DIY mailboxes for the street. Original do-it-yourself mailboxes

A mailbox is an integral part of any home. How to make it yourself mailbox, unique in design and having the function of notifying about the arrival of mail, is described in this article.

If you have a house, then you have your own address to which they send you postal items- press, letters and other notices. To receive correspondence, you can buy a mailbox at any appropriate store and hang it on the front door. This solution, in addition to being expensive (high-quality mailboxes are quite expensive), is also bad because the ready-made options are faceless and, accordingly, are not able to decorate your home. We will tell you how you can make a unique mailbox with your own hands, which has two undeniable advantages over purchased ones:

• located on the inside of the fence, that is, located on the territory of the personal plot, and having a decorative appearance, it will serve as a decoration for the garden;
• the box is equipped with an autonomous mechanical mail arrival alarm, that is, the box will have a simple, reliable and fail-safe mechanism that is triggered when mail arrives, thereby informing the owner that the mail has arrived.

In the end, such a mailbox will cost you less than a purchased one, and you can make it yourself in one day.

So let's get started.

Tools and materials

To make a mailbox house we will need:

1. Circular saw or hand saw.
2. Drill or screwdriver.
3. Sheet metal or any other sheet material. A cut tin can will do just fine.
4. Lumber trims.
5. Wooden skewers. We will use them as dowels.

Manufacturing instructions

1. We start by making the base platform. To do this, we use a rectangular piece of plywood 20 mm thick. We cut out a rectangle according to the dimensions indicated in the photo, sand it with sandpaper and cover it with primer.

2. We cover the edges with decorative coverings.

4. After painting the platform to the bottom, using self-tapping screws, we fix the stand and the slope, which are made of a profile pipe.

5. We fix the platform at the place where the mailbox is installed.

6. We make a damper on the outside of the fence. We cut a vertical hole in the corrugated sheet of the fence. From a metal plate 1.5 mm thick we make coverings for the gap and the damper itself. We fix the damper using a self-tapping screw in its upper part to the coverings on the crack. The flap moves to the left or right, thereby opening the entrance to the slot through which mail enters.

7. Let's start manufacturing the mailbox parts.

8. Assembling the frame. We additionally secure the parts at the gluing points with wooden dowels.

9. We fix the left side wall to the frame and begin to make the signaling device. It consists of two metal plates connected to each other by a metal axis and located in relation to each other in perpendicular planes. We fix the plates to the axle using metal rivets. On the plate that will be located outside the mailbox, we apply a thematic design (postman), use metal scissors to cut along the contour of the design and paint with acrylic paints. The second plate should cover the entrance hole from the inside of the box. Thus, the empty box is made ready by lifting the right plate. When placing mail in the box, the plate falls, raising the left plate with the postman drawn on it. It is its appearance that signals the presence of mail.

10. The signaling device axis is fixed using corner metal hinges to the platform with self-tapping screws.

11. Fix the front wall and insert a thematic drawing into the opening of the future window.

12. We make parts of the window frame. Before installing the frame, we insert glass into the opening.

13. Glue the right side wall. In the center of the wall we make an imitation of a door and decorative cashing from fiberboard. We also make a back wall from fiberboard with a vertical slot into which mail will flow into the mailbox.

14. We decorate the outer corners of the house and the lower part with wooden corners.

15. Let's start making the roof. Glue the roof base frame together.

16. Glue a piece of fiberboard to the bottom part. Next, we glue two pairs of rafters onto the frame. All connections must be additionally secured with dowels.

17. We attach the roof frame to the house using small hinges, since the roof will serve as a mailbox lid.

18. We make the roof gables from fiberboard and glue the ebb on the front side.

19. We attach a rough roof from scraps of boards or clapboard to the rafters.

20. Using small nails, we fix tiles cut from tin onto the rough roof.

21. After fixing the tiles, we make the ridge and wind strips.

22. Making a porch.

23. We install the structure in place. Your unique mailbox is ready.

Evgeny Dubinin, rmnt.ru (based on materials from user Valley)

There are many options for making a box from scrap materials. They differ in shape and design, as well as in the material used to build them, and in price. Many models can be easily created with my own hands, using fairly cheap materials. Some are made using specific skills that require enormous effort and considerable expense.

