Build A Sandbox, step by step

Building Clara a sandbox has been a project that was nearly a year in the making. Simply check out this post about her first birthday party from last May (yes, our girl is a month away from being TWO). So much for “any day now.”

My excuse, well, our excuse is that we could not figure out where we hoped it. We debated building one on wheels that could sit in the middle of the patio when in use (and be pulled out of the way and stored at all other times), but with so much land around us it felt like we should simply find a permanent spot for one instead of making an eternally-rolling-around sandbox. I guess we simply could not commit to a spot, so Project Sandbox went on an 11 month hiatus. Although the play sand that we had already began stocking did come in handy when sandbagging our basement when Hurricane Irene swept through in August. Though it mostly simply sat in a sad pile in the backyard… a symbol of a broken promise. Picture a single tear sliding down my cheek as I say that.

But our recent outdoor projects have given us renewed energy to in fact get this baby done. More specifically, while tidying up the patio we uncovered the ideal sandbox spot. It had been hiding behind the now-deceased-and-therefore-took out rhododendron which made way for what is now a pleasant big open area that is partially shaded by a fairly dogwood tree and adjacent to the patio. We instantly thought “hey, we could add a few stepping stones to lead Clara right to it from the patio, and it’ll be pleasant to have it placed within our small fenced-in side yard.” So we mulled it over for a little while longer and then chose that we were not getting any younger (nor was Clara) and this was THE place. Sold.

It might look like a small cramped corner of the side garden, but it is in fact a pleasant level 7 x 7′ area – ideal for housing something functional and lively for the bean.

Now we simply had to figure out how we hoped to create this thing. I turned to Pinterest (yes, even I go to Pinterest sometimes even though I do not have an account myself) for inspiration. There were plenty of cute, ingenious, and creative incarnations of sandboxes – some quite intricate, some fairly straightforward, all proof that there is more than one way to skin this kitty. Here are some of our go-tos: Dana Made It, Small & Friendly, Modern Parents Messy Kids, and Dover Projects.

I knew I hoped something fairly uncomplicated. I am strong at making things harder on myself than necessary, so I was determined not to make a plain sandbox more intricate (or stressful) than it needed to be. But, you will see as I continue this post that I was only moderately successful at this. Anyways, the first step was clearing the area of – surprise! – liriope. Fortunately it was not too thick here so it was a fairly swift task.

Based on the available space, we chose we hoped a roughly 5′ x 5′ sandbox. Not large, but large sufficient that Clara and a friend/cousin or two could play without knocking heads. So I measured it out and used some orange flags that the previous owner left in the basement (they marked off our property line during closing) to mark my corners.

I then dug out the area about 6″ so that the sandbox could in fact be sunk in the ground. I figured this would achieve a couple of things. For one, it would assist keep the box in one place (and keep its shape). But more importantly, it would allow us to make a deep sufficient box to allow for some good sand-digging (Clara exhibits signs of becoming a future archeologist thanks to her extreme enjoy of digging). Sure we could’ve simply made a taller box – but we hoped the sides to be low sufficient that Clara could get in and out without any trouble.

The hole was not perfectly level throughout, but I did want to make sure all four sides were level so that my boards would sit square and even. Speaking of the boards, these are 2 x 10″ pieces of framing lumber (the same stuff we used for our office desktop). We did not get pressure treated wood since we learned that a lot of it is treated with chemicals that are not meant for children to be in regular contact with (more on that here). So we chose regular framing lumber that we could seal for outside use would do the trick.

I picked up two 10 ft pieces and had them cut into 5 ft lengths in the store (for about $17 total). We chose it because it is thicker than your average board so I thought it’d be pleasant and sturdy – and perhaps wide sufficient for a toddler’s bottom to sit on (we have both since perched our own bottoms on it and it is not too bad, although we prefer to sit in a nearby patio chair that we simply turn to face the box). We chose not to do any actual seats or overhangs for one singular reason. KILLER SPIDERS. I had distinct memories of those being incessantly creepy and spider-webby in the sandbox that I had growing up (picture thick webs with sinister eight-legged things lurking under every overhang). Plus we consistently simply sat right inside of it and played, so they never got used.

