Letterboxes as the Eye-Catching Jewels of the Exterior

As someone working in real estate, I see a lot of people who are new in the industry trying to make a lot of money while putting in little effort in the property, especially in the outside part of their home. It doesn’t matter how well your house looks on the inside, if your garden/yard/porch are neglected and are not eye-appealing. In fact, just by improving your home’s surroundings, you will significantly increase its value. Even the small things matter, like the letterbox. Although small and seemingly unnoticeable, the letterbox is one of the first things by-passers and guests pay attention to.

Generally, you can buy letterbox in one of the two basic styles, either a wall mounted box or a curbside letterbox. They’re distinguished by where they can be placed on the property. The option you decide to go for should be mainly dependent on the type of residence you own. Some homes use a mail slot instead of a letterbox, but that of course, can be changed.

The Two Types of Letterboxes
As aforementioned, you can buy letterbox in one of the two basic styles. The curbside letterboxes are usually found in rural and suburban areas where homeowners have a lot of land and therefore, space. Depending on the style, you can support the curbside box with a simple post that can be attached to the center bottom of the box itself, or you can place an ornate post that has a cross-arm holding the box. You should also include decorative brackets in the design to support the cross arm if you decide to go for it. Curbside letterboxes have both front and back openings and a “letterbox arm” which mailmen can lift after they’ve delivered something in it.

Wall mounted letterboxes are found in more populated areas where space is an issue. As the name implies, they are mounted to the exterior of the home by being screwed to the wall. A lot of wall mounted letterboxes have a top box and newspaper hooks which come in very handy for holding big flyers and envelopes. Before opening up your wallet for this type, decide whether you’d like it to be horizontally or vertically oriented.

Variation in Styles
Letterboxes can be manufactured in many different styles in order to complement the home. For instance, you can go for a Victorian style box which features a carved relief and moldings on the body with finials on top of it. Country style letterboxes feature decorations like folk art paintings. Contemporary letterboxes are usually designed with little to no decoration and feature straight, clean lines.