What types are there?

When choosing a design, first of all you should pay special attention to the general style of the house, the expected capacity, as well as the location of the drawer. It is very important that the owners initially decide whether it will be used only for its intended purpose or whether it will perform additional decorative functions.

The style of execution of the product can be very diverse. The most commonly observed types are:

• standard or traditional;
• English;
• American;
• original.

Traditional mailboxes with a special slot for placing letters, newspapers and other correspondence are the most common in post-Soviet countries and can be made from any material.

Today, traditional structures are increasingly being decorated, thereby giving them a more unique and interesting look. Standard boxes are most often installed on gates or fences. They are very easy to make and use in the future.

For example, an American mailbox: they are all similar in structure, but when it comes to decor, each of them has no equal in this regard.

Each type has a special flag that, when raised, indicates that it contains a letter that needs to be sent as soon as possible. Postmen in America take out such letters and mail them themselves. In post-Soviet countries, you can also work according to this scheme, but for this you need to agree on this service in advance with the postman.

Such structures are mainly installed on some kind of separate support made of any material: wood, metal or others.

Traditional versions of boxes are more spacious, unlike American ones. Based on this, before you decide to make an American-type box, you need to know exactly the amount of correspondence you receive.

As for English mailboxes, they are presented in the form of a kind of column-shaped cabinet made of brick or any other durable material. It is customary to install them on the ground just a few meters from the threshold of the house or the entrance to the territory of your site. Outwardly, they resemble a small house, are very roomy, and their strength cannot but surprise.

If we talk about original types, then these include all models that have a very interesting and attractive design solution. Even various household items can be used in such a way that it will be impossible to take your eyes off.

To make a box of any type and type, you can use brick, plastic, wood, metal. If you make it yourself, it is best to give preference to a wooden or plastic variation, the construction of which will not take large quantity time. If you decide to make a box from metal, then you need to resort to using additional tools, have welding skills.

The most durable and very reliable boxes are considered to be those made from brick or metal, in other words - for the press, English style.

A beautiful mailbox, reliable and very durable, you can make it yourself. There are several basic recommendations that are responsible for the quality of the product:

1. If the product is made of wood, then it is best to fasten each element of the future structure with special corners, which will give the mailbox additional strength and, in case of urgent need, will facilitate repair work.
2. If the slot intended for receiving correspondence is located at the top, a special protective canopy should be made that will prevent precipitation from getting inside the box.
3. In order to remove letters, it is best to make the door at the bottom. It would be nice if the entire lower part of the structure folded back.
4. If the door for removing mail is located on the front panel of the structure, you should accurately calculate all the necessary dimensions, as well as adjust the main parts to prevent the formation of gaps.
5. To ensure that no one except you can retrieve your correspondence, especially during absence, you need to install a lock.
6. To prevent all kinds of advertising leaflets and flyers from being thrown into your mailbox, install a separate wooden cabinet next to it designed for this information.

Instructions for making a wooden or plywood box

In order to make a box out of wood, you will need to stock up on the following materials:

• wooden sheet (veneer or plywood) - 65*65 cm;
• plywood 0.9 cm thick - 65 * 43.5 cm;
• special pine beam - 100*0.75*0.5 cm;
• specially prepared piano loop - 13 cm;
• sandpaper to smooth out unevenness;
• mortise lock;
• screws;
• glue for woodworking;
• colloidal silica;
• epoxy adhesive consisting of 2 components.

First of all, the existing pine beam will need to be cut into 3 equal pieces - 33 cm. On one of the beams you will need to draw 1 main and 2 transverse lines, with a distance of 30 cm. Using a pattern, draw a smooth curved line. Using a hacksaw, the required bend is cut out, and the edge is thoroughly cleaned. The remaining 2 bars should be processed in this way.