To seal and extend the life of our framing lumber we used some waterproof deck stain on it. We picked up some basic Behr stuff at Home Depot (for about $25). We chose the “Natural” stain after opting not to paint or otherwise add color to the sandbox. We were tempted to give it a cool pattern or color (we enjoyed the striped example from Pinterest), but we figured that effort would be lost after the general wear and tear of being outside would make it dull and dirty (we intentionally buy wood, ORB, or black outdoor furniture/planters most of the time since after a rain the dirt speckles that pop up and are visible on painted items bum us out). Plus over time this finish will match the fence we brought in around the patio – so it’ll hopefully simply be a neutral color that repeats itself around the garden so it fits right in.

Here are the four sides all stained and drying (they are a little orange here, but look more natural outside – especially after we spreaded some rich dark mulch around them a bit later). The four pieces in the back were some scrap framing lumber that I had from another project (our desk perhaps?) that I cut into short corner posts on my table saw.

I did two coats of the stain on all sides of them as recommended on the can and let them dry over night. Then it was time to start assembling things so it no longer looked like I was digging a grave for a quite skinny and quite box-y creature.

Before installing the boards, I put down some Weed Block as a base. This would assist block weeds (duh) while also creating a barrier between the sand and the dirt. Although we made a sandbox cover, we hoped to be sure to use something that allowed air and especially moisture/water to pass through so that our sandbox did not get all clammy. In most cases, breathable = infinitely less nasty.

I had plenty of leftover Weed Block from an old mailbox project so I laid two layers (going opposite directions) to assist minimize sand-to-dirt contact. I held it down in the corners with some garden staples.

As far as construction, I ended up mimicking the design of Modern Kids Messy Parents‘ sandbox the most – thought instead of building my box and laying it into the hole, I built mine in place (I worried about being able to maneuver the already-constructed box as easily).

The basic system here is that I dug a stake into each corner. They were only 4 or 5″ inches into the ground, so ultimately they did not provide that much stability (that instead came from the boards themselves). So mainly the stakes were simply helpful in providing a common place for each board to be attached.

After digging each stake in (and packing some dirt around it before recovering the area with Weed Block) I used a square ruler to make sure my corners were 90-degrees.

Then I drilled in some 2.5″ exterior decking screws – one from the outside and one from the inside – to attach the board to the stake.

It was not the fastest system in the world, I will admit (since there was plenty of triple checking level and square corners) but I slowly began to get what looked like a sand box. Minus the sand.

Here is the completed box. I was DYING to simply dump sand into it and invite Clara out to play, but there was still more to do to make sure it was toddler-ready. Sigh.

First I had to backfill the sides with dirt so that there was not a moat around the edge. You will also note in this picture that I placed the board on top of the Weed Block fabric (see it peeking out there). That was to assist it stay in place even better.

Here it is with dirt all filled in around it. Of course now it looks like it is begging for sand inside and mulch outside. That would still have to wait because there is still one more critical element to this sand box…

…A COVER! You know to keep neighborhood cats from thinking it is a giant litter box. And to keep birds from dropping some presents if they are flying by. But not simply any cover. One with hardware that hinges open and can be secured so we do not worry about Clara pulling it closed on herself. Yup, Sherry and I did some brainstorming, and we had some lively coming up with a cover that adds safety and function to the whole shebang. And since this post is already too long, I am gonna put the details about making the cover in a second post for you this afternoon. Hence the title of The Sandbox Chronicles. It is not quite Narnia, but it is a heartwarming story of a girl and her toy trucks.

You are likely already getting a sense that I made it more complicated than it needed to be (you’d be right), but ultimately we are truly glad with how it all turned out. And since I feel bad about writing a whole post with no shots of the sandbox in fact in use, how’s this for a sneak preview?

PS: Want an swift sandbox alternative? Check out this walkthrough for straightforward Hands-on Moon Sand, which is in short an lively indoor version that is strong for rainy days or for folks who do not have room for an outdoor sandbox.

Psst- We had lively weighing in on some open shelving pro/con chatter over here.

Pssssst- To read The Sandbox Chronicles in their entirety, here is Part 2 (about building the lid which secures to the fence for safety reasons) and Part 3 (about swapping what we found out was “bad sand” for pea gravel).