Laying a brick mailbox 

Sounds like you have done some pretty cool projects. I hope your driveway pillar project goes well! Thanks for commenting

Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed this video! Good luck to you on your mailbox

Thanks! I learned in high school also. Thank you for the wall tie suggestion. I bought a box of them. I’ll use them on the next one

You did right. There’s no need for wall ties on a two foot wall with ninety degree corners every two feet making a two foot square. You already knew that though I’m sure. 😊

Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the video.

Let me guess .Justin .. You are taken! All the good ones are. She's a lucky lady I hope she knows it.

It's a mailbox, no need for inner blocks

Thanks for sharing that information!

Rebar is a big no no in masonry mailboxes. Masonry mailboxes need to have a break away from the footer in case someone hits it. Other bricklayers have told me horror stories about people hitting their mailbox and suing the homeowner and the mason because it was all tied together with rebar and either killed someone or injured them in the accident

@@seanschafbuch4683 someone hitting it is exactly why i want to put rebar in it. Some asshole did a nice hit and run on my wood post mailbox last night. Now I am here looking into laying one of these myself

@@seanschafbuch4683 Wrong.

Thank you for the kind comment! I admire artisans also.

Thank you! I appreciate that

Thank you!

That really means a lot to me. Thank you so much!! Kind words like this encourage me.

Maybe watch some more bricklaying vids before you think that you have seen quality. Stu Crompton is quality

Thanks !

That’s the truth. I don’t lay brick every day. I’m generally humbled when I do. It’s tough!

Thank you! I wish you the best of luck on your project!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thank you for the kind comment!

I really appreciate the compliment! Thanks for watching!

Thank you for the kind comment!

Thank you!

Thank you! It’s not much of a how-to video. But it still shows some valuable information. Let me know how your project goes!

I totally agree with you that one would gain some valuable information watching your video. There were many things I personally didn't know, and now, I can try to build my own brick mailbox. I will surely let you know how it goes. Thanks once again.

I appreciate that

Thanks! It’s pretty nice. I used to use starrett levels. They are great also

@@JustinBiddix they make wood levels? Or aluminum?

@@dylanlaton7809 the ones I used were a combination of wood and aluminum

Thanks!

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your comment

Thank you!

Thank you!

That's because those mailboxes don't have a footer under them, you shouldn't tie a mailbox to the footer with rebar as code states masonry mailboxes need to be able to break away or apart if struck by a vehicle

@@seanschafbuch4683 where I live, the guy in a sharp curve kept getting his box knocked over by cars. He sunk a 5" pipe in the ground. Next person to hit it got seriously injured and he faced lawsuits and charges.

Sounds like a good mailbox

You are correct! Even though code doesn’t allow structural components, I’m not running risk and poured concrete pad with rebar, as well as embedded rebar sticking out to tie masonry/concrete together. I infilled masonry cells @ rebar locations. I added brick ties to masonry to allow connection as well. My engineering background is to blame for over design lol😂

@@el_ingeniero_87 yea I would of thrown in some ties. But I know it’s going to be fine! Beautiful work and great videos!

Thanks!!

Thank you!

Thank you

I hear ya!

I really appreciate this comment!

Bricklaying is not a fundamental skill to know in 2024 my dude

@@fozziclan6639 were you ever curious why your mom look so much like your dad.

@@beebopnichols7441 Baw Haw Haw!

Thanks!

Thank you very much!

Thank you!

Thank you

Thanks!

Thank you !

Thank you! Rebar in the footer. No rebar in the mailbox.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for the advice!

Thanks. I would have loved to show the cutting, but I was pressed for time during this. Maybe next time. But I just use a regular miter saw with a 10 or 12 inch diamond blade and mark and cut what I need to.

Thanks! Masonry is a pretty cool skill for sure! Let me know how it goes for you. If I can answer any questions let me know.

Thank you!

Thank you!

The video is more for entertainment than learning. I am sorry you couldn’t learn much! Each situation is different for how to cut the brick. Sometimes I used a chop saw with a diamond blade or a grinder with a diamond blade to make the cuts. Yes I fill the all voids solid around the mailbox as it goes into the structure

I’ve knocked over a half dozen already. Ezpz bro

Why thank you

Thank you! Go for it. It’s a fun project!

About $2000 currently. Western NC

Thanks! Next time I do a brick video I will try to include more details on how I do that offset at the top.

Thank you!

Thanks!!

Thanks!

I'm working on mine . And it is going to take me forever with no skills in this here department. But when I'm done. .... It will be perfect to me. And I will have another hat to hang.... Your video had what I needed. . ty

Thank you very much!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Yes, so that was type S masonry cement mixed with mortar sand. Mortar sand color will vary depending on your region. Some will be white, some yellow, some darker... the ratio I always use is 3 parts sand to 1 part masonry cement.

It’s a little far. The reason I set it back so far is there is a water main right in front of it. If they ever need to repair the line they can leave the mailbox in.

That is very kind of you to let her go. Mason work is pretty hard until you get the hang of it. I would practice laying a few brick. Lay a tarp down and just practice laying about 3 or 4 brick in a row. Then level and plumb it and lay a course on top of that and do the same. You can disassemble it before it drys for easy clean up. The footing is actually pretty simple. I live in NC, so the frost line is not very deep. My mailbox footings are 12 inches deep and 30 inches by 30 inches square. Just dig your square hole about that size. And mix some concrete make sure it is mixed just a little bit on the wet side and it will self level when you pour it. You can use rebar to reinforce the footer. I’ve thought about making some beginner videos. If I get a few people interested I am going to do some beginner videos with some training mortar and really do a detailed series on how to lay some brick. I hope this helps a little bit! I do recommend just practice for a day or so. It’s a little tricky at first. Especially when you are building a column like this and trying to keep it square all the way up. But once you get the hang of it… no problem at all! It’s really quite enjoyable.

