DIY Brick Letterbox

Measure and clear the sod from a section of grass in the shape of a 2-foot square. Dig a hole with a shovel approximately 8 inches deep. Pour 2 inches of gravel into the hole and tamp it down with a scrap piece of 2-foot by 4-foot lumber.

Fill the hole 6 inches deep with premixed concrete. Drag a trowel over the concrete to get it level with the top of the hole. Allow the concrete to cure for 24 hours.

Spread mortar on the center of the concrete using a trowel. Get it about 1/4-inch thick. Lie two 8-inch by 16-inch cement blocks at the center of the foundation and push them down evenly into the mortar. Place them butted tightly against one another, and check with a level for straightness. Adjust them as necessary.

Apply mortar to the long side of a brick and the left end. Place the brick at the far right side of one side of the blocks. Push it tight against the block so the mortar is compressed between them and down into the base mortar layer. Check the brick for levelness and adjust as needed. Place a second brick next to the first with mortar on the long side and the right end. Continue laying bricks in this fashion, around the blocks, to complete the first row.

Place mortar around the top of the first row of brick and lay a second row in the same fashion as the first. Start the first brick so that the joint between two bricks below falls at the center of the top brick. This offsets the mortar joints to make a stronger and more appealing brick layout. Check all bricks for levelness. Continue laying brick levels until you reach the top of the blocks.

Lay another two blocks on top of the first blocks. Put a layer of mortar down, and place the blocks down so they align 90 degrees from the direction of the first layer. Verify that they are in a straight line using a construction square, and check them for levelness. Continue adding layers of brick around the blocks.

Stop when you reach the desired height for the base of the letterbox. Put a layer of mortar over the block and place a metal letterbox directly on the top of the last row of blocks and bricks. Center it securely in place and check it for levelness. Position it at the center of the brick structure and just slightly inset from the outer edge of the row of bricks. Spread mortar between two bricks and join them together. Place them on their long sides down into the base mortar to form a spacer between the box and the outer row of bricks. Lie two of these directly against the side of the box on both sides.

Place additional rows of bricks the same as before until you reach a level even with the top of the letterbox. Run metal straps from the center of one side of brick, across the mailbox and into the center of the opposing side. Use pliers to bend the metal at the ends so it inserts into a hole in the top of the brick. Put a strap across through every brick hole to a corresponding hole on the other side.

Mortar the top of the last row and over the straps. Lay two 1-foot by 2-foot flat concrete blocks on the top of the brick post to form the cap. Level them and apply a bead of concrete caulk along the seam between blocks to keep water from entering the post and damaging it. Allow the post mortar to dry for 24 hours.