Rennovation surprises

[wonkylegs]

We've just had the first bit of our kitchen removed today to start work on the new boiler. The rest is coming out at the end of the week so we have some kitchen to tide us over before the new one goes in.

Upon taking out the cupboards we had some surprise finds behind them .... besides the dust bunnies and cobwebs we found some antique kitchen weights, an old decorative tea can and some very risque photos of the previous owners (many years previously). I really could do with some brain bleach.

So what surprises have other people found tucked away when renovating their houses?

I found an envelope of short, curly,wiry hair in the airing cupboard at a previous house. That was nice.

*wonkey" are you going to be preserving them as an "original feature"

We found two cats (dead) - one buried under an entrance to a door and the other stuffed in the bottom layer of thatch on the roof

Mind you, that's preferable to an envelope of hair and nude pics

I may keep the antique weights but the photos are too x rated for public display and may accidentally fall into the fire to make sure nobody else suffers their content, that or I could post them to the previous owners in a Christmas card.

Haven't found anything so far apart from a mysterious baby footprint on the bathroom window that only shows up when we've had a bath or shower etc. How old are the nude pics - are we talking 1970's porn mag style?

I found a tiny gun inside a very old, very thick wall. That one really made us wonder.

Countless bits of condoms, syringes etc. from when the place was squatted.

Various car doors hanging around the place.

Many more things that I can't remember right now.

Without looking to hard I'd say from the late 80's, early 90's. It's a disturbing insight into the nice respectable retiring couple we bought from's life.

Ew - worse that you met them... reminds me of the nice respectable people I sold something to on ebay, looked at their previous feedback and purchases - all manner of kinky s+m stuff. couldn't look at them when they came to collect

Came on here to boast say about the parquet floor we discovered under the carpet but obviously that doesn't compete!

We found a well under some terracotta tiles inside the house! it was a bit of a surprise as it wasn't listed on any plans, luckily we are doing a big renovation so it's being filled in.

I couldn't sleep the night we found it as I kept on dreaming about the children falling in it.

A handful of hair in the plaster. To set this in context we live within walking distance of Fred Wests house and there are believed to be bodies still to be discovered. Fortunately it was a small amount and there was no body in the wall cavity.

Elsewhere in plaster was a piece of newspaper from 1931 featuring a cartoon. We framed it and it's a lovely reminder of the history of the house.

a birds skeleton in a blocked up chimney breast was the best we found. it was scarily, perfectly preserved.