How to Build a Vandal-Proof Mailbox Enclosure

Mark a 2-inch square on the ground where the mailbox is going to be built. Dig 8 inches down. Compact the dirt with the tamper. Put 2 inches of pea gravel inside and compact the gravel. Make sure the gravel is level.

Read the directions for mixing the fast-drying cement and mix the cement accordingly. The cement should be as thick as oatmeal before being poured on top of the pea gravel, until it reaches ground level. Smooth out, plumb and level the cement. This is your mailbox footer. Wait one to two days for the cement to cure. Using regular cement will add five days to the process. Lay two concrete blocks, centered and squared, next to each other on the mailbox footer. Trace the blocks with a pencil and then remove the blocks.

Mix the mortar and dispense a generous amount of it along the lines you traced. Place the concrete blocks on top of the traced mortar. Press down on the blocks and make sure they are level. Apply mortar to the top of the first level of blocks. Place another row of blocks, perpendicular to the first row, on the mortar. Press the blocks down, plumb and level them.

Put a generous amount of mortar around the base of your concrete block foundation. Lay the first brick in the mortar and press gently down on it. Put mortar on the end of that brick and connect another one to it in a row. Scrape away any excess mortar.

Lay the other bricks around the foundation the same way until they are back around to the beginning brick. Square and level the bricks. Follow the same procedure with the second layer of bricks and stagger the joints in relation to the first layer. Make sure the second layer is also square, plumb and level. Continue laying bricks around the foundation until you have a total of six levels that are the same height as the cement blocks. Hit the joints with the jointer before the mortar is dry. The mortar should have concave indentations in them.

Secure strap anchors from between the mortar of the top layer of bricks to the cement foundation blocks in the center. Put a good amount of mortar on top of the anchor straps and cement blocks and lay two more cement blocks, perpendicular to the blocks below, on top.

Press down on the blocks and level them. Apply mortar to the top of the second level of cement blocks and lay two more blocks perpendicular to the ones below them. Square and level these cement blocks as well. Begin to lay the bricks around this second level of foundation cement blocks the same way as with the first level of foundation cement blocks until you have reached the same height as the cement blocks. Square, plumb and level the final layer of bricks.

Use the jointer on these joints the same as the previous joints. Cover the final level with mortar and put the heavy-duty mailbox at the center, making sure that the lid can open and close. Stack more bricks vertically, with mortar between them, around the edge of the structure enclosing the mailbox. Fill the spaces between the mailbox and the bricks with mortar. Add two more levels of brick above the mailbox. Hit the joints with the jointer before the mortar dries and brush away any excess with the stiff-bristled brush.