20 Things People Unexpectedly Discovered in Their Homes — Unearthed Treasures, Creepy Passageways, and More

Many houses have secrets, most left behind by their previous owners. From fortunes to hidden hot tubs, people have found surprising things in their homes after choosing to renovate.

You might find hidden treasures inside your home if you simply look hard enough. This has been the case for several homeowners around the US, whose homes provided clues to their past.

These homeowners have discovered many interesting things while renovating, from small coins hidden behind walls, doors leading to secret rooms, and even a hot tub underneath the floor! Some discoveries have led to changes in design plans, and some motivated other homeowners to keep digging around. Here are twenty unique things people have found in their homes:

1. A Gorgeously-Tiled Hot Tub

When Mark and Jenny Ronsman bought their home, its previous owner warned them that there was a hot tub underneath the office floor. Curious about it, the couple decided to check underneath the floor to see whether they could use the hot tub or not.

It was a pleasant surprise to them when the blue hot tub resurfaced, adding a gorgeous element to their home. Mark Ronsman said:

"We were truly shocked and overjoyed that something so beautiful was in our house."

2. A Giant Monopoly Board Painted on the Floorboards

Stripping the carpet often means finding a lot of built-up dust and even some loose change from previous homeowners. However, this particular family was in for the surprise of their lives when they found a giant, hand-painted Monopoly board painted on the floor underneath their carpet.

The giant board was already missing a lot of the titles, but most of its icons were still visible, like the "Chance," "Free Parking," and "Go To Jail" tiles, along with some properties. They were meticulously hand-painted, mimicking the real Monopoly board game.

After the homeowner posted his surprising discovery on Reddit, many suggested they continue pulling out the carpets to see what other board games might be hiding underneath. One even joked that if the homeowner had a dog, they'd have one-less character piece to worry about if they decided to play the game!

3. Hidden Treasure in the Bathroom

One man was surprised to find hidden treasure in the compartment above his sink. The treasure was protected in a plastic bag, which had several containers with vintage coins inside them.

Although the coins were in bad shape because of their age, it was still an interesting find. They included 80 quarters, 77 silver coins from 1935 to 1964, and 3 non-silver coins from 1965.

Along with the American coins were some Canadian dollars, a diamond ring, and a gold ring. Many of those who saw the interesting discovery hoped the new owner got something useful out of them, encouraging him to

willing to buy the coins and jewelry from him.

4. A Trap Door Underneath the Floor

A man was helping his dad fix up his new office when they discovered a trap door on one side. They admittedly didn't notice it the first time they did an ocular, which led to a surprising discovery that sparked their interest.

After going through a bunch of chopped wood, the staircase led to a shockingly vast underground room. It was filled with blueprints and technical drawings from the 1950s to the 1960s.

The underground cellar was a lot bigger than they expected, and chopped wood and bricks blocking the way kept them from exploring the place further.

5. A Vintage Space-Themed Wallpaper

It took the owners of an old farmhouse the tearing of three layers of wallpaper to discover a vintage space-themed wallpaper underneath. The cool wallpaper had a gray base, white dots meant to be stars, rockets, a black and white painting of the Earth, and what appears to be the international space station.

Although already quite worn out with watermarks on it, the bright colors of the rockets and the space station are still clearly evident on the wallpaper. Space enthusiasts marveled at the discovery, with one space fan saying, "That is magnificent. Seriously. Amazing. Thanks for posting."

6. A Treasure Trove Behind the Fireplace

A couple discovered a load of artifacts hidden behind their fireplace dating back to 1893. While restoring their 19th-century home in Canada, they discovered a Christmas card from 1937, rolling paper with tax stamps from 1934, skeleton keys, one of which still opens the master's bedroom, photos of an unidentified older couple, a photo of a young woman in 1930s attire, and a Dick Brodowski baseball card from 1953 worth approximately $40.

These were only some of the many artifacts they found around the house, which were likely the belongings of Reginald Burroughs, the prospector who lived in the property a hundred years ago with his wife Augusta and their two children. His name was signed on the concrete of two basement windowsills, marking his ownership.

7. Cold Hard Cash in the Attic

Rumor has it that in an old house in Massachusetts, there was treasure hidden somewhere underneath. The home once belonged to a couple who lived most of their life there before leaving it to a relative.

The relative's daughter planned to sell the house, but she did not want to sell it until it was proven there was no hidden cash somewhere in the property. She hired Connecticut-based treasure hunter, Keith Wille, to find the cash for her, and lo and behold, he found it in the attic.

After pulling up the floorboards, a lockbox filled with $46,000 worth of bills from the 1930s to 1950s were stacked inside. Hiding that much cash in the 1950s is like hiding over $400,000 today. In fact, the owners might be able to get more than that as the decades-old bills are valuable to collectors.

8. A Beautifully Painted Wall

When a new homeowner began redecorating, he found this beautiful painting underneath a layer of wallpaper. The discovery invited a lot of comments, one of which suggested the homeowner open a restaurant.

