re Selling Your Home Soon, Don’t Let the Word ‘Concession’ Scare You

9 Quaint Towns Straight Out of a Disney Movie

Sarasota’s Pro Soccer Team Is Leveling Up

How to Know if a “Delayed” or “Exclusive” Listing Is Right for You

What an Economic Slowdown Could Mean for the Housing Market

A Tale of Two Housing Markets

Mote Reports First Local Sea Turtle Nests of 2025 Season

May 1st is the First Official Day of Turtle Nest Season

Why Today’s Foreclosure Numbers Aren’t a Warning Sign

Paused Your Moving Plans? Here’s Why It’s Time To Hit Play Again

23 Biggest Interior Design Regrets, According to Influencers and Tastemakers

March 2025 Real Estate Market Report: Trends in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Should I Buy a Home Now or Wait?

What You Can Do When Mortgage Rates Are a Moving Target

Does Your Current Home Fit Your Retirement Plans?

Pre-Approval Isn’t Commitment – It’s Clarity

Could Your Social Media Profile Be Hurting Your Chances of Getting a Mortgage?

These 8 Real Structures Inspired the Castles in Disney Films

Are You Saving Up To Buy a Home? Your Tax Refund Can Help

8 Ways to Size Up a Neighborhood Before You Buy a House There

5 Hidden Costs of House Hunting—Sneaky Little Expenses You Didn’t See Coming (But Totally Will)

Why You Don't Want To Skip Your Home Inspection

Seriously, Don't Skip It

The Truth About Newly Built Homes and Today’s Market

The #1 Thing Sellers Need To Know About Their Asking Price

Are “ADUs” Your Ticket to Smaller, More Affordable Housing?

Or to Start Your Income Property Journey?

Housing Market Panic?

Why You Shouldn’t Believe Every Headline (Or Chart) You See Online

Townhomes: A Smart Solution for Today’s First-Time Buyers

Selling Your First Home?

Here’s How Thinking Like a First-Time Buyer Can Help

A New Hotel Has Opened on Lido Key

Cirque St. Armands Beachside has replaced Lido Key’s Holiday Inn—and it’s a major upgrade.

Buyers Have More Negotiation Power

Here’s How To Use It

Why Pre-Approval Is More Important Than Ever

February 2025 Real Estate Market Report

Trends in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Tiny Issues, Big Turn-Offs for Buyers

10 Small Fixes That Can Make or Break the Sale of Your Home

How Buying or Selling a Home Helps Your Local Economy

What You Need To Know About Homeowner’s Insurance

Planning Ahead: Putting Aside Money for Home Upkeep

What You Need to Know About Pre-Approval

Factors That Can Affect Your Preapproval

Is the Housing Market Starting To Balance Out?

It Is in Sarasota!

Selling Your Home? Here's Why More Deals Are Falling Apart

And How to Keep Yours on Track

Do You Know How Much Your Home Is Worth?

You May Want to Find Out.

Headed Back Into the Office?

You May Decide to Move

Sarasota Broke Rainfall Records

Sarasota just witnessed an extraordinary rainfall event yesterday, one for the record books.

A modern dining room with a black table and chairs. A vase with plants sits in the center of the table.
Ohana, on Longboat Key, Has Sold for $19.75 Million Cash

It’s probably part of why it fetched such a high price, setting a new record for tony Longboat Key.

Your Equity Could Make a Move Possible To Sarasota

Many homeowners looking to sell feel like they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.

A modern kitchen with dark blue cabinets, a large marble countertop
Are You Ready For Hurricane Season in Sarasota?

Hurricane season started in Florida a few days ago and runs through November.

Work With Beth

I’d love to hear from you! Whether you’re buying, selling, or just exploring your options, I'm here to provide answers, insights, and the support you need. Contact me and start planning your next move.