mailboxes

[Tyler Pantell]

does anyone know if what i heard was true. I was told that the mailboxes cost about 500 dollars to replace by another person in the nighborhood who got there mailbox ran over by a snow plow. also to add a question I noticed a stop sign was finally replaced after being bent over for over a year, however it was replaced with a standard green pole. I don't know if it is the perm. stop sign or not but if it is doesn't the stop signs have to be like the rest of them? I kind of dissapointed in the mailboxes mine is already rusted and only three years old. If it is 500 dollars to replace that is a crazy price.

[Michael A.K.A. MoparMan]

If it is just a little rusted, sand off the rust and put a couple of coats of black rust-o-leum on it. Thats what I did.

[Tyler Pantell]

what if its all banged up from kids or ran into from a car? lots of that around here. point is if they really cost 500 dollars that is a rip off. they are worth about 50 dollars. for 500 I could have a brick
mailbox that will last 50 years without having to do maint. on it every year. mine also is shared with the neighbor and looks like the leaning tower of pisa. What if menards or lowes stocked mailboxes that looked like ours but manufactured to last longer wonder if that would be a problem around here. it just seems to be the hoa has gotten rid of the supply side of supply and demand and that is why they cost so much.

[James Bailey]

I think that the HOA should be responsible for the upkeep and replacement of mailboxes not the homeowner, it is crazy the amount of money that is brought in by them every month, and what happens for the community??? just my opinion

[Tyler Pantell]

That would be cool. almost every other mailbox is smashed on the morgan county side. paint will not fix, alot are missing parts on them. even if they would aprove another type of mailbox that would last longer that would be fine. 500 for something that only lasts two years... like maybe have two types of mailboxes aproved if the homeowner wants to buy a brick mailbox. Just in mailboxes the neighborhood hoa would pull in 600,000 dollars. As all homes will eventually have to replace them.

[Michael A.K.A. MoparMan]

The HOA has nothing to do with selling mailbox's. Trust me, as a homeowner that has to buy many because people don't know how to drive in the snow or take responsability for their actions after they run it over. You have to buy the mailbox from the same company that sold the first one to the community. The HOA sees no profits.

[Tyler Pantell]

how much does it cost per mailbox? The hoa says you can only use this type of mailbox right? so the company selling the mailbox knows this and jacks up the cost per mailbox. so what I am saying is the hoa is still the responsible reason that they are so expensive. If the hoa will then shop arround and find a competive company to also sell mailboxes around here they will get less expensive. My thinking is if menards or lowes would stock hoa approved mailboxes for our neighborhood then menards or lowes will sell them for about 100 dollars in stead of 500 dollars (I was told by a couple of different people this price let me know if I am wrong). OR make it an option to UPGRADE to a mason mailbox the would have the correct schemadics for this neighborhood - Meaning either you buy the current mailbox or another mailbox made of mason and everyone still has to have the same mason mailbox schematics.

[Tyler Pantell]

Ran out of room----

So basically the HOA is responsible for the mailboxes being sold in the neighborhood, they are dictating who we can buy them from.... supply and demand.....

One more thing to add, if I got a mailbox that is different and installed it I would then be subject to a fine from the HOA right? I think that should and probly is against the law, but then in this neighborhood it isn't against the law.

[Larry Gardner]

Once again, people are giving out incorrect information.
If you need to replace just the mailbox, you can get one that closely matches the, in the community, at the local businesses (ie: Menards, Meijer, Lowes, etc). The cost is less than $50. I replaced my mailbox for about $25, several months ago.
If you need to replace the entire mailbox (post, brackets, paper box, mailbox) it needs to match the other mailboxes in the community.
I spoke with Nicole @ the HOA concerning mailboxes. She confirmed the above.
I also called Hoosier Machine and Welding (638-6286) and learned that the cost to replace the entire mailbox, including a $75 installation fee, is:
$325 for single mailbox
$360 for double mailbox (this cost would be split between the two homeowners)
Both of these quotes include the post, brackets & paper box. Hoosier Welding will give you a quote that includes the mailbox, too. However, you can get the mailbox locally for less than they would probably charge.
You can probably replace the entire thing yourself for less. Just remember that the mailbox needs to match the other mailboxes in the community.

[Tyler Pantell]

So 360 plus 75 plus taxes = roughly 500 without the actual box so with it it might go as high as 600 dollars for a double and 500 for a single.

where is the incorrect information? sounds spot on.
for the same amount of money you can purchase a mailbox made out of iron, then all you would have to do is touch it up with paint every couple of years. I want to see a kid hit an iron mailbox installed correctly.

I still think it is entirely to much money and we should have an option of another type of mailbox. One that actually will withstand the elements coupled with time. Also how would you replace your own mailbox and have it match the others? Wouldn't the hoa fine you for that?

[Larry Gardner]

Installation is included in the $360 for the double and the $325 for the single.
With sales tax and the cost of an actual mailbox this could be $430 for the double (split between the two homeowners, $215 apiece) and $370 for the single.
We are not required to purchase the mailbox from any specific vendor.
Also, if you purchased the parts separately and installed yourself you could save the $75 installation charge. You may also be able to find the individual pieces cheaper from other vendors.

[Tyler Pantell]

Still in the range of what I was told it costs after you purchase the actual box. If you have a vacant home next to you wonder if the hoa pays for it. When you say purchase of the mailbox is not required, are you talking about the post and everything or just the mailbox itself?

The point I am making however you cut this up it is still a crummy mailbox set up and should cost that much. We should have a choice on an optional upgraded mailbox. Eventually all the mailboxes around here are going to need replaced and to replace crummy with crummy in my option is not smart.

[Bob]

The hoa has always been capable of swallowing a camel and gaging at a gnat. The mailboxes are an easy target just as trash cans in driveways are an easy target to enforce. They let certain people get away with having 30 bags of mulch sit on a porch for 6 months, the same house has had a trailer parked there for a couple months, as well as a second trailer which sits there for weeks at a time and even though they claim to do drive by inspections, they seem to allow it to go on. Lesson learned is, dont over expect anything good or consistant from the hoa. They have stopped parking on streets, and I just saw where they said you cant block sidewalks with cars, good luck on enforcing that one. For over 6 years all we have pretty much received is excuses from them and my addition looks like a dump from Mars Hill, only we are taxed much higher than Mars Hill!