Having a creative or unique house number can be a great way to make your home stand out on the street. It allows you to express your personality and style. Coming up with fun, clever house numbers also makes it easier for guests to locate your home. Here are some creative house number ideas to consider for your house.
Choosing Materials and Styles
Materials
There are many different materials you can use to make custom house numbers, including:
- Metal – Such as cut out steel numbers or letters
- Wood – Crafted or carved wood house numbers
- Chalkboard – Fun, changeable chalkboard numbers
- Glass/ceramic – Etched or printed numbers
- Painted – Fun colors and designs painted directly on the house
Styles
Some popular house number style ideas include:
- 3D numbers – Numbers with depth and interest
- Fun fonts and shapes – Unique lettering styles and number shapes
- Incorporating images – Numbers integrated with images or icons
- Your last name – Using your family name or initials
Displaying the House Numbers
Front Door
Some creative ways to display house numbers by your front door include:
- Hanging them from a wreath
- Attaching them to a front door sign plaque
- Displaying them in the front door sidelight windows
- Creating custom cutout shapes on the door
Mailbox
If allowed, consider adding creative numbers to your mailbox, such as:
- 3D mailbox numbers – Floating numbers or integrated metal numbers
- Painting the numbers – Using fun colors and fonts directly on the mailbox
- Adding number decals – Vinyl decals with unique fonts/shapes
- Embellishing with flowers or images – Working the numbers into the decor
Landscaping
Use your landscaping as a chance to show off custom numbers:
- Rock or garden stone numbers – Etched, printed or painted
- Planter box numbers – Painted wood or metal numbers on planter edges
- Stepping stone path house numbers – Numbers leading up to the home
- Fence house numbers – Wood, metal or vinyl numbers on the fence
Unique House Number Ideas and Inspiration
Themes
Pick a fun theme for your house number display, like:
- Beach numbers – Made from shells or resembling sandcastle shapes
- Sports fan numbers – Showcasing your favorite team
- Pet inspired numbers – Creatively integrating your pet’s name or image
- Flower/plant numbers – Designed to look like flowers or leaves
Color
Make your house pop using color with ideas like:
- Neon bright numbers – Fun, bright colors that stand out
- Rainbow colors – Multi-colored numbers on a wall plaque
- Ombre faded colors – Gradient color effect numbers
Shapes and Materials
Consider unique shapes and materials for one-of-a-kind numbers:
- Tree slice wood numbers – Slices of tree trunk with carved numbers
- Glass block numbers – Etched or printed numbers on glass blocks
- Wrought iron numbers – Ornate metalwork numbers for the home
- Mosaic tile house numbers – Mosaic tiles spelling out home address
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good places to buy creative house numbers?
Etsy
Etsy has thousands of sellers offering unique, handmade house numbers in lots of different styles. This is a good spot to find one-of-a-kind house numbers made by artists.
Home Improvement Stores
Many home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot sell house numbers in a variety of materials like metal, wood, acrylic. You can often find inexpensive numbers in shapes like footballs, flowers, butterflies etc.
Local Craft Fairs
Outdoor markets and craft fairs frequently have artists and craftspeople selling handmade house numbers, name plaques, and home decor. This can be a nice spot to find local artisans in your area making custom house numbers.
Hardware Stores
Hardware stores may have a small selection of interesting house numbers, letters, and plaques to paint or customize. Their selection is often affordable but limited.
Online Retailers
There are some good ecommerce sites focused specifically on selling unique address numbers, including UniqueAddresses.com and AddressNumbers.com. These sites curate fun, creative house numbers from multiple artists and designers.
What information do I need to order a custom house number plaque?
- The numbers/letters you want displayed
- The material you want (e.g. wood, metal, acrylic)
- The size plaque or numbers you need
- Any additional customization like fonts, borders, artwork etc.
- Your address for shipping
Having this information ready will make it easier for any shop or artist to make you custom house numbers suited to your home.
What are the best materials for outdoors house numbers?
Outdoor house numbers need to be durable. Some good outdoor materials include:
- Metal – Resilient against weather and won’t crack/peel
- Wood/Timber – Use weather treated wood that withstands elements
- Vinyl – Vinyl is affordable, flexible and waterproof
- Ceramic – Ceramic won’t fade and resists chips and scratches
- Painted Stones – Etched numbers on hardy garden stones
Use UV and fade resistant materials rated for outdoors. Avoid paper or cardboard numbers outside.
How can I make my house numbers visible at night?
- Opt for reflective numbers which shine when light hits them
- Place numbers made with luminous paint that gently glows
- Use solar powered LED lights to illuminate the numbers
- Spotlight or accent lights that shine on the house numbers
- Place numbers against a white background for visibility
Using lighting allows house numbers to be seen after dark.
What are the standard size requirements for house numbers?
- Most residential building codes require numbers that are at least 4 inches tall. This ensures visibility from the street.
- For multi-residence shared driveways, numbers should be 5 inches tall or larger.
- Use proportionate numbers that fit the plaque size. They shouldn’t crammed or stretched to fit.
- Place numbers at least 12-18 inches from plaques edges so they have space.
- Use a number font thickness relative to the number height.
Check your local building codes for exact size regulations in your area.
Conclusion
Choosing creative and personalized house numbers is an easy way to showcase your home’s unique style. With so many shapes, materials and decorating ideas to pick from, you can create an entrance as distinctive as your home itself. Purposefully displaying your address also makes your home safer and easier to access. Just be sure the numbers meet minimum visibility and size standards. With a little imagination you can design custom house numbers that impress.
