It is highly probable that your home façade was a big factor in picking it out. After all, how a home looks is really important, as it projects a lot about the owner’s personality and taste. It’s for this reason that keeping your home and your yard looking smart on the outside is a top priority.
But, to be honest, not everyone gives much thought to the perfect letterbox design, including you. That is, until you’ve needed to, anyway. If you’ve now found yourself with a broken letterbox, or a new property with an ugly letterbox you can’t bear to keep, you now need to give some thought to which kind to buy.
Even if you have a perfectly functioning box, making a change may be worth some thought if you’re interested in updating the look of your home for something fresher. For something so small, it can make a real difference to the overall look of your house.
But, before you head out and buy the first thing you see, there are a few things you need to give some serious thought to. Here’s why you need to choose wisely:
- Letterboxes come in a range of shapes, sizes and designs. This means that you have the opportunity to pick out something that suits the type and amount of mail you receive. Get it wrong and you have missed or damaged mail, or a grumpy mailman.
- It may seem like a small, inconsequential detail, but your mailbox can make a real difference to the look of your property.
Small details like mailboxes add up to give an overall impression. A great choice can complement or even enhance your house façade. A bad choice can look out-of-place or cheap, and really detract from your property’s curb appeal.
Here are the practical things to get right:
- Check any conditions your mail service may have on where your mailbox should be situated. There may be stipulations on how you can position it relative to the street.
- Find out if there are any planning regulations, too; sometimes local authorities impose certain requirements to give their neighborhood an overall cohesive look.
- Measure up for space and then check your options. Most people prefer a freestanding or post-mounted box, but these can look out of place squeezed into insufficient space. In this case, a wall-mounted or built-in option will look smarter.
- Consider the local climate, too. If driving rain can be an issue, then you need to ensure your mailbox is in a sheltered spot and is waterproof.
- If you are starting or redoing your front yard from scratch, then it may be worth hiring a landscaper who can help you with the overall look and advise you on some practical considerations.
- Think about the type of mail you usually receive. Many letterboxes come with a narrow slot, but if you regularly receive magazines, newspapers or parcels, then a wider opening would be ideal.
- Allow for a few days’ worth of mail when picking out a size. Occasionally, life throws a curveball at you which, in this case, means you may forget or not have an opportunity to empty out your box. Overflowing mailboxes are an obvious sign to would-be thieves that you may be out of town.
- Always opt for a secure letterbox with key access for peace of mind.
- Check to ensure your favored letterbox designs are tamper-proof too, so that you can be sure that mail can’t be fished back out through the opening.
And here’s how to pick out a great letterbox style:
- No matter how much you love a design, remember that it must function well, so keep your practical considerations at the forefront of your mind.
- Ask yourself whether you want your letterbox to stand out and make a real style statement. This can be a great idea if the façade of your home is a little bland and could do with a little pop of style.
- Be careful if the outside of your home is already strongly styled. In this case, a letterbox needs to blend in completely with existing features. Otherwise the design may clash, or make your home façade look busy or cluttered.
- To go for a bolder statement,beautifully modern freestanding letterboxes in stylish materials such as stainless steel and modern timber look particularly chic.
- For a more modest design, pick out a design in the same material and/or color scheme as that of your home exterior.
- To blend in completely, a built-in, fully-housed design is ideal. You would need to use the same materials as for the main home.
Finally, if you have any doubts, remember that you can’t go wrong with a simple, understated but great quality letterbox.
AUTHOR BIO
Beau Flavell has been a Product & Account Manager for Sandleford Holdings since July 2017. He completed his VCE at Brighton Grammar School and also holds an A-Class Electrician License. Beau has been working on developing a new range of innovative letterboxes and currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.