DIY Sandbox for the kids- Updated with Instructions

We (and by “we”, I mean Scott) spent our Saturday building a sandbox for the girls. Ruth played in a neighbor’s sandbox a few weeks ago and has been talking about nothing else ever since. Every morning she was waking up and asking me if she could go play in the sand. So my devoted husband built this sandbox with little benches attached that fold down to make the sandbox cover. Perhaps I can get him to post the step by step on how to build it if you’re interested. I must say, he made it look easy.
20140726-205655-75415399.jpg
Ruth was in it playing before they even finished filling it up with sand

20140726-205800-75480903.jpg
Wren and my mom were excellent moral support

20140726-205832-75512838.jpg

Rose didn’t know what all the fuss was about, as clearly dirt is just as fun.

Here are a few shots of the finished product:

20140726-210020-75620797.jpg

20140726-210019-75619513.jpg

20140726-210019-75619907.jpg

20140726-210020-75620298.jpg

My husband is brilliant.

Update My husband graciously agreed to share the step by step to build this 4 ft by 4 ft sandbox. It is as follows:

Materials:

– 4 2x8x4 boards
– 14 1x4x4 boards
– 4 2x4x7/12 boards
– 4 2x4x18/12 boards
– 8 exterior (rust resistant) hinges
– 4 exterior (rust resistant) utility handles
– a small box of 1.5 inch deck screws
– a small box of 2 inch deck screws
– 10 50 lb bags of Quikrete Play Sand
– 8 ft of Weed Mat (often black and used in flower beds under mulch)

(The numbers above are board measurements (e.g.,a “2x4x18/12” board is a standard 2 by 4 from the hardware store cut to 1.5 feet in length.)

All wood should be pressure-treated so your box will last and to discourage insects from eating the lumber. The Weed Mat prevents weeds and other plants from growing from under the box. Ever so conveniently, the local Home Depot will help you select the right wood and cut it for you at the store.

Build Instructions:

I primarily used the instructions from this blog (with diagrams). However, we added 2 extra 2x4x45/12’s fastened to the upper interior of the 2×8’s which run perpendicular to the seats for extra support and stability. We also tacked two 4 ft strips of Weed Mat to the bottom of the box before installing the 1×4 planks. Also, we installed the 2×4’s attached to the seat-backs closer to the middle of the seats for better support.

Feel free to leave a comment with any questions. Enjoy! We know our little ones will.

0 thoughts on “DIY Sandbox for the kids- Updated with Instructions

Leave a comment! I love hearing from you.