Mailbox construction advice...

[Michael Dunn]

I've had plans to build a mailbox for quite a while. I'm wondering if I should build it around one of those plastic mailbox structures. I'm planning to construct it in such a way that it resembles my home. Cedar shingles to resemble the Timberline shingles on my roof. Cedar siding to resemble the aluminum siding on the house. Painted the same as the house of course.

Any thoughts? I know that if I build and design it properly I will likely not need the plastic structure, but it couldn't hurt, right?

[Bruce Page]

I'm pretty sure that you would need to build it around a USPS approved mailbox.
Do a Google search, the USPS has pretty strict regulations on the subject.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Here - saved you the search..

http://about.usps.com/publications/engineering-standards-specifications/spusps-std-7b01/welcome.html

[Matt Meiser]

We bought one some Amish guy made from a composite deck material. None of our mail carriers (there's about 3 that rotate) have ever complained.

It installs over a 4x4 post similar to the Step 2 ones. In order to reduce damage if it gets hit I cut a saw kerf about 3/4 deep all around the post right at ground level in hopes that it will just snap off. Guy selling them said they are pretty durable. His has gotten hit a few times and he's been able to put it back up.

[Lee Schierer]

You might want to consider how many mailboxes within a mile of your house get destroyed by baseball bats by the local hoodlums before investing a lot of time building a fancy mailbox. Mail boxes along our road get whacked about once every 1-2 years by idiots with bats driving by in cars/trucks. We also see lots of mailboxes damaged by the snow plows every winter. Our latest mail box is made of 3/16" steel and is mounted on a spring loaded wooden mounting that allows it to be hit and then return to its proper location on its own.

[Myk Rian]

Use MDO ply to build it.
Mine doesn't look like the house, but it slips over a 4x4 post.

271021

[Tai Fu]

As for hoodlums...

Build a larger box around the actual mailbox. Mount it on a sturdy post, and fill the space between the larger box and the actual mailbox with concrete. Anyone who attempts to hit it with a bat will be in for a nasty surprise.

[Greg Hines, MD]

This was the subject of an old episode of CSI and it did not end well for the homeowner. If you have problems with this, you should build a brick or stone surround. We do not have this problem, so the one that I built is similar, though much cruder, to the one above, with a platform for the mailbox and a newspaper slot underneath. When I replace the box, there are heavy duty mailboxes made of thicker steel that I would replace it with.

Doc