PROJECTS ONLINE: INSTALLING A MAILBOX: BOX AND POST
Project Difficulty:
Moderate Estimated
Project Time: 1/2 day
Tools and Materials:
Shovel or posthole digger
Crowbar (optional)
2x4 (to tamp dirt)
Measuring tape
4x4 treated lumber or cedar post
Carpenter’s saw
Level
Cordless drill/driver
1x3s, as needed
Stakes, as needed
Deck screws
If you need to set the post in concrete:
Gravel
Quick-set concrete
Even in the digital era, you need a safe and secure place for the daily snail mail. The weather takes a hard toll on mailboxes and their mounts, so this is a project you’ll be doing regularly over the years. Post-mounted mailboxes offer a variety of choices, including complete heavy-duty plastic post-and-box combinations. If your mailbox goes on a post, you’ll have to choose how the post is installed, either buried in the ground or kept above ground by using a post support. Wall-mount mailboxes are usually the easiest to install. Before installing a mailbox, check U.S. Postal Service regulations and local requirements. Also, note where any utility lines are buried before you start digging.
Here’s what to do if you want to set a mailbox on top of a wooden post that’s buried in soil. (Figs. 1 and 2)
1.
Remove Old Box and Post
Remove the old mailbox post, digging and prying until you get it and any concrete out. If the post is broken or rotted through underground, you might want to put the new post in a different spot.
2.
Dig a Hole
With a shovel or posthole digger (Fig. 3), dig a hole about a foot wide and 18 to 24 inches deep.
3.
Firm Soil
Tamp down the soil in the bottom of the hole with a 2x4.
4.
Align Post
With a helper, put the post in the hole and align it straight up and down (plumb), using a level.
5.
Brace Post
If you’re working alone, brace the post with 1x3s nailed to stakes; otherwise, your helper can hold the post straight while you fill in the hole.
6.
Fill Hole with Soil
With your shovel, fill in one quarter of the hole with soil, and then tamp the soil down tight with the 2x4. Add more soil, tamp it again, and repeat until you’re done.
Note: In loose soil you may need to use quick-setting concrete around the post. If so, dig the hole as above, tamp down the soil, and add a layer of gravel to the bottom of the hole. Then level your post and add the concrete. Brace the post with 1x3s and stakes until dry.
7.
Install Box
Once the post is in place, mount the mailbox with a drill/driver and galvanized deck screws.
