The Best House Numbers

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed)
Sep 10th 2006 at 6:02PM

Now here is an area of design that I have not previously given much thought to, though we certainly spend a fair amount of time looking at outside decor here. Sunset has picked the nine best house numbers to help guide people (or, perhaps, the mailman) to your home. Their choices run from low-end to high and include the Optima Semi Bold in bronze ($57), Sausalito in zinc ($16), which might be better suited to an apartment door due to its relatively small size, and Neutraface Display Light Alt in stainless steel ($40). Is a house number worth sleepless nights trying to find the perfect font? Perhaps not, but matching your numbers to your style of house can bring together its look in an appealing way.

Tags: estate, home, house, number, numbers

Filed under: Decor, Estates

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rosemary Rizzo Sep 15th 2006 6:48AM

House numbers being a requirement, being a mosaic artist, I create house numbers that compliment the style of the house or possible hobby of the occupant. Whether using individual numbers to reflect that style or on a plaque with color or trinkets added for some personality.

Kelly Sep 15th 2006 8:15AM

The ONLY Reason you need house numbers is so the Emergency Responders like Police, Paramedics and Firemen can locate you. Mail is secondary, and will soon be phased out completely as more and more people are paying/receiving bills online. So why pollute the world and kill trees to deliver snail mail that we just throw away anyway? (not to mention it takes days to travel, and email is instantaneous!) So like I said - the ONLY reason you need house numbers is for emergency response, and in our neighborhood, you have that number spray painted in the center of the bottom of your driveway in reflective paint from the city. So KEEP your $40.00 per number decorative address markers! WASTE OF MONEY! ~ Kelly

D.J. Sep 15th 2006 9:11AM

I can't remember the last time a Policeman, Paramedic, or Fireman showed up at my doorstep - but my home has received many invited (first time) guests who needed a house number to find it. There's an old saying, "The sun shines on a house, but the sun shines in a home." May our houses become homes.

Doodah7031 Sep 15th 2006 9:17AM

There are more reasons to be sure your address number
is easy to see than you realize. All types of delivery
services, utility repair service personnel even the
meter readers need your correct address number. From
a repair and emergency services prospective if your
last moment of consciousness was used to dial 911 it
is nice to know that they can find you quickly. Far
too many deaths result because people ASSUMED that
the emergency services knew where they lived. Placing
high visabilty numbers that are easy to read, using a
plain font are not expensive but could save your life.
These numbers should be readable at night at a distance
of 300 feet. Scotchlite ,reflective ,or high contrast
makes them easier to read. If you live down a lane
or private drive place numbers at the highway and at
the house.

Chrissy Sep 15th 2006 9:54AM

yes and god forbod the sweepstake people can't find your house then what?? lol...j/k seriously though I throw alot of parties and run my business from my home so it is important to have house numbers, It hink the idea of something more then the norm is a great one. As a home owner one of the most important things is curb appeal, and even something as simple as pretty house numbers can make a deal of a difference in gettng your house noticed and easier to find. Besides the pizza guy will have no excuse to say sorry I'm late heres your cold pizza I couldnt find the house..lol

the Rob Man Sep 15th 2006 9:57AM

Not everybody lives in urban America! In the rest of the country the presentation of house numbers is a safety MUST! Why not add a little style to an element of your home that not only viewed daily but may well become be the first impression that your guests encounter?

Tammy Sep 15th 2006 10:02AM

We recently gutted an old house and the inspector said we needed numbers on the house-NOT- just on the mailbox or on the curb. Since we took a year to design our home it was important to select a set of numbers that we liked and still matched the era or look of our home. It took about 2 days and looking through at least 50 different types of numbers. It was a nice finishing touch we did together. Sort of felt like putting a bow on a gift. The 9 selected for this article were of great variety. Thanks.

Oliver Sep 15th 2006 10:27AM

Where I live, the house number MUST be on the front the house itself. When we built our house we noticed that in our "nice" new neighborhood, all the houses just had metal numbers nailed to the wall. Since we just spent a lot of money and time building our house, we thought why settle!?! We found some very nice numbers and framing and put it on our house ourselves. The building inspector had to wait an extra day, but our house was worth it!

PEPPA Sep 15th 2006 10:39AM

I PREFER VERY SMALL HOUSE NUMBERS.. ;0)

IT'S JUST FINE WITH ME WHEN PEOPLE I REALLY AM NOT WISHING TO VISIT ME ... CAN'T FIND MY HOUSE !!!! LOL

PEPPA Sep 15th 2006 10:41AM

OFCOURSE THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO RESPONDERS IE... AMBULANCE.... FIREMEN.... POLICE

BILL Sep 15th 2006 6:17PM

MY FAVORITE NUMBER WAS MY GRANDPARENTS NUMBER 161.FROM TIME TO TIME I SEE THIS NUMBER POP UP AND IT ALSO GOES WITH YANKEE STADIUM'S 161 JEROME AVE.WHENEVER I SEE IT I AUTOMATICALLY THINK OF MY GRANDPARENTS.

