How to Make a Round Brick Mailbox
Many homeowners choose to add beauty and grace to their landscape with a custom mailbox. One of the most beautiful and safe decorative mailbox is the brick box with a rounded top. The round brick mailbox has curved lines and a bold presentation at the street. It makes a singular statement about the taste and individuality of the homeowner. It also adds references of strength and stability to the residence, not to mention the extent to which it protects the mail. Constructing a round brick mailbox yields decades of reward. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Shovel
- Hoe
- Pea gravel
- Premixed construction mortar
- Mortar trough
- Flat trowel
- Level
- 8-by-8-by-16-inch concrete block
- Pencil
- Plumb line
- Sand
- Portland cement
- Common red or white brick Masonry brush
- Mortar jointer
- Metal strap mortar anchors
- Square newspaper tube
- Mortar hammer
Instructions
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Build the Concrete Footer
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1
Determine the mailbox location. If another is box already there, remove it and any foundation material. Dig a 2-foot-by-2-foot foundation sump 8 inches deep with a shovel and hoe. Make the sides vertical and the bottom roughly level. Add several inches of pea gravel, and level it with the hoe.
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2
Use the mortar trough to mix and pour enough premixed concrete -- typically 6 inches -- to fill up the foundation sump. Make the upper surface of the foundation at ground level. Use the trowel and level to finish the surface of the foundation. Cover the foundation and allow it to set for 48 hours.
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3
Mix several cubic feet of pre-mixed concrete, slightly dry. Set two concrete blocks side-by-side in the center of the foundation surface, and mark their location with a pencil. Remove the blocks and lay a ridge of cement inside the lines and lay down the block, ensuring they are level and square. Trowel mortar on the upper edges of the blocks and lay another course, alternating direction to stagger the blocks. Ensure the upper surface is level, plumb and square. Lay a third course of block pairs, reaching approximately 26 inches above the foundation. Allow the blocks to set for 4 hours.
Build the Brick Mailbox
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4
Mix mortar, sand and water (1-2-1 ratio, respectively). Beginning at the base of the block tower, trowel a generous ring of mortar around the first course of block. Trowel a smaller ridge of mortar outside the first and around the block tower. Lay the first course of brick, buttering both the bottom and the inside edge. The brick is set "brick-mortar-block" without any space between the elements, producing a totally solid finished tower. Lay one brick-width only around the block tower. Repeat for five more courses of brick, keeping them level, straight and plumb. Point the brick using a masonry brush and jointer.
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5
Lay mortar anchors across the upper surface of the top blocks and the top course of brick. Position the newspaper tube in the center of the tower, resting on 1 inch of mortar. Lay the seventh course of brick, using broken brick or block to fill in the gaps between the brick and the newspaper tube.
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6
Lay three more courses of brick to a level of 40 inches. Set the metal mailbox on a troweled layer of mortar. Wiggle it into place, and test to ensure the door opens. The bottom edge of the metal box must be 41 inches above the level of the adjacent road -- per USPS regulation -- not the foundation.
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7
Lay two courses of brick up and around the mailbox, with enough mortar to totally wrap the mailbox in mortar. The next course of brick is the first angled course that produces the rounded top over the box. There are typically 8 or 9 angled courses, depending on the thickness of mortar. These courses are also not staggered; they are three bricks end-to-end.
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8
Lay the remaining angled courses of brick, being careful to arrange for proportional spacing between the bricks, to effect the curved top. Do this by making the inside edge of the bricks -- the edge nearest the metal mailbox -- touch, with the outside edge 1 1/4-inch or more apart.
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9
Cut several bricks in half with a mortar hammer. Fill in the back side of the mailbox, covering the metal box with enough cut brick to fill the gap between the angled courses of brick, the last course before the metal box was installed. Use the brush and jointer to finish the edges of all the remaining courses.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Lay the top, curving brick pattern by placing the bricks one row at a time -- front to back -- instead of one course at a time. This supports perfect spacing because the front row of bricks can always be pulled off, if not correctly spaced.
Always check local USPS regulations before beginning the project.
Check for building codes and HOA rules that may limit your design characteristics.
References
- "The definitive guide to designing and building with brick"; John Oliver; 2001
Resources
- Photo Credit Hulton Collection/Valueline/Getty Images
