Your house number is its identity and a rather important one. A good design increases the curb appeal and creates an impression on the visitors. You can go for any style that suits the freshly painted walls of your home to create a long-lasting impression. However, more than that, choosing a good style of home number creates visibility during times of emergencies. Whether it is a fire emergency or any unfortunate incident at your house, the respective authorities can locate your house quicker with the appropriate visibility of the house numbers from the street. Now comes the question of choosing the right style to achieve this goal. Follow these four pointers while designing the house numbers to give you maximum visibility.
Location of the Number Plates
The location of the number plates matters a lot and, at times, can be tricky. Typically they can be mounted near the front door, but this can’t be a viable option if the front door is far from the gate. Any trees or branches obscuring the front door can also hinder its visibility. In such cases, you can find a better spot for the numbers to be visible to the visitors. It can be near your mailbox or your fence. Ensure that these numbers are placed at an appropriate eye level.
Distance From the Street
In a state of emergency, any authority vehicle passing your street should be able to recognize your house number to tame the situation. This is why designing the number plates according to the distance from the street becomes important. Here is the standard dimension to follow with respect to distance.
| Distance from the house to your street | Height of the numbers |
| 0-20 meters | 10 cm |
| 20-35 meters | 15 cm |
| 35-50 meters | 20 cm |
| 50-65 meters | 30 cm |
| 65-80 meters | 40 cm |
Appropriate Font for Readability
Much like the distance from the street, the size and style are important to enhance the readability of the numbers. Visitors need to comfortably find your house number with bare minimum effort. You might want to steer away from a style that is barely comprehensible, such as decorative, thin font styles, or cursive, to the naked eye in an instant. Go for a simpler yet bolder font, which can be recognized from a distance easily. Thick fonts such as Helvetica can fare well when it comes to readability. Some might compromise the visibility with artistic design numbers, which are far from ideal for emergency personnel during a crisis.
It is also crucial to ensure that the numbers are placed at an appropriate distance from each other. Too much proximity can create visibility issues. As opposed to that, a farther distance will make them appear to be distinct numbers, separate from each other.
Colour Contrast That Stands Out
Your numbers should appear distinct and ditched from the background of the wall. The best way to ensure this is by choosing a contrasting colour combination. If the background where the numbers are to be mounted has a neutral shade, you can opt for a stark contrast, such as black, red or blue. Choosing dark colours paired with bolder fonts will increase the visibility of the numbers immensely.
These speculations are important to maintain visibility along with the aesthetic of your house. Spec Hardware enlists customized numbers for your house according to the distance, aesthetic and style you want for them while paying attention to visibility. Contact us and get a quote today.