Resolving Search and Find House Addresses

After being a delivery driver for about two months now, I'm kind of surprised at how a house address can be listed in so many different places, and be so hard to find, especially in the dark. It's made me want to put a search spotlight on either side of my car so that either me or my passenger can help search the mailbox and house for the number. Sometimes its on one side of the mailbox and not the other, or sometimes its on the mailbox door, which is only seeable as you pass the house. The same can be said for over the garage and next to the front door numbers, though I do find those quite helpful. Today I had a mailbox that was completely overgrown with a cottage style landscape, and just had to trust the GPS and the other packages left at the door since I just couldn't see the address on the house or mailbox. And it made me think, this could be dangerous in that it could prevent emergency services from finding the house as quickly. Even for the houses that have it listed on the mailbox, carport, and door, if none of the lights are on, it's still quite difficult to see. And mobile homes numbers are so difficult to find, but so much so at night, especially when they aren't reflective (and honestly, sometimes even harder when they are, curiously). Some mobile home parks have wild roads, so to navigate the potholes and find an address...is an added challenge. The last thing is, that unless the address is listed on or next to the door, I can't get it in the picture to verify that I did drop it off at the correct address. Sure, houses don't change much and if you look them up on Google maps, you'll likely see the exact same house. But for new neighborhoods that have recently been developed and are hardly on Google maps, dirt road houses, and mobile homes or houses turned away from the street, it's really only verifiable by GPS and other pictures from past deliveries. Yes, generally there are both of those. I can't deliver Walmart groceries unless it shows that I'm close enough to the address. It gives me a screen that says hey wait, are you sure you're there? (From which I usually go back becaue I've accidentally swiped in a rush, or I'm just not parked close enough to the Walmart.) So, as unlikely that it is that that part is a problem, they do ask to try to get identifying features, preferably house numbers, which not all houses have. The very last thing I just remembered is, I recently had my mailman list my last name and address on the inside of my mailbox despite my address being clear on both sides of the mailbox and the carport. He rambled on about a bunch of different things, but online it said something about eliminating mail from past tenets and making it simple and easy to confirm that this is the mailbox. Though my address number is listed on a sign that lights up at night on both sides, when he pulls up to it, he can't see it anymore. So unless he looks before and remembers after looking through the mail (which, I would think he should but as a fellow delivery driver, I can understand wanting to confirm it once more since they can sometimes blend together, especially towards the end of the day). And, for Amazon, Fedex, and UPS drivers who work into dark hours during the winter, I'm sure having well-lit, clear address numbers in multiple, easy to find and confirm locations would be welcomed.

So, I think that a new law could be made to help sort out addresses.

First, it should be listed on both sides of the mailbox. Reflective numbers or solar powered/lit up in some way are both helpful. It should also be on the inside and outside door of the mailbox for the mail carrier. An added plus if you want to add your last name somewhere (inside or outside) so that the mail carrier knows who should be getting mail there and can return any mail with the wrong name.

Second, for houses, the numbers should be listed above the carport or garage area. It can be on the building or the trim, just in the general area but highly visible and unmistakeably there day or night. Having a solar light above or below it that shines on it for a few hours into the night is particularly helpful in the winter and late night deliveries year-round.

Second, for mobile homes, it should be listed clearly on either side, in large, bold lettering. Some reflective lettering ends up blending in with the white exterior and should be avoided. Also nice is to show which is the front versus back door if you have a preference, since in some cases, they look quite similar, and since I'm unfamiliar with mobile homes, I can't always tell which is which.

Second, for apartment buildings, the building number should be well-lit, large, and easily visible. On older apartments, those can be difficult to find, particularly at night. It should be listed from all sides of the building that are visible from the street, so how many times and which sides it is listed on depends on how it is situated from a street view. I also find that directions to each number/letter at the middle of the building really helps me to find the place quickly. Sometimes, it's obvious they're on the third floor, but not obvious which side. Generally, the larger buildlings are the newer buildings and they do list this, but older buildings don't. Having something like A-D first floor, E-H second floor, I-L third floor at the base of the stairs is awesome. Or arrows pointing to which side of the building each is. But the main thing is to identify the building first, so the buidling number is top priority.

Third, for all living spaces, the address number should be visible on or next to the door, as it is for apartments. This can include on supporting columns on the porch, so long as it isn't too far away or down too many steps to include them in a delivery picture; otherwise, listing them by the door would be superb. Most doorways are already lit, but if you aren't generally home before dark to flip the switch, then having a solar spotlight or switching to a dark sensitive one and leaving the switch on all the time would be helpful. I switched to one of the latter for my back porch light, and I will be using those from now on as I upgrade the lighting around my house! Motion lights are also somewhat helpful if they stay on long enough, but they generally only work once I'm at the door and not to find it, so it isn't exactly perfect by itself.

So, the law would state that the addresses must be listed in these spots (both sides of the mailbox, inside and outside door of the mailbox, over the carport/garage (or both sides of the mobile home, or well-lit and easily visible for an apartment building number), and next to the door (or on a porch column, if easily picturable for a delivery). Two of the three must be well-lit (at least for the evening/visiting hours when dark).

Here are a few more ideas to make your house more visitor friendly!

I found a cool, battery-powered magnetic solar light to go inside the mailbox. Now when you check your mail at night or in the eve of winter, you won't be sticking your hand into a mystery box!

If you're having someone watch your house/pets/etc., a light above the deadbolt to help get the key in is a really nice addition to a door. It's not as necessary with a good garage door and light, but if the light goes out it can be helpful still. I had both of these issues while pet sitting growing up, so this is on my to do list. Plus, if you have very nice knobs, this will make them stand out at night as well.

Also, stair lights. I got some solar powered stair lights that not only make my house look more modern and updated, but do help to see the stairs when the lights are off! These also help when the lights are on, since my porch light isn't that strong, and when I do get a next-to-the-door light, it won't be facing downwards, so it probably will just cast shadows onto the stairs. If you like to have guests over in the evening, these could prevent an accidental trip or missed stair. They also come in cool colors.

We all know about pathway lights, which can be quite helpful. The more helpful thing is to make sure the path isn't blocked by cars. So, if you have a garage, park inside it instead of in front of the path. Or, make a secondary walking path from each car space, plus one that comes from the street or mailbox. Not every yard is set up well for the last one, but having a good path from the street or driveway day or night away from the cars and grass is preferable for me. I'm sure it is also helpful for large deliveries where they need to wheel up something heavy. Another great thing I've seen done is have parking spots on the driveway off to the side of the garage, leaving the entire driveway (or at least one side) open while still parking all the cars in it. That one is by far my favorite since it gives such an organized look and can fit most any size car. He had a truck and two cars there anyways. It could be extra concrete off to the side of the driveway, but it could also be in front of one side of a two car garage, which would still leave the other side unobstructed to drive or walk (or play basketball, as this dude had a basketball goal on the other side). Another idea is to make a sidewalk next to the driveway. It could be stepping stones in gravel, pavers, or concrete like the driveway (which is probably best in case it gets driven on honestly).

Hopefully more houses are built with a few of these last things in mind. Hardscaping in general could use some modernization for general useability.

Where is your address listed?

• Mailbox (one side)
• Mailbox (door)
• Mailbox (both sides)
• Mailbox (top)

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