House Numbers

[Chickorma]

I've been on a spring clean. Got rid of loads of bits to the charity shop, tip and a few bits of furniture on Facebook Marketplace. Great!

What's not so great is now I've discovered Facebook Marketplace, I've also picked a few bits up from there over the last week (although the nest of tables I got cheaply meant I could get rid of the set we already had, also on Facebook Marketplace). All good.

However... Why do so many blooming houses not have house numbers on? Literally out of the 4 items I picked up, 3 were from houses with no house number on display! One I could find because of the number on the bins, another from neighbouring houses, but the third was impossible to spot, on a new build estate with lots of twists and turns so not easy to work out linear street.

I just don't understand why you wouldn't have a house number. How do delivery companies deliver parcels? How do you expect people to collect items you're selling? Just why wouldn't you?! Please could those of you without a house number explain why!

Also, voting:

YABU - house numbers aren't necessary!
YANBU - Yes Chickorma, I'm with you, why don't people have numbers on their houses?!

[quote TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]@Kloppsteeth

I am always super helpful to delivery drivers, I keep bottles of water and kitkats in the porch for them to help themselves

That's a bit miserly, I put out a full Indian takeaway (in a thermal bag) with six bottle non-alcoholic Kingfisher lager or a celebrity chef home box and a bottle of Chateau Lafite.

If I'm at home when they call I will give them a piggy-back back to their van (which DP will have quickly jet-washed).
[/quote]
And the winner is……@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles 😂

when I am Queen of The World, people who do not clearly number or name their houses will not be allowed to have stuff delivered, they will have to collect it from a random skip at random place. ....think Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant in that warehouse.... that should bring everyone into line pretty smartly.

We need to get a better sign ( old owners named the house! ) however we are even more complicated as face into a street that isn’t our address ( I do add as much information as possible in delivery notes)

Our street is one of those with similarly named streets in the same estate, so we have a plaque on both the garden wall and on our house saying our house number and street name, as well as stickers on the bins that say number and street too

Working in the community, in an area that is often joked that the planners threw a load of numbers in the air and you got what landed in your garden, I love it when someone has the street name on as well, at least then I know I'm roughly where I should be. There are roads where one side of the road is one street name and over the road another. Nearby towns have the same street names in all of them. All of my colleagues have lost their car at least once after parking up to try to find a house.

I think sometimes neighbours do shrug and think, well next door is clearly marked 29 so we don't need to do anything. But yeh, is it 27, 31, 28 or 30.

I recently had a knock at the door and a delivery driver handed me a parcel to once he had gone I realised it was next doors but we often take in their parcels. A few minutes later there was another knock, the driver was there for the parcel. He had seen that the house the other side was 3 and presumed we were 5, rather than numbering in order. He realised when he then tried to deliver a parcel for 7 to number 5.

I don't think I've ever lived somewhere the numbers made sense.

Childhood home: our house was in double digits but opposite was in triple and there were roads with very similar names so constantly getting wrong post.

Next home: numbers count up on one side and then maybe down on the other? Hard to tell, mix of very very old houses and new flats.

Next home: flats, to find me you needed to work out floor number, block letter, flat group number and then flat letter 🥴 all from "Flat 16B". There was a map that was clear as mud and delivery drivers often got lost. The front entrance wasn't accessible by road either so they got more lost.

Current home: some houses have names, numbers make no sense. Mix of old and newer, newer houses make sense kinda if you ignore all the old buildings scattered among them and then there's some houses tucked far back you wouldn't know were there unless you knew and delivery people constantly assume that flat X means the council behemoth at the end. There's naff all signal so they can't call and ask for help so you just have to hope they either know or can read the instructions you left describing the house. Oh and then witching my building the numbers also don't make sense 🤦‍♀️

Our estate has a really weird numbering system. My house didn't have a number displayed when I moved in. It took until I was pregnant and was told it was high risk and that I'd have to call an ambulance if I went into labour to make me finally get around to putting the number up as I thought what a nightmare it would be if the paramedics couldn't find me!

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow

when I am Queen of The World, people who do not clearly number or name their houses will not be allowed to have stuff delivered, they will have to collect it from a random skip at random place. ....think Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant in that warehouse.... that should bring everyone into line pretty smartly.

Nice work, sister!

I'm a community worker, and on the newer estates I visit, even a number doesn't work. They split up the seperate streets, scattered around the estate, so it could be number 20 of any of them. There has been a move towards those glass plates with the street and number on. I love those.

In a similar vein we stayed in an old hotel in Scotland and all the rooms had names but no numbers. We were in 'Gairloch' and we spent ages going up and down convoluted stairs and corridors reading each name off the door until we found it.

Our house started off with just a name. At some point it was also given a number. We now have BOTH clearly displayed outside. Go us!!

To be fair on the new build, if I was spending hundreds of thousands on an overpriced brand new house, I'd expect it to have a door number. They probably have noticed, but lots of people are at their financial limits buying a new build, often using help-to-buy (which just resulted in asking prices going up by the 20% the government will give you or whatever) and having to buy furniture, white goods etc if they are young and its their first home

I am with you OP!

I keep bottles of water and kitkats in the porch for them to help themselves
Well I think that’s super cute, @KloppsTeeth, although honestly I think if I did that DP would probably just eat all the kitkats on his way out the door. Or the dogs would snaffle them during the in/out harnesses on/off scuffle when going for walks. How do you arrange it so the drivers know they can help themselves?

Yanbu

I’m an offended as it took me a couple of years to put a house number up after moving in. It’s on our bins though so people managed Not really intentional, just didn’t get round to it.

Offender

I live on an estate at the junction of three roads. Delivery drivers looking for 123 Letsbeavenue or 123 Mainroad used to pick the first house numbered 123 they spotted - which is 123 Myroad. And not just delivery drivers - I had an irate woman turn up who was very cross that her friend didn’t come to the door .

I put a number and road name plate up and it’s mostly stopped except for an Ocado driver who fairly regularly deposits two crates of food on my doorstep before clocking the road name, then picks them up and takes them to (presumably) the correct address. I’ve never had an account with Ocado 🤷‍♀️

Mine has a name, no number. It’s the absolute worst.
What the people who built the village were thinking I have no clue, must just like explaining their house location every single time they order anything.

I have got a sign saying Delivery Drivers: thank you, please help yourself to a snack and a drink.

I know a lot of them are really tight on time and the ones who I have seen either on the doorbell cam smiling as they walk off with a kitkat or the ones I speak to do appreciate it, even if not everyone wants to take something

edit to say I know this reply is over 2 years late, but better late than never 😆