Then they need to be properly glued together. Plywood measuring 0.9 cm will need to be cut into pieces.

Wooden mailbox option

8 sheets measuring 32*16 cm are cut out of thin plywood or veneer. After this, all the pieces are carefully glued together. It is important that no gaps are formed during gluing.

As soon as the glue dries, the finished lid will need to be properly sanded and adjusted to the required dimensions.

In order for correspondence to be placed in the mailbox, a special opening will need to be cut on the front wall using a hacksaw. It will be necessary to make the opening necessary for the door.

After this, a piano hinge is cut out across the entire width of the existing door, after which it is attached to the base using screws.

In the same door, you need to decide on a place to embed the lock, then cut out the keyhole and install it.

After this, the lid is attached to the top. Then the door is installed and the finished box is sanded using sandpaper.

If desired, the structure can be decorated with all sorts of colors or simply varnished.

A wooden mailbox is very easy to make. The main thing is desire and compliance with all the rules during the manufacturing process.

Instructions for creating an original mailbox

Mailboxes that have been approached with an individual design approach will look very interesting and very unusual on your site. A mailbox can be easily made from unnecessary household items and available funds.

So, a mailbox made from a plastic bottle is perfect for those who receive a small amount of press. A huge plus is that its creation and installation will not take much time, money or special effort.

An antique cuckoo clock can make a wonderful mailbox. To do this, you will only need to disassemble this watch and attach the front side to an ordinary wooden box. The place where the cuckoo once hopped out will be used by postmen to place the press.

If you have an old unnecessary one system unit from your computer, then make a mailbox out of it. To do this, you just need to gut all the insides of the system unit and place it on some kind of wooden or other sufficiently strong support.

The postal version can also be safely built from cardboard, the main thing is that the material is durable. When creating such a structure, it is necessary to take into account its location.

Installation methods

People are most interested in installing traditional mailboxes. The most common installation methods are:

1. Installation on the fence. For this type of installation, you must first make 2 cuts on the back of the box, through which the metal clamps necessary for fastening will be threaded. You need to level it by tightening the clamps.
2. Installation on any hard surface. Very often you can see that mailboxes are installed on metal or wooden gates. In order to carry out such an installation, it is necessary to prepare in advance a certain number of holes not only on the back panel of the box itself, but also on the gate. The finished product should be secured with nuts and bolts.
3. Wall mounting. In order to produce it, you should make 2 holes, both on the product itself and on the wall. The structure should be secured with dowels.

Having a great desire and a certain amount of free time, every owner can easily make a mailbox with his own hands, without the help of professionals.

Mailboxes are used to receive letters, newspapers and magazines. In the entrances of apartment buildings, every time you pass by, you involuntarily have to recognize their unattractive monotony. Anyone can make mailboxes with their own hands. Surprise your neighbors with your creativity!

Mailbox: a bright accent at home

You can distinguish a standard mailbox from the crowd, making it noticeable, recognizable, and original.

The easiest way is to repaint it a different color from the rest of the boxes. You can go further and apply some kind of drawing or pattern, it depends on your artistic abilities. There must be an apartment number on the box. The numbers printed diagonally will also give the box some originality.

The impossibility of making changes to the design of the apartment box somewhat limits the embodiment of creative and design fantasies. You can make your own mailbox from scrap materials.

Variety of styles and shapes

Another thing is installing a mailbox in a country house or country house. You can make it yourself, and it will look exactly the way you want. When making a box with your own hands, you can adhere to a certain style. There are several main styles:

Requirements

It's easy to make a mailbox with your own hands. The photos below will help you decide on the design of the product.

Whatever the style of mailbox, it must meet certain requirements: durability, convenience and protection from rain and snow getting on correspondence.

Standard wooden mailbox

The box will require the following set:

• a sheet of plywood with a thickness of at least 5 mm;
• wooden blocks 15×15 mm;
• furniture hinges;
• small tin plate;
• or jigsaw;
• hammer;
• fastening material (screws, nails).

It should be such that it can easily fit a standard A4 sheet. Let's try to make mailboxes with our own hands right now.

