Moving into a new home whether it is a house or an apartment is very exciting. You get to look at the space, and with a bit of time, money, and the right equipment turn it into the home of your dreams. Renovating may not be easy, but it’s definitely worth it in the end. For anyone who has watched a home makeover show on HGTV, you know exactly how satisfying it is to tear out a dated kitchen, or install a bathroom with a huge soaker tub. Some renovators think they are in for an easy job without surprises, but the following photos prove that this isn’t always the case.
The walls of every home tell a story, and sometimes renovations uncover that story. A lot of homes have some pretty strange features that have been built-in, like hidden rooms and old sound systems. People love to personalize their homes, and when a new owner comes in, they get to experience these little quirks for themselves. Keep scrolling to find out about some of the funny and strange features that people have paid a lot of money to have installed in their homes. This might give you a few ideas about what to add to your own home.
Turn The Music Up
There have been a lot of different sound systems used over the decades. Back in the olden days, people enjoyed using a gramophone, then it was the record player, followed by a few different ones, and finally cassettes in the 1960s.
One homeowner decided that cassettes were the way of the future, and installed a built-in cassette player that would play the same cassette in every room of the house. Nowadays, it is all about having an Alexa or a Google Nest.
An Underground Room
Unless you build a house from scratch, you’re never going to know all of the secrets that your home holds. For one homeowner, they decided it was time to start renovating the driveway. They needed more room for all of their vehicles, including a full-size bus.
After parking the bus behind the house on a part of the driveway that had seen some repair work done to it, something rather surprising was found – a secret room.
For The Tea Drinkers
Some states are prone to thunderstorms, which means it is necessary for a lightning rod to be attached to the tallest part of the home. One family decided that they needed a personalized lightning rod, instead of a traditional metal pole.
The important thing is that the lightning touches metal, which is why this tea kettle is the perfect choice. Not only does it show that this family loves their tea, but it is also practical in that it will help direct any stray lightning bolts.
Sailing Away
Saving up and heading to the seaside for vacation, is a great way to destress and let all of your worries go. One hotel found that they did not have enough ocean view rooms to meet demand, which is why they added the ‘ocean horizon’ room to their room list.
While guests may not be greeted with a view of the ocean, they will feel like they could sail away into the horizon as soon as the sun begins to set.
Hedgehogs Crossing
Hedgehogs are one of the most adorable little critters out there, but they are also a bit on the slow moving side. One homeowner wanted everyone to be aware of the wild hedgehogs in the area, and devised a sneaky way to keep them safe.
They watched where the hedgehogs liked to walk, and cut a hedgehog sized hole into their wooden fence. Now, these little critters can go along their merry way on the hedgehog highway.
If Walls Could Talk
Over the years, homeowners have liked to unearth the original bones of their homes. This could be the original wooden floors hiding under old carpet, or in the case of this homeowner, a 120 year old brick wall.
The previous owners had covered it in plaster, which had hidden it away. Now this brick wall is proudly on display, and if it could talk we are sure it would have some stories to tell.
Safety First
A lot of commercial buildings have been turned into residential ones, and for one homeowner they found themselves living in a converted hospital. Along with having a plethora of oddly shaped rooms, they found a very special antique item – a fire extinguisher.
This fire extinguisher is a whopping 112 years old, and we have to wonder whether or not it would still work should there be a fire. If anything, it is a great antique to hold on to.
Feeling Thirsty
Some homeowners like to install unique fixtures like a rain shower, while others like to install something completely practical. This homeowner spends a lot of time exercising, which meant they found themselves getting thirsty all the time.
Instead of darting off to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, they simply installed a full-service water fountain. Now, whenever a guest is thirsty they can grab a sip, and there are no glasses that need to be washed. Seems like a win-win to us.
Dogs Of A Bygone Era
Freshly poured cement is almost impossible to resist. You see it sitting there, and you know that you could simply press a hand into it, and have your hand print immortalized.
For one dog, they could not help but quickly place a paw in the cement poured in a home’s basement. This paw shows that a doggy was an important part of this family, and nobody cared that their floor wasn’t perfect.
The Spooky Toilet
Anyone who enjoys watching the occasional horror movie, knows that some pretty nefarious things can take place in a home. One homeowner purchased a house that had everything they needed, except for a very oddly placed toilet.
For some reason, the previous owners had needed a toilet at the top of the basement stairs. We can only think that someone was living in the basement, or that it was used as a guest toilet.
Go Around Back
First off, houses need to have more than one entrance, otherwise it is considered to be a fire hazard. This home decided to be unconventional and have no doors in the front, which means everyone has to enter the home from the back.
All we can think about is how confusing this must be for people delivering packages and take out. This must be very confusing on a lot of different levels.
Sharing Is Caring
There is a stereotype that women always go to the bathrooms in pairs or groups when they are out for the evening. This homeowner found out that their bathroom comes with two toilets just like a restaurant, which means that whoever lived in this house previously enjoyed sharing the bathroom with someone whenever they needed to do their business.
Clearly, whoever lived here did not believe in boundaries, or it was a couple of very close roommates who never wanted to be alone.
What’s Behind The Wall?
Stairways are pretty common. If there is a second floor, you need to walk up some stairs or take an elevator to get to it. This home came with a stairway that ends in front of a wall. Was this intentional?
Or, is there a hidden room behind the wall that the stairs actually leads to. Anyone who has seen a movie in an old home, knows that there could be something waiting on the other side.
