There are always surprises...

[Sylvia B.]

I found some interesting surprises behind the wallpaper in a home we are remodeling. The people we bought it from had lived there 50 years, and for the most part, kept it well maintained. But the guy loved his duct tape!

Who needs trim around the door on the inside of the closet? Just cover that gap with duct tape!

But when I found this behind the wallpaper in the kitchen, I was a bit concerned:

Yes, that's duct tape with drywall compound over it. So I peeled it off:

That's right, live wires, loose in the wall with nary a junction box in sight!
Next I found a metal box with a dead wire in it, also covered with that lovely silver stickiness. Then this, also live:

What's that, honey? You don't want an outlet there anymore? No problem! I'll just shove the whole thing into the wall cavity and cover it up. What could go wrong?

The moral of the story? 

Always peel the duct tape!

[Marcia Maynard]

Thanks for sharing that! What were they thinking! A good reason to check out all soft spots on walls.

Early on, we passed up a deal on a house because one of the kitchen walls had a "squishy spot" where a wall repair had been made and covered up with paint. It could have been a duct tape job. At the time I thought if they are masking one problem that I discovered, then what other problems may be lurking undetected? It was enough for me to walk away. That was before I knew more about what things are deal breakers and what things are easy to fix. Today I would see it was a minor problem, something that may help me negotiate down the price, and I would make an offer subject to inspection.