Let's get started

Two blanks measuring 350×250 mm and 350×70 mm are cut out of plywood. These will be the front and back walls and sides. For the lower part, a blank measuring 250×70 mm is cut out. This is where the creation of a wooden mailbox begins. Anyone can make it with their own hands.

There should be a gap of about 20mm at the top of the drawer for correspondence. Therefore, the workpiece is made with a size of 250x50 mm, in this case the gap will be located near the edge of the top of the box. You can also cut two blanks measuring 250x25 mm, then the slot for correspondence will be located in the middle. The bottom bar should be 250x70 mm in size.

Four bars of length 350 mm and 220 mm are cut. They will be located in the corners of the box and provide rigidity to the structure.

For durability, it is advisable to treat all parts before assembly with solutions that repel insects and prevent rotting.

Assembling the box

Using it on all workpieces, remove burrs and smooth out minor irregularities. The bars are assembled into a rectangle. The front wall (350×250 mm) is laid on them. The sides of the bars are combined with the ends of the plywood blank, and they are fixed with nails or screws. Using glue together with nails will strengthen the joint strength and improve the tightness. The glue is applied to the side of the block and to the edge of the plywood piece. Then they are connected and fixed with nails.

The rear wall is connected to the bars in a similar way. Very important point- do not forget about attaching the box to the fence or wall of the house. To do this, two eyes are screwed to the upper edge of the rear wall.

The front and rear walls are placed on the end edges and alternately fastened with the side strips (350x70 mm). The top of the drawer consists of two slats (250x25 mm). They are fastened with nails and glue so that there is a gap of about 20 mm between them.

The bottom of the box is made hinged so that it is possible to remove correspondence. To do this, two furniture hinges are screwed to the long edge of the plank, and a small corner loop for a zip lock is attached to the opposite side of the plank. Then the furniture hinges are connected to the back wall, the bottom is closed, and at the level of the lock loop, a second eye is attached to the front wall.

To prevent rain and snow from falling into the gap of the mailbox from above, a protective plate is cut out of tin and installed. It should have rounded edges and be slightly larger than the top of the drawer. The plate is made folding; for this purpose it is attached to the back wall using small furniture hinges.

There is a mailbox option with an opening front wall. In this case, the box is assembled in the same way, only the front side is made on hinges.

After assembly, the box is carefully processed with sandpaper, painted and decorated.

IN lately The decorative finishing technique - decoupage - became widespread. These are magazines or postcards with bright colorful pictures. The cut out pictures are glued to the surface and covered with several layers of varnish. The theme of the pictures can be chosen in accordance with the house or the surrounding landscape. This is how original mailboxes are obtained. It's easy to make them with your own hands.

Mailbox with signal flag

The box will be located on the inside of the fence. An American mailbox is made with a signal flag. We will decorate it with our own hands; in addition, it will require a stand with a bevel. They are made from a 50×25 mm profile pipe.

The base of the box is cut out of plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm with dimensions of 400x400 mm, carefully primed and painted.

When the paint has dried, the base is attached to the stand with self-tapping screws. The resulting platform is installed on the fence and secured.

Creative process

A slot for correspondence is cut out on the outside of the fence, opposite the platform. Its dimensions are 250×20 mm. Covers are secured on both sides of the gap. On the outside of the fence, on the top of the lining, a damper is attached. The screw and nut are not fully tightened, allowing the damper to move left and right. To prevent the connection from loosening during operation and the nut coming off the screw, a lock nut is tightened over it. Handmade mailboxes will not only attract attention, but will also bring joy to the owners of the house.

The signaling device consists of two plates located at an angle of 90° relative to each other and mounted on a steel rod. The signaling device is positioned so that the raised plate is opposite the gap in the fence, and the other lies on the platform. A piece of mail inserted into the slot will deposit the plate, and the signal plate will rise. In the absence of mail, the device must be in the working position; for this, a counterweight in the form of a small weight is installed on the upper edge of the signal plate.

