Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 12, 2009 7:33 pm I have lots of left over bricks and I am struggling with finding a letterbox that's not like everyone elses! Does anyone know how much it should cost me to get a brickie to make a brick letterbox? I might also include a planter area onto it too. OR how easy/difficult it would be to do myself? I know NOTHING about how to do it so if it's going to cost about the same as a nice letterbox I would rather pay someone to build it. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Brick Letterbox 2Sep 12, 2009 9:02 pm I had a go at doing one myself and know a few people who have also tried. It's not easy at all - I found brick laying to be quite difficult and a letterbox isn't the easiest place to start either. It may be small but it's quite fiddly and the inserts require a bit of messing around to get right. I'd see if you can hire a semi retired brick layer or someone who will do small jobs. I've seen some ** attempts and I think it needs to be done well to match the house and be complimentry. I finished mine off with a sledge hammer and then went out and bought a concrete one. Re: Brick Letterbox 3Sep 12, 2009 9:32 pm Mozzie I had a go at doing one myself and know a few people who have also tried. It's not easy at all - I found brick laying to be quite difficult and a letterbox isn't the easiest place to start either. It may be small but it's quite fiddly and the inserts require a bit of messing around to get right. I'd see if you can hire a semi retired brick layer or someone who will do small jobs. I've seen some ** attempts and I think it needs to be done well to match the house and be complimentry. I finished mine off with a sledge hammer and then went out and bought a concrete one. Thanks Mozzie for an honest answer, that is my worry that it is fiddly and I will get it wrong and I will HATE looking at it and it will annoy the crap outta me!! I have a friend whose hubby is a handyman and I know someone who is a brickie so I might ask them how much they would charge me for a cashie That last line made me laugh as I could see myself doing that too!! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Brick Letterbox 4Sep 12, 2009 9:53 pm I inherited a brick letterbox with planter and had trouble growing anything in the planter part because of the heat and the drainage. Even after sorting out the drainage nothing would grow in it no matter what. good quality potting mix didn't help either. Then the bricks hadn't been sealed so the mail got soaked whenever it rained. ’’Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati ’’ If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. Stila BK1 Build Thread The best place to talk about sport Re: Brick Letterbox 5Sep 12, 2009 10:00 pm serge44 I inherited a brick letterbox with planter and had trouble growing anything in the planter part because of the heat and the drainage. Even after sorting out the drainage nothing would grow in it no matter what. good quality potting mix didn't help either. Then the bricks hadn't been sealed so the mail got soaked whenever it rained. Thanks Serge, Ok so maybe not a planter next to it... but what do you have to do to seal it? How does the water get in, it doesn't get in the house? I'm confused 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Brick Letterbox 6Sep 12, 2009 10:08 pm I've had a few brickies put a flyer in my mail box, so that may happen to you too. Best to get a professional to do it in my opinion. Go to Bunnings and get a metal letter box insert and the brickie will brick around it, that way your mail will stay protected. Not sure about the planter side of it, but you can buy sealants from Bunnings that seal concrete or terracotta pots. It's a clear liquid that you paint on, with the planter you would paint it all over the inside and not outside or it might leave a shiny surface. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Brick Letterbox 7Sep 12, 2009 10:28 pm lisanne Thanks Serge, Ok so maybe not a planter next to it... but what do you have to do to seal it? How does the water get in, it doesn't get in the house? I'm confused the tosser who built it didn't put a galvanised sleeve into the cavity and only used some concrete to shape a roof. concrete is porous, as are some bricks. solution was to tar the roof of the letterbox then paint the tar with another colour. The bricks were then sealed with Thompsons. (I also had a wall that leaked too - Thompsons cured that too) but those actions didn't help the plants ’’Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati ’’ If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. Stila BK1 Build Thread The best place to talk about sport Re: Brick Letterbox 8Sep 12, 2009 10:58 pm May need to re-think my friends hubby who is a handyman... Just got this sms from my friend "Fck off still not happy about fckn game. I hate collingwood. Letterbox will be crooked if coll makes GF" HAHAHAHAH! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Brick Letterbox 9Sep 13, 2009 5:30 pm lisanne May need to re-think my friends hubby who is a handyman... Just got this sms from my friend "Fck off still not happy about fckn game. I hate collingwood. Letterbox will be crooked if coll makes GF" HAHAHAHAH! Uh-oh.....probably better have a Plan B then. My husband built one at our old house. I'm amazed it was still standing 13 years later. Of course, it did lean horribly to one side and had cracks everywhere.... Get a pro to do it. How much can it cost? Not sure about the planter, I think you'd need to have drainage holes around the bottom? Re: Brick Letterbox 10Sep 13, 2009 5:32 pm My brother just got one build, and with mates rates it cost him $1000. It looks beautiful (rendered in the same colour as the house) no planter, but too expensive for me. Re: Brick Letterbox 11Sep 13, 2009 6:51 pm Thanks Kek, they sound so simple to build, goes to show they aren't! $1000 for a brick letterbox?? Bloody hell! I finally found a place today that sells the kind I have spent weeks looking for so I might head back there this week and buy it. It's concrete but then I would paint it to match my render 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Brick Letterbox 12Sep 17, 2009 4:10 pm Are you in a new estate? I've had two brick letterboxes made (different houses obviously) by wandering around and seeing who's working in the area. I had no problem finding someone who'll do a cashie after work for $100 - $150 and a six pack of beer Re: Brick Letterbox 13Sep 17, 2009 4:57 pm That's a great idea actually Englyn! Although I finally found somewhere to buy the one I was wanting to buy, so I have a concrete one now - gawd it's HEAVY!! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure 2 8355 I should have followed up on this thread. So, the pier foundation wasn't large enough on the side it was leaning towards, and the NBN cable went through the pier, just… 8 12122 Just be careful with building stability during construction, that is when the structure may be weakened, refer to your engineering drawings for stability methodology. 1 7223 |