Mail Slot

You can have your mail forwarded or held at the post office in the winter.

Best to talk to local post office to see what they require/prefer for slot/box.

What is commonly done though? I have been living in apartments way too long...

Post offices can determine what they are willing to do (I've been told) ... they have efficiency initiatives. So depending on what "renovation" means, they can require that you have a box at a nearby clustered location, not necessarily at your individual house. Call and ask.

Anyway, what was the arrangement for your house before you started renovating?

What mail do you have (or intend to have) sent to the house? We have no mailbox, and no mail delivery, to our weekend house, and never have done so. I have no interest in a mail slot exposed to the weather, or a mail box that will have nothing but junk mail and a potential indicator to others as to when we are not home. The mailing address for everything associated with the house, from the town to bills, etc. is either our apartment or my office. This is the case even though we are probably there for all but a handful of weekends throughout the year.

As AH says, if you want a mailbox, you should talk talk to your neighbors and local post office. In most places, a mail slot it not an option because the mail person delivers from the mail truck, and the mail box must be in an approved location on a street that is reachable from the mail truck. Mail people don't get out of the truck.