Lawn Signs

Lawn signs mean one thing in an election year and something else the rest of the time. Perhaps you've noticed this. They're the 21st-century answer to 1950s highway billboards. Whether you're advertising a yard sale, advocating a candidate, or asking passers-by to keep off the grass seed, signs on your lawn are the way to make the point clear.

For most of us, however, and in most years, lawn signs mean address plaques. Perhaps you don't have or don't want numbers on the side of your front door. Maybe you don't want to prune the crepe myrtle back, or cut the ivy, or move the Japanese maple. The municipally painted house number on the curb certainly doesn't do the trick, considering that it's usually blocked by a parked car.

Lawn signs aren't just a great way to identify your address for the FedEx delivery driver or the paper deliverer or infrequent visitors. As a design element, they've got great potential. Perhaps you've re-landscaped your front yard and at the same time laid a new front walk or added a retaining wall along the driveway. You want to add a finishing touch to the exterior design and you need a way to mark the house number.

Specifications for Lawn Signs

Two considerations ought to be at the top of your priority list--visibility and durability. If they're not there now, put them there. Your house number should be readily visible and legible from inside a car on the street, without squinting or binoculars, and at night. You might want to think about a lighted or reflective sign. Remember that your lawn sign will be exposed to the elements every day of the year, whether freezing temperatures, desert sun, or ocean air. Whatever finish or paint job or material, the protective coating should carry some guarantee.