Image copyright Alex Monney

The places we live, which seem personal and private, will probably have been called home by numerous strangers.

Alex and Jess Monney, from San Jose, California, were reminded of this fact recently while refurbishing their bathroom.

Concealed behind the plasterboard was a message from Mr and Mrs Shinseki, and their pet rabbit Cassie, who lived in the house in 1995.

The couple wrote: "If you're reading this, that means you're remodelling the bathroom again. What's wrong with the way we did it?"

Mr Monney decided to share the note on social media.

On Twitter the photograph has been retweeted and liked thousands of times, and on Reddit it received more than 80,000 up votes - a sign of popularity.

The 23-year-old note has inspired others to share the objects and messages they have discovered hidden in their homes.

TJ Harris from Indiana replied with a photograph of the stack of Playboy magazines he and his wife discovered stashed in their bathroom wall.

The magazine on top of the pile was published in September 2000.

Mars Garrett, from Texas, explained how her father "routinely stopped by and gave the builders a six-pack of beer" as they built his house in the 1970s.

Mr Monney told the BBC the popularity of his post has "totally exceeded" his expectations.

"It's just nice to see that people are appreciating the positivity of the story."

While many posted images of the objects they had discovered hidden in the recesses of their houses, others shared that they had left notes for future residents.

Illandira Belore, said: "I have a house built in 1912, when we renovated we found notes. As we renovated we left notes of our own and a little 'time capsule' of sorts for whom ever gets the house after I am gone and remodels it."

Others chose more prosaic keepsakes to pass on to future occupants.

Mr Monney confirmed that he and his wife would leave their own note hidden behind the walls of the bathroom for future inhabitants to find.

"The funny thing is the renovation was supposed to be quick. We're expecting our first baby in four weeks, so we need to get moving on our message pretty soon."

Mr Monney told the BBC he thought the Shinsekis "seem like funny people" and that he would like to thank them "for the smiles" their note has brought.

By George Pierpoint, UGC and Social News