@@JustinBiddix do it! This is the type of stuff I love watching. “Advanced” DIY. Many times a project can come out better than what a pro would do because you’re the one gauging time vs value. Some footing videos would be sweet. I seem to only find some dingus rambling on that won’t get to the point, or a manufacturer’s product video, which are so chop-cut you may as well just read the directions on the bag. Enjoyed this one.

@@danervin2530 thanks!

I did not. It still stands. I put it far from the curb because there is a water main in between the curb and the mailbox. It can be repaired without ripping up the mailbox. it’s a shallow curb that the mail man can drive on very easily.

Yeah. There was a water main right in front of the mailbox. I put the mailbox just behind that. But this curb is not a sharp steep curve. Very gradual. My mail carrier doesn’t mind.

Thanks! The brick can be bought in a cube or a “band/section. A cube is 500 brick. A band is 100. You will need 3 bands. For a total of 300 brick. Get about 25 solids for the cap on top. It takes about 4 bags of type s masonry cement and about a cubic yard of sand.

@@JustinBiddix I can't believe you're not a pro. Your mailbox really looked professional done, and your instructions were on point. Did you have to cut any of the bricks to fit over the top of the mail box?

It’s about 300 brick. And 10 or 12 block. It takes me about 2 or 3 days. I’m not a very experienced mason though. Someone who does it everyday could knock it out in one day. I’d charge about $2,000 for this right now

The reason is because there was a water main I was avoiding putting the footer on top of. That way if it ever needed to be serviced they could leave the mailbox. It’s not a big deal because that curb is not a traditional large curb. Look how short the curb is. A vehicle can drive right on it no problem at all.

It really depends on your region. You should look up building codes and find that information. But here in NC I have been digging them about 18-24 inches thick with no problems. And it should be approximately 30x30 inches for this size mailbox.

Thank you. This takes about 300 brick

You really need the blocks. Yes, it can be done without. But they are cheap and make a huge structural difference

It’s about 300 brick. And yes masonry sand from the Home Depot would be an equivalent to what I used

I’m not sure what you mean by legs? You talking about each end not being flat? These are just regular block. The flat ends are specifically for corners of a building so you can have a flat side of the block exposed.

Thanks

I honestly do not have any information to share with you about solar tops. Sorry about that. Thanks for watching and good luck finding a nice top for your mailbox!

Thanks! The mail man drives by. The reason I set it so far back was to avoid being on top of the water main for the street. Maybe they could leave the mailbox if they ever had to make a repair on that water main.

He is still able to just put the wheel right on the curb and reach this one

I was thinking the same but makes sense with the water main.

Thanks! Depending on what region you are in. In the southeast America probably looking 1,500-2000 dollars that should include everything even the concrete footer and mailbox insert

Hey, they are cut at an angle. I used a miter saw with a diamond blade to make those cuts.

It probably won’t last forever if you don’t have block inside. But you can certainly do it without block. Just make sure the footer is deep and wide. Footer is very important

Thanks for watching! That is mortar sand I was adding to the mortar. The color yellow is the most common mortar sand in the area I built the mailbox. That particular mortar mix I was using needed sand added. It was not a pre mixed mortar. I hope this answered your question. Let me know if not and I’ll try to further explain.

@@JustinBiddix can you buy pre mixed mortar so you don’t have to mix it? Your the first I’ve seen add sand to it so I am not sure

@@BigHomie030 yes you can buy pre mix mortar and it will certainly do the job. The reason I add my own sand is because typically pre mixed mortars have less workability and set up faster. You will have to work a bit faster with pre mix. I like the workability of the masonry cement with sand better than pre mix.

About 300

Depends on your region. In western NC I was going about 15 inches deep. That may be overkill. But I’d rather do deeper than shallow. I’ve never had one shift or topple over.

Thank you. This is modular size brick. I like to purchase 300 brick for a mailbox. You can get them by the “band” or “section” at a brick yard. Each band is 100 brick. A whole “cube” is 500 brick. Rule of thumb for modular size brick is 7 brick per square foot of wall. There are also some good brick calculators online. Just identify what size brick you are using and square footage of wall.

About 1500

The joints need to be full with no gaps or voids. It takes practice to get a feel for how much mortar to use without wasting a lot. Generally the bed joint (horizontal joints) should be 3/8 inch thick. And head joints (vertical joints) should be about 3/8 inch thick. There are codes for each area that go into detail about how thick your joints have to or need to be in particular areas of construction. A great tool to use to gauge bed joint thickness and keep them consistent is a masonry modular spacing ruler. That is what I use. For the head joints just use your finger tip as a measuring tool and try to keep the head joints full and consistent.

Thanks! I was taught to always plumb the first course. The “short side” of the brick should be plumb if the course is level. But it’s important that the “long side” of the brick is plumb. First course is important to have as close to perfection as possible. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@JustinBiddix haha 😆 lol hey I say as long as your level BOTH ways ur plumb

Very true!

About 300 brick. 3 “sections/bands” at a brick yard will be about 300.