Speaking about his discovery, the homeowner said: "Some context, house was built in the 1900's and was covered up by wallpaper. Redecorating house as we just moved in and bam this gold mine on the wall."

9. A Glassed-Over Well in the Kitchen

A grandchild discovered a hidden glassed-over well in his grandparents' kitchen. It looks like an innocent peep to an assortment of leaves and rocks, but commenters on the internet had other ideas.

"That's something that'll be awesome up until the day you hear tapping, look down and see something tapping the glass on the other side," one wrote.

10. A Terrifying Hidden Basement Filled with Jars

Someone decided to replace her old carpet, only to discover something amazing hidden underneath. To her surprise, she found a cellar door that led to a 300-square-foot room filled with old jars.

While some of the jars were empty, some were filled with fermented fruits and vegetables, as well as some sauces that date back a couple of decades. It would be interesting to know just how long the jars had been sitting there, but the owner of the home admitted that she has no interest in opening them up to investigate.

11. Hidden Closet Door Leading to 300-square-foot Room

After moving into their new home amidst the pandemic, a family was given the shock of their lives when their neighbor informed them about a secret door in one of the bedrooms. The door led to a mysterious 300-square-foot space, which they had no clue was there until eight months after they moved in.

It seemed the space was once used as a movie theater, with piles of bottled water and ammo stashed inside. The new owners now use the room as a storage for their things, such as gowns and glassware.

12. A Secret Attic Room

In the midwest, a couple bought their house over the internet without ever viewing it in person. When they moved in they discovered a secret attic room, with windows at the side and front, and a sloping ceiling tall enough for someone to stand in the middle.

13. A Secret Passageway

Hidden behind a door in the 148-year-old house a woman just bought, was a secret passage. The homeowner, Lindsay, recorded a video of her new property and showed the strange door that did not lead to any other part of the house, but a secret passage.

"There are some stairs that are blocked out here," she explains in the video. "There's also some very retro stickers. I have no idea what's back there."

14. Secret Rooms Behind a Bookshelf

Like a scene straight out of a movie, a man unscrewed a hidden hatch behind a couple of books on a shelf. What he discovered beneath it was an interesting sight of what seemed to be a library's storage unit.

Entering the small hatch on the wall, they discovered several smaller rooms covered in dust. There were pipes, small, narrow passageways, and dusty old books lying around, along with smaller pieces of trash!

15. A Small, Tightly-Sealed Door

A man was exploring his newly-purchased property when he entered the basement and saw something under the stairs. It was a tightly-sealed wooden square door, which he had no clue about.

Many people in the comment section joked about what the door could be leading to, while some gave some possible answers. "Probably an old woodstove chimney vent. Pretty common when people upgrade to just cover them up. I have one in my house," one man commented.

16. An Abandoned Baby Carriage in the Attic

When a user shared a photo of the abandoned baby carriage sitting alone in the attic, everybody flocked to the comment section to share the same thought: that the house was likely haunted.

The sight of an empty baby carriage in the attic can send shivers up and down anyone's spine, and for some internet users, it's enough for them to sell the house and find someplace else to live. One even joked that the next time they tried to go up to the attic, the carriage would be a lot closer to the door.

17. A Creepy Room Underneath the Staircase

A family that had just moved into their new home discovered some extra space underneath the staircase while they were cleaning up. As they lifted up their staircase, a second flight of stairs appeared leading to a room.

While discovering any kind of secret room can be quite creepy, they were relieved to find nothing suspicious underneath. Instead, the family found antiques, bottles of wine from the 1960s and 1970s, some pieces of wood, and piping.

18. A House in the Attic

It's not every day that you find a house inside an attic, but for one homeowner, this surprising discovery left him speechless. After exploring the attic of a historical home he purchased, he noticed a crawl space. He ventured inside and discovered another house inside his attic.

The man revealed that the home used to be a store and its owners lived upstairs. It was later turned into a church, but instead of knocking it down, the church owners just built around the old property.

19. $10 million in Gold Coins

Who needs the lottery when you have $10 million buried underneath an old tree in your property? A Northern California couple was out walking their dog when they came across an interesting discovery: a literal pot of gold.

The coins they found, which were in incredible uncirculated, mint condition, were buried in small barrels. There were a total of 1,427 coins, all dating back from 1847 to 1894.

The face value of the gold coins only adds up to $27,000, but some of the coins are so rare that experts value them at almost $1 million apiece. How's that for a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

20. An Empty Apartment behind a Bathroom Mirror

A woman living in New York decided to check behind her bathroom mirror after sensing a kind of draft emanating from it and found a secret entrance leading to a dark, empty apartment.

Samantha Hartsoe had the fright of her life when she navigated a hidden hole behind her bathroom mirror. She expected to find a vent but was dumbfounded when she discovered an entire apartment instead.

The apartment was filled with trash bags, cardboard boxes, and even an abandoned toilet. She continued exploring the apartment but found no one there.

So many people around the world live in homes filled with history. With these homes dating back centuries, it's been quite a heart-stopping experience for many homeowners to discover things around them that they never knew were there!