Brick Mailboxes

3 tips to consider before building a brick mailbox

A mailbox may appear to be a small feature in a yard, but when one considers how much it is actually used, it makes sense that so many people are updating to brick mailboxes today. If you have decided to build your mailbox on your own instead of hiring someone to do it for you, there is a lot to consider before beginning this very detailed project. Before beginning this task, it is recommended that you look at many pictures of mailbox designs so that you can choose your ideal mailbox. In addition to looking at pictures online and looking at brick mailboxes that may be in your own neighborhood, there are three other tips you should consider ahead of time.

1. Choose the best color and size
Bricks come in many different sizes and colors. It is important to decide on what shade you would like the bricks of your mailbox to be. When deciding, keep your entire yard in mind. If your house is painted a very light color and your yard is considered bright, a lighter shade of bricks would suit it best. If your house has dark shutters and accent colors, consider a darker brick color. Furthermore, keep in mind the materials used on your porch if applicable. Many times porch steps are made of brick. Try to match the colors of the porch steps to the mailbox bricks. Another very common practice is to paint brick mailboxes. Whitewashing is very easy to do, however, be sure that you will not miss the brick color because once it is painted, there is no undoing it.

2. Follow postal regulations
Perhaps to your surprise, there are quite a few mailbox regulations that must be followed by everyone who intends to receive mail. Contacting your local permit office or department will fill you in on all of these rules. Sometimes these regulations vary by community, however, many are the same all across the country. Brick mailboxes must posses certain vertical heights from road surfaces, specific distances from the curb to the bottom of the mailbox, and even particular number and letter heights. You do not want to build your mailbox without following postal service regulations, or else all the hard work will go to waste!

3. Disposing old materials
This tip may seem a little odd at first glance, but it must be considered. It is important to know ahead of time where you will store and dispose all of your materials. Depending on what type of mailbox is currently in your yard, this can be either very simple, or somewhat difficult. If you have a brick mailbox that you would like to get rid of so that you can rebuild it to your specific liking, you will need a lot of strength and a sledge hammer! It may even be necessary to hire someone to remove it for you. If the current mailbox is set with a metal stake, if will be quite easy to remove. Many mailboxes are set in concrete, which can be challenging to remove. If it is too much work to remove the concrete, consider covering the spot with sod or turf and then choose another location for the new mailbox.

Building a mailbox takes a lot of time and dedication, especially when building one of brick. Be sure to gather all of your materials before you begin to actually build it. Print out a list of the postal regulations from your local postal officials. And lastly, decide how you are going to get rid of the existing mailbox. It may seem like a lot of work for little return, but surely the reward will be quite enjoyable as you retrieve your mail daily to a beautiful, sturdy, and timeless brick mailbox.