| Back in 1995 I moved home with my family to a | | | | designs, shapes and sizes would be most popular |
| lovely sleepy village by the Sussex coast where | | | | with home owners. |
| most homes did not have house numbers - just | | | | We then started to sell our reflective house signs |
| house names. Our house was called simply 'The | | | | through craft fairs, local garden centers and DIY |
| Warren'. I used my sign making skills to make us | | | | stores. In 1999 we started to offer our reflective |
| a brand new hardwood house name sign for our | | | | house signs direct to customers via this website - |
| new home. I routed out the house name in 3.5 | | | | online orders grew so much that we discontinued |
| inch 'V' grooved letters and gave them a gold leaf | | | | selling through retail outlets and craft fairs in 2001. |
| finish - very elegant I thought. The sign was lit up | | | | Now we only offer our reflective house signs |
| by an automatic security light that turns on when | | | | direct to customers via our website |
| someone walks up the drive. | | | | Originally we made house signs from hardwood, |
| One dark December evening we had to call out | | | | but I soon found that the wooden house signs |
| the local Doctor from our health center urgently | | | | needed to be re-varnished every two to three |
| for our youngest son who was having chest pains | | | | years to keep them from deteriorating - so I |
| and breathing difficulties - The doctor said he | | | | looked for a more durable alternative that would |
| would be with us in about 5 minutes - about 20 | | | | need no maintenance. After testing ceramics, cast |
| minutes later the Doctor arrived and whilst | | | | iron, cast aluminium, plastics & reconstituted |
| examining our son he complained bitterly that he | | | | slate I decided on reconstituted slate because of |
| wasted a lot of valuable time trying to locate our | | | | its superb hand casting qualities, outdoor durability |
| Home. - According to the doctor he could not see | | | | and inert characteristics that allows us to |
| our house name in the dark and had to drive up | | | | decorate the house plaques with modern long |
| and down our road shining his flashlight looking for | | | | lasting paints. |
| the correct house name for 15 minutes! The good | | | | With reconstituted slate we can produce high |
| doctor also complained that this is a common | | | | quality house signs that look like cast iron but will |
| problem for him during hours of darkness. He | | | | never rust, - they can be hand painted with fine |
| mentioned that even homes with house numbers | | | | detail like ceramics, yet are completely frost |
| can be difficult to locate from a car at night, let | | | | proof. We can spray paint them with a variety of |
| alone properties like ours with just a house name. | | | | coloured backgrounds giving customers a choice |
| He also stressed that any of the 999 Emergency | | | | and they readily accept the heat laminating |
| Response Services also have the same problem | | | | process used to permanently adhere the |
| finding homes in the dark and that the | | | | reflective text and numbers without deterioration |
| consequences of them not finding my address | | | | or distortion. |
| quickly at night could be a lot worse. | | | | We prefer to keep the actual details of our seven |
| On leaving, the Doctor suggested I make my | | | | stage manufacturing process and the materials |
| house name more visible in case I need a doctor | | | | we use to ourselves, so that competitors wont |
| again. - So much for the elegant gold leaf wooden | | | | be able to copy our quality process that enables |
| plaque I just made - it could not be seen from | | | | us to offer our unique 7 year worldwide |
| the road at night and as the security light only | | | | guarantee. |
| comes on when you are walking up the path it | | | | I suppose I should be grateful for being ticked off |
| could also not be seen from a car. | | | | by the doctor back in 1995 - we have now |
| That's when my Wife, Julie came up with the | | | | grown to be the number one UK manufacturer of |
| clever idea of making a reflective house sign for | | | | custom made reflective house signs, employing |
| our home - just in case a Doctor had to be called | | | | specialist sign makers & house sign artists to |
| out again or in case of any other emergencies. | | | | enable us to offer a wide range of quality, |
| I got straight to it and made us a wooden house | | | | decorative house signs that are more easily visible |
| name sign with white reflective lettering from the | | | | at night. |
| same material we used to make traffic signs at | | | | After trading for 10 years as a sole proprietor I |
| work. - It wasn't long before my neighbours | | | | incorporated the business to Yoursigns Ltd in |
| noticed the house name shining up at night and | | | | 2005 with me as the Managing Director. We |
| asked me to make reflective signs for their | | | | relocated our operations to a larger house sign |
| homes. I soon realized the potential in making | | | | studio in Newport, Isle of Wight. - The company |
| decorative & reflective house number and | | | | expanded further and in January 2007 we moved |
| house name signs as a business and set up | | | | our House Sign making facilities to Ash near |
| trading as 'Ornamental Signs'. Initially I | | | | Canterbury, Kent. In February 2008 we relocated |
| test-marketed the house signs by cold calling in | | | | our House Sign Studios to even larger premises in |
| my locality Door to Door with display boards to | | | | Sandown, Isle of Wight from where we currently |
| get a good idea of what kind of house sign | | | | make all our signs. |