A rod with plates is secured to the platform using carbon loops. The hinges are screwed to the platform with self-tapping screws, located as close as possible to the plates. This will prevent the rod from falling out of the loops.

The frame for the box is assembled from bars with a cross-section of at least 15×15 mm. The parameters are determined by the size of the mail - 350×250×250 mm. On the platform, the box is positioned so that the signal plate is outside it.

The box is sheathed depending on what it will be stylized as. It can be in a rustic style or in the form of a warehouse covered with iron sheets.

To simulate village house Cuttings of clapboard boards work well. The walls of the dollhouse can be made of fiberboard (fiberboard) with decoupage napkins glued on. The warehouse is sheathed with pieces of galvanized sheet metal. A signal plate cut in the shape of the corresponding character will help to complete the look.

To be able to pick up mail, upper part The box, which is also the roof of the house, is made folding. To do this, small furniture hinges are used to connect the base of the roof to the back wall of the box. It is also necessary to make a cutout in the back wall of the box for correspondence.

We fasten the components

All parts are connected using glue and nails. After assembly, we decorate the mailboxes with our own hands using paints of the appropriate colors. The wooden parts of the house are carefully painted. The paint selected is glossy and waterproof. The assembled house is attached to the platform, close to the fence, and the cutout in the back wall is aligned with the gap in the fence.

Any mailbox can be equipped with an electric alarm. It consists of two contact plates, two wires, a battery and a light bulb. Easy to assemble electrical circuit, in the gap of which there are contact plates. The plates are cut from a plastic bottle, some ends remain fastened to each other, and contact strips are attached to the others. A soft spring is installed between the plates. The plates are placed at the bottom of the box. The weight of correspondence placed in the mailbox closes the contacts and the control light comes on.

When everything is finished and the structure is installed in place, on the outside of the fence, near the slot for correspondence, it is necessary to make an explanatory inscription “MAIL”.

Style and prestige

The wrought iron mailbox looks great. It can be done with your own hands by a person who is excellent with a welding tool. First, a layout is created. It is cut out of metal, the parts are secured by welding and installed in a permanent place. It is important to think over a small foundation for the box. This way it will last for a longer period of time.

A street mailbox can be of any shape and size. You can create a real masterpiece with your own hands.

Traditional options for mailboxes are rarely particularly original. Familiar blue metal boxes decorated with a miniature padlock may satisfy the unpretentious taste of their owner, but the eye of a creative owner will certainly see them as a fertile basis for creating an original exterior item. Ideas on how to make a mailbox can be borrowed from your neighbors, whose fences are decorated with original and at the same time functional containers, or you can take as a basis the arrangement options described in our article.

When planning to make a mailbox for a private home, which will serve not only for its intended purpose, but also act as a harmonious addition to the architectural ensemble of a suburban area, you should first of all decide on its shape and size. According to the style of execution, boxes for receiving correspondence can be divided into three main types.

Option #1 – traditional box

The box for receiving correspondence is most often placed near the central entrance to the site, hanging on the wall of the house, gate or fence. An originally designed exterior element will always attract the attention of passers-by and guests.

The mailboxes familiar to many of us, which have become widespread in the post-Soviet territories, are vertically placed boxes with an equipped slot for letters and newspapers

Option #2 - in the English style

The mailbox, made in the form of a cabinet-table, is installed directly on the ground, placing it a few steps before the main entrance.

Functional structures that look like a miniature house are most often made of durable metal or laid out of brick

Option #3 – American-style box

Such boxes are installed on a separate support, which is a metal or wooden rod, or a decorative figure. Boxes are most often equipped with a special flag, which is raised by the owner if there are letters in the box that the postman must pick up and send himself.

The design of boxes for receiving letters and magazines of the American type is of the same type - horizontally placed containers with a semicircular roof and side doors. But their decorative design often amazes the imagination.

All kinds of household items can serve as the basis for creating boxes decorated in an unusual design solution.