Janice Sep 15th 2006 12:56PM

Yikes Kelly - don't you ever have any friends over? And don't they need a house number to locate your house the first time?

Dave Sep 15th 2006 1:16PM

I've been a firefighter and EMT for 30 years. Most of the people who call 911 have never used our services before. That's OK, though, don't put your address so we can see it. Everybody has to die sometime.

And the little numbers on the curb just don't cut it. I have big 12-inch numbers on my house. White letters on the blue house that you can see a block away.

Do you think the address labeling requirement is in the fire code simply because some guy had some ink left in his pen and wanted to use it up?

We have a saying.... "If the public wasn't stupid sometimes, we wouldn't have a job."

Marilyn Sep 15th 2006 1:23PM

We recently landscaped our front yard. The numbers on the house when we bought it two years ago, were a cheap mosaic-looking mess. We decided to be a little different. My husband went and bought a huge rock to compliment the landscaping at the sidewalk. He purchased (very inexpensive at WalMart) metal numbers and drilled screws into the rock to attach the numbers. It's a beautiful look. We have had so many compliments.

Agnes Vitt Sep 15th 2006 1:51PM

Thanks Dave the EMT. I have decided to change my 4 inch house #'s to the 12 inch size. I am a heart patient and I do NOT want my EMT wasting time to find my me. Thanks again

Burt Ray Simpson Sep 15th 2006 2:08PM

I have a Bachelor of Architecture degree and have worked in newspaper delivery for over twelve and a half years. I have encountered innumerable poorly implemented addressing conditions and have developed a comprehensive proposal to rectify them which is on my website, www.AddressAccess.com. My addressing proposal includes consideration of the posting of address numbers. I would appreciate any and all constructive comments anyone would have on my proposal, which continues to evolve, and advancing it as law, seriously enforced policy and/or standards thereof. My effort thusfar have not been all that successful.

While the examples of house numbers shown here are all very elegant, they may not me as easy to read as one would think because the component lines and arcs of some are very thin and may be difficult to read when moving back from them sooner than the size, which is often too small, may lead you to believe, the lines and arcs of others are very thick which may cause them to be perceived as solid masses, and this is before one considers the degree to which their color blends or preferably contrasts with the surface on which they are mounted, the distance they are from the street, and the degree to which sight lines to them may be obstructed.

Kelly's numbers at the center bottom of her driveway are fine as supplementary posting but may not be sufficient as the primary or sole posting of them. they could be covered by a car parked in the driveway and depending upon where she lives perhaps leaves in autumn and especially snow in the winter.

Doodah has the right idea, although 300 feet may be overdoing it it is far better than the prevailing existing conditions. I recently moved my numbers because I found that they were being obstructed by a pile of snow that resulted from shoveling snow off or our driveway. I had brass numbers on brick that were surprisingly difficult to read, shiny metals are elegant but to be discouraged, although they fortunately had flat surfaces. I got white reflective material used for highway sign lettering and adhered that to the face of the numbers which were mounted them on a black piece of granite which was recessed into the brick. Additionally, I also got stick on numbers and mounted them on a glass fronted step light placed in a retaining wall closer to the street which are illuminated at night, actually all the time because I never have gotten the timer to work right, but that is another matter. You now have to be blind to miss my address numbers.

Peppa, just like your mother probably told you that you could not have two sets of table manners, it is very difficult to have one set of numbers for those you want to find you and another set for others.

Respectfully Submitted,

Burt Ray Simpson Sep 15th 2006 2:11PM

Marilyn, they may, indeed, be very elegant, but legibility should take precedence over elegance. The likely lack of contrast between your metal numbers and the surface of the rock on which they are mounted along with the high probability that they may be covered by snow in the winter if you are in a climate so affected concerns me.

Karyn Sep 16th 2006 11:49AM

It seems everyone here has made wonderful points to the house number debate but what it comes down to is it's each persons individual choice. I myself believe that house numbers should be posted on the house, in a very noticable place where they won't be coverd by snow or trees, etc. There is nothing more annoying than trying to find someones house with no number to go by. But for those of you who don't want to be noticed at times, how about you buy a nice shale stone welcome plaque and hang it over those numbers for those occasions. And by the way I don't think that the USPS has anything to fear anytime soon, because despite what some believe, not every home in America has a computer, most inmates in jail are not given access to computers, military men still need to write home, and there is nothing more heart-warming than watching a child open a Christmas or B-day card sent from Grandparents or relatives far away.....so much more so than the impersonal, e-card, e-mail or video over the computer. Just my opinion. You all have a great day!