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.

#1 Restoring My 1880 Victorian House And Found This Vibrant Tile Original To The Home After Partially Removing A Faux Fireplace

Image credits: cannm

#2 Collection Of Reference Seeds Found In My Grandad’s Attic

Image credits: HungryBanana07

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.

#3 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

Image credits: katecowcher

#4 My Wife And I Are Upgrading Our Kitchen. We Found This Fossil Under The Floor Boards

Image credits: cameronsounds

#5 My 84-Year-Old Father Is Renovating His House. Hidden Behind The Wallpaper He Found These Wall Murals, Which He Believes Are From 1912

Image credits: NulloK

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.

#6 Demo Team Pulled This Out Of A Fireplace In A 1950s House We Are Renovating

Image credits: Ok_Leadership_8666

#7 While Tearing Up Their Carpet, My In-Laws Found A Giant Monopoly Board

Image credits: Yamaha234

#8 Found 83 Gold Coins At The Bottom Of A Coal Container After Renovating The House

Image credits: DiaBoLo73

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%)

#9 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

Image credits: claire_flynn

#10 Twitter User Finds A Secret Hiding Place In His Walls While Renovating, Inside Was A Children’s Book Of Poems From 1835

Image credits: asmeesh

#11 Found A Suitcase In The Attic Of My Dad’s Old Comic Books. Most Of Them Seem To Be Marvel Dated In The 70s

Image credits: Bloxicorn

#12 Renovation Find

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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%).

#13 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

Image credits: tenglempls

#14 Took A Radiator Off The Wall To Decorate And Found This Ancient, Alien Invasion Wallpaper

Image credits: glasgowwelder

#15 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.

Image credits: southview.cottage.renovation

#16 We Tore Up Some Carpeting In Our House Expecting Concrete But Instead Found This 70’s Masterpiece

Image credits: CallistoChemical

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%).

#17 Found Original Homeowner In The Walls Of A Teardown

Image credits: widewhiskers

#18 Found An Old Monopoly Set In The Walls Of My 1925 House

Image credits: murphman84

#19 Found A Floor Safe While Renovating. Trying To Open It Now

$400 for a locksmith later – empty.

Image credits: grawvyrobber

#20 I Was Cleaning My Attic And Found A Doll House TV With The Twin Towers On It

Image credits: graemel9

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).

#21 We Have A 23-19! My Friend Found A Monsters Inc. Door While Doing A Recent Renovation

Image credits: Stanleeallen

#22 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

Image credits: tomkzinti

#23 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

Image credits: codymanboy

#24 Found A Steam Room And Hot Tub In My Basement, Behind A Wall During Demolition

Image credits: FeedtheFat

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…

#25 Refitting Our New Houses Loft (Attic) And Found £500 Of 1981 Currency Wrapped In Insulation

Image credits: Furryxian

#26 My Friend Found An Invite To Walt Disney’s Daughter’s Wedding While Renovating His House In LA

Image credits: jmlwant

#27 This Yardstick I Found In My Attic Is Old Enough To Have A 1 Digit Phone Number

Image credits: Cog_HS

#28 Renovating My Bedroom And Found This

Image credits: TinTinmwt

#29 Found Old Newspapers Used As Insulation In The Wall Of A 130-Year-Old House

Image credits: shepherdish

#30 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

Image credits: BriCins

#31 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.

Image credits: schoessling

#32 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.”

Image credits: Justsittingherenow

#33 Found This Baby In The Attic. It’s Going On The Wall Right After I Press Submit

Image credits: ddrt

#34 Beautiful Drawing Found Behind A Wall While Renovating Our Bathroom

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#35 Found A Beehive While Renovating An Old House

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#36 There’s A Dried Flower In This 165 Years Old Latin Book I Just Found In Our Attic

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#37 My Grandfather And I, Found A WWII Purple Heart While Renovating A House He Just Bought

Image credits: OnlyZuul666

#38 Found In A Wall In Vermont

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#39 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

Image credits: lordjayy

#40 I Work For An Apartment Management Company. I Was Working On Some Dry Wall And Found This In A Pile Of Debris. From 1979

Image credits: ALMIGHTY_TALOS

#41 Found A Marriage Certificate From 1895 In A Flooded Cabin We Renovated

Image credits: jsparker43

#42 Found Perfectly Preserved Cans In A Wall I Was Demolishing

Image credits: SeeWhatEyeSee

#43 Getting The Kitchen Floor Redone. Here Are All The Floors Since The House Was Built In 1880

Image credits: iamnotamangosteen

#44 I Found A Suitcase Inside A Wall

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#45 My Sister Bought A House About A Year Ago And Has Been Doing Renovations. She Just Recently Found This Behind One Of The Walls

Image credits: crowlj

#46 Found This While Renovating. Any Idea? Bomb Squad On The Way

Image credits: clark_harrison

#47 This Confederate Currency I Found In My Uncle’s Attic

Image credits: draculasdrabdick

#48 My House Is Built On An Indian Burial Site. I Am Replacing The Furnace, And I Found This Under The Old Furnace

Image credits: thefoodguru

#49 1977 McDonalds’ Christmas Trash Found In The Wall Of Our House

Image credits: nyratevoli

#50 Found This Locked Safe Under The Carpet Of An Estate Home I Recently Purchased

Image credits: upsidefirstdown