Modern Mailbox

Posted: January 12th, 2009 | Filed under: DIY, Our Projects | Tags: , , , , , , | 11 Comments »

It seems only fitting that my first entry is something completed yesterday, so as the premier feature I offer an alternative to obnoxiously priced modern mailboxes.  You must be handy, or, as I am fortunate enough to have,  a handy partner who can engineer your vision into reality with a bit of basic carpentry skills.  So you’ve googled “modern mailbox” only to find that $400-$4,000 a pop isn’t quite what you can rationalize in your budget.  So you start thinking……Can I (or someone dear to me) MAKE something that will suit my taste and not break the bank?

I too have lusted over the Neutra numbers on DWR, but again, $75 each….enter research mode.

WestOn Letters’ (link below) website provides my numbers at a budget price -I choose “deep ribbon” with spacers.  Cost about $85 for all 3.  I sketch out my vision of simplicity to be translated by my crafty counterpart into real measurements.  Wood, deck stain, gravel brought the grand total up to about $125.

Pressure treated dog eared fence pickets screwed together on a frame with stainless steel screws.  He cut the curve for the mailbox with a reciprocating saw and built a platform within the column for the mailbox to sit. We used our old mailbox so that cost is not included in our budget.  Gravel at the base serves 2 purposes – keeps the look minimalist, but also keeps the wood off the dirt so it won’t rot, despite being pressure treated.  We put a sheet of plastic under the gravel as well as an additional moisture barrier.  The roof between the side walls is pitched at a slant  (shed roof) for water runoff.

Found the mossy stones in my yard to finish the look and voila!

WestOn Letters site

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11 Comments on “Modern Mailbox”

  1. 1 troy. said at 1:28 PM on February 19th, 2009:

    Great ingenuity — excellent solution for a stand-alone mailbox. And I really like the look of this too!!

  2. 2 modernfrugirl said at 2:33 PM on February 19th, 2009:

    Thanks! I should note that as extra protection against warping, we glued the pickets in addition to the screws.

  3. 3 I See a Red Door…… « ModFruGal said at 5:05 PM on May 5th, 2009:

    [...] this is how we renovate.  (That’s how the mailbox got done towards the end of the kitchen remodel.)  When faced with a big project that is very [...]

  4. 4 DIY Modern Mailbox | PLASTOLUX “keep it modern” said at 9:39 PM on June 3rd, 2009:

    [...] see the project here [...]

  5. 5 jen said at 6:14 PM on July 17th, 2009:

    LOVE this. And yes I did the search for the modern mailbox, and my budget was very discouraged. So thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful idea. I am going to add it to my hubbys to do list asap. thanks again.

  6. 6 Sunil said at 8:31 PM on March 18th, 2010:

    Awesome design…one question tho – how did you fasten it to the ground?

  7. 7 admin said at 8:35 PM on March 18th, 2010:

    It actually isn’t fastened…it is like a sleeve over the existing post with the box fastened inside the new housing. Original mailbox was a simple post and box set in the ground with concrete already. By using the gravel, we prevent rot to the new frame.

  8. 8 Kat said at 12:11 PM on April 3rd, 2011:

    This is beyond brilliant. Thanks! We have been searching for a “modern” mailbox for a year and have been discouraged by asthetic and price.

    We actually removed the existing post and built it as a stand-alone. Frame is pressure treated and sheathing is cedar fence board. Anchored into the ground with concrete and steel angle brackets.

    For modern numbers, check out the Architectural Cast Brass numbers from Home Depot. Similar to Neutra but at 6 dollars a pop!

  9. 9 admin said at 2:51 PM on April 3rd, 2011:

    Thanks…I like the concrete/bracket anchor idea!

  10. 10 Karen said at 8:53 PM on June 7th, 2011:

    Awesome design..just what I was looking for. What are the demensions width, depth, and height?

  11. 11 ModFruGal said at 9:11 PM on June 7th, 2011:

    55.5″ x 22.5″ from the highest point at the front of the box.