When planning your remodeling project, consider creating a time capsule to send a message to future owners.
The interior demolition of any home remodel is exciting, tearing down drywall, pulling up floorboards, and maybe even removing entire walls. And when the sledgehammer’s swing reveals messages from the past (the front page of a decades-old newspaper or photos of a former owner), it’s a double thrill as the past meets the present.
The flip side of finding a time capsule in your home is creating one of your own. Get the entire family involved in the fun as you brainstorm what to include and choose the perfect place to safely hide your time capsule for a future generation of your home to discover.
There are three essential steps to making your time capsule:
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- Choose an appropriate container
- Decide what to include
- Find a good hiding place
Step One: Choose an appropriate container
To preserve the contents of your time capsule for a few years or a few decades, you’ll want a sturdy container to keep out light, air, and moisture and to keep your items safe from temperature extremes and water damage. Stainless steel, aluminum, and polypropylene are good choices. Also, make sure there’s an airtight seal on your capsule.
When filling your time capsule, keep items separate from one another to avoid a reaction between materials that might cause deterioration over time. Use plastic bags, acid-free tissue, or polyethylene protective sleeves to protect each item individually. Once you’ve sealed up your cache, clearly label the outside of the capsule, and be sure to include the date.
Step Two: Decide what to include in your time capsule
This is the fun part, choosing the items to include in your message to the future.
Here are some ideas for your time capsule:
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- Make it personal with photos of your family and pets.
- Have each family member write a list of their favorite things or places to go in your neighborhood or city.
- Include small personal items that represent popular trends of the time.
- A newspaper documents the time period and current events.
- Write a letter to the future owners. Consider having each family member write a personal message, with younger kids contributing a drawing.
- If this is an extensive home renovation, include photos from before, during, and after the project.
- Include a list of the items in your time capsule, telling why you chose to include each one.
Time capsule do’s and don’ts:
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- Use acid-free paper and carbon-based writing materials such as a graphite pencil or pen with archival ink.
- Print photos on acid-free or archival paper. Black and white ink will last longer than color.
- Protect paper items with polyethylene sleeves.
- Don’t include food, plants, or any organic material that will decompose.
- Keep items low-tech: paper, photos, small objects made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. Don’t include “modern” technology; there’s no guarantee of a way to access them in the future (think floppy disc or Betamax.) Digital media isn’t reliable either, as it can lose the ability to be viewed over time.
- Don’t include batteries or anything that could corrode or leak.
Step Three: Find a good location to stash your cache
Now that you’ve sealed up your time capsule safe and sound, it’s time to tuck it away for a future generation to discover. Rather than burying it in the backyard, your home renovation will provide lots of potential hiding places–under floorboards, in between walls, behind a built-in cabinet. Keep the time capsule away from light, temperature extremes, or sources of moisture. Don’t put it near ductwork, plumbing, or electrical, nor in an exterior wall or floor.
An unforgettable memory-making experience
Incorporating a time capsule into a home remodeling project is a unique experience for owners present and future. As you preserve your family’s memories, you create a new unforgettable memory for future owners to discover many years from now.