When planning to make a functional structure with your own hands, every owner wants it to last for more than one season without losing its attractiveness for as long as possible. Therefore, when creating a durable letter box, you should adhere to a number of basic recommendations:

• It is advisable to install a canopy over the slot for lowering correspondence, which will protect the contents of the container from rain and snow.
• The door for removing letters can be placed both on the front panel and in the bottom wall of the structure. With the first arrangement option, it is important to accurately calculate the dimensions of the hole and door in order to prevent the formation of cracks through which moisture will enter. When planning to place the door in the bottom wall, it is better to make this entire part of the box folding.
• When building a wooden box, it is better to fasten all structural elements using corners. This will increase the strength of the structure and greatly facilitate future repairs.
• Do not forget to provide a lock, the installation of which will prevent possible attacks by thieves on correspondence.

Some craftsmen arrange their mailboxes the simplest system alarms. It is activated by contact plates, which can be taken from an old magnetic relay or telephone switch.

To equip a mailbox with an alarm system, you need to make an additional bottom in the container, which can be cut out of plywood or plastic, and then placed on springs.

The additional bottom is placed in such a way that the lower edge is attached directly to the box, and the upper edge rests on springs, between which contacts are placed that react to the box being filled with correspondence

As soon as the contacts are closed, a light bulb connected to them by wires, which is already installed in the house, lights up and thereby signals the arrival of new correspondence.

Master class #1: designer cardboard box

A chic mailbox, decorated with elegant lace and looking like a dollhouse, can act as a bright accent in the exterior of a country house.

To make such a cute “house” we will need:

• Cardboard for modeling (4 mm thick);
• Drawer lock;
• PVA construction adhesive (or hot glue with a heat gun);
• Paper tape and a stationery knife.

We will decorate the box using decoupage napkins, as well as acrylic paints in white, black and silver.

We apply the template to a sheet of cardboard, transfer the dimensions of all the design details, and then cut them out with a knife

When making a window, it is important not to cut the cardboard to the end, this will prevent tears. It is advisable to secure the bend points with paper tape.

We glue all the parts of the box using hot glue or construction PVA, leave the box until completely dry

The box is ready, let's start decorating.

To create a visual effect of antiquity, we cover the outer surface of the box with napkins, and then cover it with black and white paint, finishing the corners with a silver tint.

All that remains is to install a miniature lock on the door, stick the selected napkins for decoupage and decorate the roof with lace ribbon

An original, hand-made designer box will become a memorable calling card of any suburban area.

Master class #2: plywood mailbox option

In addition to the cardboard version, you can make something stronger. For example a wooden box.

A nice wooden mailbox will fit perfectly into a country landscape: outwardly resembling an impromptu birdhouse, it will become an appropriate addition to the exterior

To make such a mailbox you will need the following materials:

• Pine timber 1000x75x50 mm;
• A piece of plywood 650x435 mm, thickness 9 mm;
• Sheet of thin plywood measuring 650x650 mm;
• Piano hinge 130 mm (stainless steel) and mortise lock.

Tools you will need:

• Jigsaw;
• Glue for woodworking;
• Nails or screws;
• Sandpaper.

We cut the wooden beam crosswise into three parts, each 330 mm long. On each of the cuts we mark the central and transverse lines, maintaining a distance between them of 300 mm. Using a template, we draw a curve along the outlined contours, along which we subsequently cut out a bend. On all three blanks, carefully clean the edges and then glue them together.

From sheets of thin plywood you should get 8 identical blanks measuring 320x160 mm. To prevent gaps in the structure, before gluing the parts, you must first simply attach the elements to each other and check whether they match. We lay the sheets in layers on the concave side of the block, carefully coating each layer with glue. After the glue has completely dried, all that remains is to carefully sand the roof and attach it to the box using the same glue.

According to the diagram with the indicated dimensions, carefully cut out the remaining parts for the mailbox from sheets of plywood

In the front wall of the box we cut out an opening for the door and a slot for throwing in correspondence. We nail or screw a piano hinge to the door, and also cut out a keyhole to make a lock. Having installed the door, carefully clean the entire drawer, and then cover it with a layer of paint or varnish.