Whether you just want your home to look better or you're trying to sell your home, better curb appeal is essential. Mailbox landscaping is just one of the many ways to update your home’s exterior for a more polished and well-cared-for appearance. It's not uncommon for your mailbox to be the first thing people notice when they approach your home. This is especially true if a visitor or home buyer is making their first trip to your house. The curb appeal of your mailbox or address sign is your first chance to give a good first impression and a beautiful welcome to your home.
Before hiring a professional landscaping company or creating a DIY plan, you need to understand how curb appeal can help you and which areas of your home will most impact its overall appearance. Since we have identified your mailbox or address sign as the first item to greet a visitor, we’ll start there. Let's look at creating better curb appeal with mailbox landscaping and how you can integrate this area with the rest of your outdoor landscaping.
Why Is Curb Appeal Important?
The outside of your home will be the first thing people see. If you're planning to sell your home, it's also the first thing buyers see in your listing pictures online. While your landscaping design might not make a big difference on an appraisal, it significantly impacts your ability to attract buyers and make the sale.
The first impression matters when you list your home for sale. Every detail, from your mailbox to your house number and front door, is important when designing landscaping for better curb appeal. It's even common for your real estate agent to offer up curb appeal ideas before listing your home for sale. This is because a well-maintained yard helps you maintain the perceived value of your house.
How much value does landscaping add? According to the National Association of Realtors, homeowners who use professional landscaping services for lawn care and to add appeal to their home can increase their home's value by close to 15%. Even if you don't hire professionals and take on the yard work and landscaping yourself, you can see an increase in home value of about 7%. Understanding these values can help you decide if it's a good idea to tackle landscaping upgrades or if you just need to keep your grass mowed to maintain a polished appearance.
Why Does the Mailbox Matter for Curb Appeal?
It's not uncommon for homeowners to miss the mailbox when working on yard landscaping ideas. You might spend more time designing and updating other areas of your home's exterior, but don't forget about the mailbox to create a cohesive look.
Also, remember that the mailbox is often the first thing people notice when they look for your address. Visitors who pull up to your home may be basing their first impression on your mailbox area. Sometimes, your mailbox is your first chance to sell your home. So you want to make sure you take improving your mailbox's curb appeal seriously. You might want to add a new mailbox post or even a mailbox garden. Even a little paint can go a long way in creating a new look for your mailbox.
Top 6 Ways to Increase Curb Appeal with Mailbox Landscaping
Here are some simple ways mailbox landscape design ideas can complement your home’s exterior and other landscape features.
1. Start with the Right Mailbox and Post
Choose the right mailbox and post to match your home’s aesthetic and accommodate your normal mail delivery volume. These can be modern and sleek or more decorative. You might even consider alternative materials for your mailbox post. How would brick, stone, or ornamental wrought iron fit your home’s exterior design?
However, you don't want to get too crazy with this landscaping area. Choose a timeless mailbox to add to your home's curb appeal. It's best to avoid novelty mailboxes. A whimsical mailbox may appeal to you but may not be attractive to everybody else. If you want to add touches of fun or unique decorations, it’s best to keep these additions small and subtle. Add these elements around the mailbox so they’re easy to remove.
2. Paint and Repair Your Mailbox
Maybe your mailbox and post are still in overall good shape and don't need to be replaced. However, it could still have a loose flag, a failing latch, or peeling or faded paint that doesn’t look great. It's also possible you had your home painted, updated your garage or front door, or made other home improvements, and the mailbox no longer matches.
Clean your mailbox, make minor repairs, and get out your paintbrush for the final touches. Maybe you want a fancier post with a specific design, or you want to add decorative stencil work to the post. Consider a little paint to spruce it up when you want to make your mailbox area look better. A simple coat of paint can go a long way.
You might even explore decorative mailbox covers that complement your home.
3. Plan for Practicality
Before beginning any mailbox landscaping, be sure to plan it out carefully. Ensure your ideas do not interfere with normal mailbox delivery and usage. Check to make sure your design meets any local post office requirements.
Does your mailbox have access from the front and back? Make sure it’s approachable from both ways, for both you and your mail carrier. Incorporate this into the design with clear pathways made with pavers or gravel for ease of use.
4. Consider an Add-on
When you have a wooden mailbox post, you can add things to it with metal hooks. You can add a solar lantern, a birdhouse, a hanging basket, or a planter to make it more attractive. These can be great ways to give your mailbox a cared-for look and greater appeal.
Sometimes, the best way to decorate the post for your mailbox is with your house number. You can choose a specific set of numbers to match your home’s style and architecture and increase visibility for visitors and emergency response personnel.
If you have a mailbox on your porch, you can also use an add-on planter to help make your porch look more inviting. Get creative with add-ons!
5. Decorating Around Your Mailbox Post
While a simple coat of paint can go a long way, you can also decorate around your mailbox post to make it look even better. You can add a cluster of larger planters as an alternative to in-ground greenery and flowers. Are you installing a new post? Consider a planter surrounding the base of the post. One popular style is a barrel planter.
Suppose plants and formal garden landscapes aren’t your preferred accents. In that case, you can choose decorative rocks, pavers, or other materials to provide a low-maintenance and attractive option for your mailbox area. Another idea would be to place some mulch around the area with a simple or decorative border to make it look more attractive.
One item you might consider is a separate address yard sign to create a more polished look for both the landscaping and the mailbox. This is also a good area for extra solar lighting to emphasize your address and garden features at night.
Other complementary embellishments might include an area for seasonal signs and tasteful sculptures, decorations, or small representations of hobbies and interests. You could even add an outdoor carpet or welcome mat in front of the mailbox to keep weeds down, give better access, and add a unique touch.
Perhaps you might add a little library, free produce box, or other community enhancement nearby, with permission from your HOA, if needed. Is your mailbox along a sidewalk or in a children’s bus stop area? Why not add a comfortable bench or decorative chairs?
6. Planting Around Your Mailbox
One of the most popular ways to dress up the area around your mailbox is with plants, borders, and other landscaping elements. With good mailbox gardening, you can make this area of your home look amazing. Consider a climbing plant that can add color to the post or a trellis, but be sure you have a plan for keeping the blooms away from the actual mailbox. Even ornamental grass can look very nice.
Choosing the right plants and flowers can go a long way if you want to add a touch of color. Consider the color palette of your home’s exterior and choose complementary tones that blend well with your mailbox, surrounding area, and other landscaped areas.
Make sure you select flowers and plants that will thrive in your location and climate. Flowers that grow well in New York may not grow as well in North Carolina. You will also want to make sure that you are choosing hardy varieties. They need to be non-toxic to children and animals and thorn-free. How will they handle rainwater run-off or exposure to salt and slush in the winter?
There are many good landscaping ideas for your mailbox garden available online. Remember to work in some stepping stones, a separate walkway, or other access enhancements that make it easy to get your mail in every season and situation.
Upgrade Your Curb Appeal With a New Mailbox
When it's time to sell your home, or you just want to make it look better, adding curb appeal with mailbox landscaping can go a long way.
Browse Porch and Post for high-quality products and ideas to help inspire you to make your home look amazing!