I'm not sure we even noticed when we bought our house, but it didn't have house numbers. We were more focused on things like how old the furnace was and if there was a place for Ward's workshop. However, after we moved in, we did notice that the numbers on the mailbox were very faded and replaced them. We didn't think much more about our lack of numbers until someone was confused about which house was ours. While we had numbers on the mailbox, it was across the street from the house which caused doubts for some. After that, we'd talk about where the numbers should go and what we wanted them to look like until we'd get distracted by something else. Recently, the topic came up again when a workman knocked on the neighbor's door looking for our house.
So we started to make a concerted effort to look at numbers on houses wherever we were noting size, style, and placement. We noticed an interesting thing while we were looking around-over half of the houses in our neighborhood didn't have house numbers. A few of those had a mailbox in their front yard with numbers, but the rest did not. I have never lived in a neighborhood where all of the houses didn't have numbers and I didn't know what to make of it. Still don't.
However, we have joined the neighborhood minority and have house numbers. Ward put together a plaque with large numbers that are easy to see from the street. And it only took us five years to make it happen. :)
Do all of the houses in your neighborhood have numbers?
When someone visits for the first time, this would be a big help... In Singapore most of us live in high rise buildings and so the building number would be written in huge fonts on the side ... and the house number would be a combination of the storey level and unit number ...something like block 100 #15-24 meaning 15th floor on block 100...
ReplyDeleteVisiting from AtoZ
Jayashree writes
Your numbering system makes a lot of sense. And more importantly, you have one.
DeleteWe live in a rural area. Our house is far from the highway so we put our address with BIG numbers on our mailbox. It's frustrating when you're looking for an establishment or a person and they have no address anywhere. Glad ya'll put your house number. Just think if you needed an ambulance, they wouldn't know where you were :). Great post.
ReplyDeleteThe ambulance ... my thoughts exactly! We had house numbers on our home when we moved in but they weren't in the most visible of places. We needed to call an ambulance at one point and the EMTs made a point of telling us we needed more visible house numbers (our mailbox is across the road with a block of other mailboxes, so that's no help). We now have two sets of numbers and one is over the garage in a similar fashion to June's. House number postings are hit or miss in my area but it sure is helpful for people looking for an address in an unfamiliar area.
DeleteIn some areas, you are required to have numbers for the 911 responders and some places even give you plaques to put up. I guess we don't have that ordinance where we live.
DeleteEven though we don't have numbers on our house, the delivery people find us 99% of the time. Although, I hear about a fair number of people in the neighborhood who are looking for a misdelivered package. Lack of numbers could certainly be contributing to that.
We all have house numbers on this block and the fire department sometimes helps by putting numbers on the curb also. This is so in case of emergency they can find the right house fast.
ReplyDelete
Deletewhen we lived in Houston every house had numbers on the curb as well as on the house. However, in this neighborhood, we don't have any curbs so we don't have numbers there.
House numbers can be very helpful especially in a large neighborhood where houses can look similar. In my neighborhood which is a gated community with houses close together with little variation in appearance. houses are well-marked with their numbers. To get in the gate you have to know the house number to enter it into the callbox to be let in the gate.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
You're right in a lot of subdivision, the house look very similar, so numbers would be even more important.
DeleteWe do have house numbers on all our houses here in Phoenix. We also have the numbers painted on the curb. Every so often some "civic" group comes by and volunteers to repaint the numbers on the curb if you want to for a "donation." We always do so our numbers are able to be seen just in case :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Yes, sometimes the curb numbers are a fund raising thing for a group. The curb numbers are usually painted with reflective paint which helps them to be seen at night. We always had them when they were available, too.
DeleteI like the idea of having house numbers above the garage; although my garage is located towards the rear of the house, it can still be seen from the road.
ReplyDeleteNot all the houses in my neighborhood have numbers posted, but, almost all the houses have numbers painted on the curb and some have them on their mailboxes, too. I have my house number posted in the front, but, it is often covered by the pomegranate tree! I am assuming that most ambulances, etc., will have some sort of navigation devise, these days, to help them locate the house, if needed.
I think the navigation device gets them to the area, but I have found they aren't always the best with the details of the final location. However, if enough house around have numbers on them, someone should be able to figure out a house that doesn't.
DeleteMaybe you should ask M about getting numbers on your garage?
My condo building's number is very nicely displayed. Each building had a directory of the owners. When I moved in I thought the HOA would have put my name next to my unit number. After a couple of months, I decided I would do it myself and put blue painter's tape over the old owner and wrote my name in.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for taking action and not waiting any more for the condo board to do something. Did you ask if that was something they did?
DeleteI need to pay attention, but I think at least most of the houses in our neighborhood have numbers.
ReplyDelete