Show Off Your Style With Address Signs

Choosing an address sign for your home can open up a world of opportunity to express your personal style. From a simple set of brass numbers to a personalized ceramic plaque, your choice reflects your personal taste.

There are a few considerations when choosing. Besides your personal style, the architectural style of your house is important. What works for a Victorian New England is not going to work for a New Mexico Adobe. Other considerations are color, material, size, placement and lighting.

Architectural Style and Sign Material

Choose a sign that reflects the house style. A rectangular solar powered one might not go well with a Victorian gingerbread house, but is perfect for boxy modern architecture. The sign material depends on where your sign is displayed. If the address sign is protected from weather, then wood or ceramic can be good choices. If your sign will endure rain and snow, then cast aluminum is a good choice.

Color, Placement and Size

The color is especially important if you choose to hang it directly on your house. Choose a color that compliments, but has enough contrast that the sign is easily readable from a distance. Walk down to your sidewalk or the edge of your front yard to see if the lettering is visible. This is where most visitors desperately need information to find the right house.

Size and placement affect each other. How far from the street does your house stand? Is there a space big enough on the house itself or would placement on the garage be better? Should you forego hanging your sign on the house at all and opt for a hanging sign closer to the street? To decide how large the numbers should be, draw numbers of different sizes on pieces of paper, tape them to your house and look at them from the street.

On an apartment door, a simple set of brass numbers or a small ceramic plaque is perfect. If your house is set far back from the road, you may want to choose a much larger set of numbers or opt for a mailbox sign on the lawn. Look for a post with or without a lateral arm for hanging. Posts tend to be cheap and available at the same stores.

To Light or Not to Light

The decision of whether or not to use lighting depends on your neighborhood. City streets are usually well lighted for pedestrians, whereas rural areas have little to no street lighting. There are a few options when choosing to light. Placement of the sign directly below an entry light is sometimes enough. You may want to choose a sign with its own source of light. These come in two types, electric or solar. An electric one requires a more complicated installation, costs money when in use, but always supplies a steady light. A solar sign absorbs the day's sunlight and stores it until the evening. It has the advantage of easy installation and it costs nothing to use. Its disadvantages are uneven lighting due to seasonal and weather conditions and it must be placed where it receives direct sunlight during the day.

There is enough variety that you will likely find a perfect choice of address sign for your home.