They expected old pipes. They found a war zone.
When Cody and Kourtni Price tore down the first wall of their New Mexico fixer-upper, they froze.
Behind the wood panels, stacked from floor to ceiling, were hundreds of military ammunition crates from World War II.
Not a few. Not a dozen. Hundreds.
The couple had purchased the quirky mid-century home about two and a half years ago. They affectionately called it “the old lady” and figured it just needed some cosmetic work—maybe new paint, updated fixtures, the usual stuff.
They were wrong.

What started as a simple renovation became an archaeological dig.
As they removed more walls, they discovered the shocking truth: the ammunition crates weren’t just in the house. They were the house.
Entire sections had been framed using these old military boxes, nailed together as structural support. Stamped on the wooden crates were the words “37 MM GUNS” and military lot numbers from the 1940s.
“The couple had never seen anything like it,” witnesses reported.
Neither had anyone else.

But how did WWII ammunition crates end up inside the walls of a New Mexico home?
The answer lies buried in the 1970s.
According to their investigation, a previous owner had expanded the original brick home using leftover materials from a nearby military surplus depot.
Back then, after the war ended, people could buy truckloads of WWII ammunition crates for almost nothing. These sturdy wooden boxes were repurposed for everything—sheds, barns, additions, even entire houses.
It was resourceful. It was practical.
And it was completely legal at the time.

The ammo crates weren’t the only secret the house was hiding.
Buried inside the roof, the couple found metal printing plates from 1970s newspapers—used as makeshift roofing material. Old headlines and advice columns were still readable on the rusty sheets.
It was like peeling back layers of history, one wall at a time.

The discovery went viral.
When Cody and Kourtni posted a video of their find on Instagram, it exploded—racking up nearly 15,000 likes in days. People were stunned, fascinated, and more than a little creeped out.
Comments poured in:
“This is insane! Imagine living there for years and not knowing…”
“Are you sure those crates are empty??”
“I’d be calling the bomb squad immediately.”

So what are they doing with all these crates?
The Prices plan to keep some of the ammunition boxes as unique décor. They’re considering turning them into shelves or even flooring for their sons’ bedroom—a one-of-a-kind conversation piece with real history embedded in every nail.
The rest? They’ll likely be removed as the renovation continues.
But one thing’s for sure: this “simple fixer-upper” turned out to be anything but simple.

The takeaway?
Sometimes, the walls we tear down reveal more than we bargained for. And in the case of Cody and Kourtni Price, they didn’t just renovate a house—they uncovered a piece of forgotten history, one ammunition crate at a time.
Would you have kept renovating? Or called it quits the moment you saw those crates? 👀