The one detail most Nashville builders and developers can’t seem to get right
Several years into the busy building boom in Nashville, builders are by and large getting a lot right.
The better ones are choosing the right architecture for the right areas — historic-inspired builds in East Nashville, modern design in Sylvan Summit — and most are delivering a solid baseline of finish quality. Granite/quartz, stainless, hardwoods and tile are expected and delivered in almost all new construction throughout Nashville, and that’s a welcome thing.
But we have to talk about the mailboxes. Why do so many builders seem to get this small, simple but important detail so terribly wrong?
Cutting corners on curb appeal
If you’re involved in real estate in Nashville or anywhere else, one of the first things you learn is the importance of curb appeal. The power of a first impression is considerable. Front doors, landscaping, driveway/walkway condition — it all sets the stage for how a prospective buyer perceives the rest of the home.
So how have we landed in a place where one of the first things that greets a buyer — the mailbox at the front of the property — is such a throwaway? Developers all across the city are putting significant money and effort into building stylish new-construction homes in Nashville’s most popular neighborhoods, then staking a cheap, builder-grade mailbox at the street.
For those of us who have a real passion for details — Realtors, architects, interior designers and discriminating Nashville home buyers — it’s a maddening oversight that needs to be called out.
Notable Nashville exceptions:
Heithcock Construction, whose homes — like the Sylvan Summit property listed below — always show attention to every detail, including the mailbox.
And Paul Luehrsen, who gives his properties the tools to make an elegant greeting, with upscale mailboxes like this:
It’s easy to do better
Even if you haven’t given this Nashville new-construction oversight much thought, you know what I’m talking about: that basic, black galvanized box, usually paired with a similarly unremarkable wood post. At best it fades into the background; more often, it feels like a nice, tailored suit paired with workout sneakers.
Maybe the most frustrating thing: It’s not hard, or all that expensive, to step up the mailbox game.
Below, just a few do-better examples that have necessary style. Some are pricey; others are barely above the builder-grade standard.
Stylish mailboxes
This Nashville company is a standout mailbox favorite — the shape is sleek and dignified, and you have a choice of wood and metal finish to personalize. You’ll drop a few bucks (they’re about $400), but I’d say it’s well worth it.
Sandleford Magnum post mount mailbox
This company makes some really bold and unusual mailboxes, but even their most simple designs — like this Magnum mailbox — are an elegant cut above. If you’ve bothered to build a beautiful, sleek and modern home, why not take an extra minute to purposefully choose such a prominent exterior fixture? Especially when you can snag one at a big-box home-improvement store for less than $20?
Sleek and subtle — this could work with both modern/contemporary architecture or a Craftsman/Bungalow throwback. It only goes for about $80.
Architectural Mailboxes Oasis Locking Mailbox
Simple, elegant, relatively inexpensive, with room for packages, plus extra security with the locking lower compartment. You also have a little flexibility on color, with the pictured black, plus grey, bronze, white and off-white sand. We saw this one for about $130.
Qualarc MB1000 Provincial Collection Mailbox
Might say no on the post here, but the mailbox itself is a simple shape made with quality material — they’re offered in heavy-gauge polished brass, antique hammered brass, antique hammered copper or antique hammered black with polished brass door. With time, these will definitely only look more beautiful. They were running about $250 when this was written.
Work some bold colors into your home design? Here’s something clean and sleek that offers you a choice of big tones — orange, red, yellow, green, blue — plus more muted black/white/gray, if you like the shape but not the brightness. Price: $255.
This company has more adventurous designs too, but this one gives a modern/futuristic feel without being too much of an acquired taste. You can expect it to last, too — it’s made with marine-grade stainless steel. Runs about $280.
This one arrives as raw rolled steel, and with a little time, develops the cool rust patina pictured here. If there are industrial leanings to your design, this could match/augment the look. Price: $400.
Where do you stand on the subject of mailbox style? Agree that it’s important for a Nashville home’s aesthetic, or feel OK with it being a throwaway detail? Please share your opinions in the comments.
Published on 2017-04-25 10:00:14