Hide The Valuables
For some homeowners, they have a lot of valuables that need to be hidden away. Some people hide their safes behind paintings, or in secret compartments in their desks. For one family, they found out that the previous owner had hidden all of their valuables in a safe built-in to the floor.
It was only discovered after some wet carpet was removed. What we want to know is if anything valuable was hidden inside?
Carpet For Ghosts
Architects love being given free reign to design homes in whatever whimsical style suits their mood. However, just because they have free reign, doesn’t mean they should design something totally impractical. In this home, an architect designed a carpeted landing but didn’t provide any way to get to said landing.
Is the landing for ghosts? We think it is probably meant to be decorative, but why did it need to be carpeted? Always double check the blueprints before giving the green light for a decorative project.
The Retractable Toaster
Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee, and a slice of toast with a dollop of jam on it, is a great way to start the day. Most people have toasters that just plug-in to the wall, but not this family.
Instead, they have a retro retractable toaster that pops out when you need it, and retracts back into the wall when you’re finished with it. As a space saver, this is ingenious. Although, it must be a bit difficult to clean since you can’t turn it upside down.
An Untraditional White Picket Fence
For some people, the dream home is one that is surrounded by a white picket fence. Now, we love a nice fence, but one that features cats is a whole other level of adorable. Look at those little ears and eyes!
This is the kind of wall that makes neighbors envious, and we hope there are a few furry felines wandering around to make this wall even better. If you are looking for a potential wall design, this is it.
A Metal Box
Older homes have all sorts of hidden features, but not all of them have strange metal boxes that make a clunking sound. One family heard a sound coming from under their new home, and unearthed this old metal box.
Whatever was making the sound in the box has remained a mystery, but we can’t help but wonder if this is the beginning of a scary movie. Remember what happened when Pandora’s box was opened? Sometimes it is better to leave boxes closed.
A Hidden Door
Some families like to be as safe as possible, and that means the installation of a safe room. A family had recently purchased a home, when they found a built-in bookshelf that seemed like it moved.
After finding the button that triggered the bookshelf, it popped forward and revealed a hidden door. The door likely leads to a safe room, which was designed to keep out intruders until the police arrived. These doors can also provide an escape route outside of the house.
Good Vibrations
Before you purchase a home, it is a good idea to have a home inspection done by a trusted third party. This person is able to go all around the home, and determine if there are anything features that are broken, not up to code, or areas where critters might have begun infesting the home.
This family must have missed the memo, because as soon as they moved in the house began to vibrate. It turns out there was a giant beehive in the wall.
Who Wants To Play Monopoly?
For some people, board games are one of their passions. Monopoly is one of the most well-known games on the market, and it has become something of a classic.
One homeowner loved the game so much, they installed a life sized Monopoly board in one of their rooms. Did the house also come with the game pieces, or did those need to be bought separately?
The Tombstone House
A lot of builders like to get creative with the building materials they use. One builder needed some sturdy stones for the foundation of this home, and decided to use old tombstones rather than shelling out for raw stones.
We think that using tombstones might not be the best thing for the foundation of a home, as you want this to be a happy place, not one built on sadness.
The Best Place To Think
Some people do their best thinking in the bathroom. You get to be in a quiet place, and nobody can bother you while you’re in there. This former homeowner decided to take their bathroom time to the next level, and install a fold down desktop.
Whoever owns this home now, but be able to get all of their important work done while taking care of their personal business.
The Wall Of Doors
If you’ve ever spent any time playing the popular computer game The Sims, then you know all about how hard home design can be. You don’t want to have a wall of doors, as this can be very confusing.
How do you choose which door to go through? This family has had to learn what is behind door number 1, 2, 3, and the list goes on.
Don’t Replace The Socket
People think of ingenious ways to hide their valuables. We have seen a floor safe, but we have yet to see the socket safe. This homeowner came across a safe hidden behind an old plastic socket, when they went to swap it out.
The safe is pretty small, which means it must contain smaller items like jewelry, some cash, or maybe some important papers.
Ancient Memories
The world is full of antique objects just waiting to be collected. One collector had a penchant for samurai swords, and had carefully hidden one, which had been forgotten.
The new homeowner managed to stumble across it, when they started cleaning part of their new home which had a dirt floor. This sword must have some stories to tell.
Spice Up Your Life
Knowing what bands will become icons is very hard to predict. For one dad, he didn’t think that the Spice Girls would still be popular, but boy was he wrong. If this dad is seeing this message now, you should know that it is time to eat your overalls.
The homeowner should take a page out of this dad’s book, and write their own adorable message to their children.
No Hopping Away
Sometimes the things people find while renovating are simply inexplicable. One homeowner crawled up onto their roof, and was greeted by this tied up frog statue.
Why a statue needed to be tied up is odd in itself, but why a frog? The former homeowner must have been worried it would hop off into the night, or hop back into the house.
News From The Past
While most of us enjoy our news digitally, some people still enjoy reading a paper copy of the newspaper. In the early 1900s, newspapers were the primary mode of receiving information.
A new homeowner found the remnants of this paper, and it must have been a pretty important date for the former own to have held onto it for so long.
Echoes Of The Past
One of the best parts of staying at a hotel, is grabbing some of the toiletries that haven’t been used and taking them home as souvenirs. One former traveler had visited the former state of Yugoslavia, which has now ceased to exist and grabbed this soap.
They must have forgotten to pack this old soap, when they sold the house, which makes for an interesting keepsake for the new owner.