Your letter box

Our letter boxI know that a lot of communications come via Email  and Facebook now but I still like to receive mail.

A nice card means a lot more to me than a Happy Birthday tweet.

If you are like me and like to get letters, make sure that you take a bit of care with your letter box.

After all how hard can it be?…………Unfortunately from my experiences its too hard for lots of people!

Here are just some of the faults that I commonly come across:

  • Difficult to find
  • The box behind and below the fence line
  • The letter slot too small
  • The box can’t fit a normal envelope without folding
  • The box is too low

So what should you do about a letter box for your new home?

  1. Have a look at a DIY store you will see plenty of choice. A good tip is to get a piece of card at least 230mm x 325 mm and try it in each box you like.
  2. If you have the skills why not make one. I think they are far more interesting than the run of the mill boxes.
  3. Make sure the box is on the boundary and not obscured by the fence or bushes.
  4. These are the important dimensions when choosing, making, and installing a letter box:
      • A delivery opening of at least 235mm x 30mm
      • Minimum internal dimensions below the delivery opening of 240mm x 340mm x 160mm
      • The delivery opening should be no lower than 900mm and no higher than 1200mm above the ground.

One question I do have is . . . . . Why do they still have a newspaper tube? . . . . I have had a daily newspaper delivered for more than 25 years and its always thrown on the garden. . . . never put in the tube!

NB These dimensions are slightly different to the Australia Standard Dimensions, but better too big than too small.

For more thoughts why not see Is Bigger Better

 

The Settling In Section also has advice for after

you have moved in your new house