Mailbox Post Replacement
Mailbox post replacement is $249 for labor, plus the post, the mailbox if you need a new one, and concrete. We pull the old post and its footing, set the new post in fresh concrete, and mount the box 41 to 45 inches above the road surface and 6 to 8 inches back from the curb, which is the placement USPS publishes.
Starting at $249What Is Included
- Digging out the old post and its concrete footing
- A new 4 by 4 wood post or a 2 inch metal post, set plumb in concrete
- Your existing box moved to the new post, or a new box mounted
- Height and curb setback measured with the box on
- House numbers applied to the box or the post
- The old post and concrete hauled away
What Is Not
- The post, box and concrete themselves. They are materials, billed at cost plus 20% or supplied by you.
- Heavy steel beams, concrete-filled pipe or other rigid posts. USPS advises against them.
- Moving the box to a new location without the post office approving it
- Repairs to the street, curb or sprinkler lines. We dig by hand and stop if we find a line.
Pricing
Mailbox Post Replacement Prices
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Mailbox post replacement, set in concrete | $249 + mailbox and materials |
| Hourly labor, for anything outside a flat rate | $85/hr |
| Minimum visit, covers the first hour | $149 |
Standard conditions. Materials extra unless noted. Your final price is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
Materials are billed at cost plus 20%, or you can supply them. See the full handyman price list.
Why mailbox posts fail
A wood post almost never breaks in the middle. It rots where it meets the ground, because that is where water sits and air still reaches the wood. From the street the post looks fine until the day it leans. Push on yours at chest height. If it rocks at the base, the footing has let go or the wood has gone soft, and paint will not help.
The other cause is traffic. A mirror, a trailer or a delivery truck backing up will snap a post or shove the whole footing sideways. After a hit, the post may stand but sit too close to the road or too low, which is when carriers start leaving notes.
How we set the new one
The old footing comes out first. Setting a new post beside a buried lump of concrete leaves the box in the wrong place, so we dig the lump out and reuse the hole where we can.
The new post goes in fresh concrete and is braced plumb in both directions. Then the box goes on, and only then do we measure: 41 to 45 inches from the road surface to the bottom of the box or the point of mail entry, and 6 to 8 inches from the curb face to the door. Those numbers come from the Postal Service’s mailbox guidance. If your street has no raised curb, USPS says to ask your local postmaster, and we set the box to what they tell you.
Before any digging, buried utility lines get marked. Calling 811 is free, and a mailbox sits right where cable, phone and sprinkler lines like to run.
When a new post is the wrong fix
Sometimes the post is not the problem. If the box is fine and only the door or the flag is broken, a new box on the old post costs less. If a brick mailbox has lost its insert, that is a brick and stone mailbox repair, not a post job. And if you want the box moved across the driveway or to the other side of the street, the post office has to agree before a hole is dug. We would rather tell you that on the phone than after the concrete sets.
The process
How A Mailbox Post Replacement Job Goes
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Two photos
Text one photo from the street and one from the side showing the lean or the break. Tell us if you want to keep the box.
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Price and parts list
You get the labor price and a short list of materials in writing. Buy them yourself or have us bring them.
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Dig, set, mount
Buried lines are marked first. We remove the old footing, set the new post in concrete, brace it plumb, then mount and measure the box.
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Photos with the tape
Your report shows the finished height and setback on a tape measure, along with the before and after shots.
Questions
Mailbox Post Replacement Questions
Can you reuse my old mailbox on a new post?
Usually, yes. If the box closes properly, the flag works and the mounting holes are not rusted through, we move it to the new post and save you the cost of a box. If the door hangs open or the floor is rusted, a new box is worth it while the post is already being done.
Wood post or metal post?
Both work. USPS relays a recommendation for a 4 by 4 inch wooden support or a 2 inch diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe. Treated wood is easy to match and easy to replace. A metal post lasts longer in wet ground. We will not install anything heavier, because a post should give way if a car hits it.
How deep does the post go?
USPS says to bury a mailbox post no more than 24 inches deep, so that it can give way in a crash. We dig to suit the post and the soil within that limit, set it in concrete, and brace it plumb until the concrete grabs.
My post is only leaning. Can it be straightened?
If the post is sound and the footing has just shifted, we can sometimes reset it with fresh concrete at the hourly rate of $85. If the wood is soft at ground level, straightening buys a few months at best. We will push on it, show you what we find, and price the option that lasts.
What does a mailbox post replacement cost with materials?
Labor is $249. Materials depend on what you pick: a plain treated post and a standard box cost far less than a decorative post kit. We send the parts list with prices before you book, and materials we buy are billed at cost plus 20%.
Where we work
Mailbox Post Replacement Across The West Metro
No trip fee in Yukon, Piedmont, Mustang, Bethany or northwest Oklahoma City. Edmond, Deer Creek and the rest of Oklahoma City add a $25 trip fee.
Related services
Often Booked Together
Mailbox Installation
Post mailboxes replaced and set to USPS height, brick and stone mailboxes repaired, and cluster boxes installed for HOAs.
Starting at $249Brick Mailbox Repair
Loose brick reset, mortar joints repaired, caps resealed and rusted inserts replaced on brick and stone mailboxes.
Starting at $149Fence Repair
Broken pickets, rotted posts and sagging gates on your wood fence, fixed and standing straight again.
Starting at $149
Call the Bauss.
Need Mailbox Post Replacement?
We text you a firm quote within 4 hours during business hours. Faster still: text photos of the job.