Introduction

Most small children love playing in sand. However, if you’re anything of a parent like I am, you really don’t want your children playing around in just any old garden sand. This can carry germs and bacteria and can be really dirty. A far safer plan is to build a sandpit or a sandbox and the good news is… they’re easy to build!

A sandbox is a box that sits on top of the ground while a sandpit usually involves digging a hole into the ground.

Building a Sand Box

If you do not have an area where you can dig a sandpit then the sand box is the ideal construction. The play sand will be kept in the area allocated for it and the box can also be placed on a paved surface. In real terms all you are going to build is a box of 4 sides with no top or bottom.

You do not have to be a skilled handyman or a dedicated DIYer for this job.
 

All you will need is wood, a saw, an electric sander, hammer, nails and glue. Some people choose to use treated timber because the sand box will be used outdoors and so you can. My personal choice is for my children to avoid contact with the chemicals in treated timber so I use untreated wood. Many folks will disagree with me on this one and they can make their own choice. Untreated timber will last long enough (your children will eventually outgrow the sand box) and even if the timber does rot out quickly, you can always rebuild. So any timber will do!

Be careful of rough edges and splinters and make sure there are no nails or sharp pieces of metal in the timber. Sand down all sharp edges very well.
 

This is the most basic of boxes:

• Two sides, each made from 3 pieces of 100 x 25 x 1500mm timber
• Two ends, each made from 3 pieces 100 x 25 x 800mm
• 4 battens 100 x 25 x 300mm
• 4 corner posts 75 x 100 x 300mm.

* All timber sizes are approximate and can be altered to suit your own individual circumstances.
 

Cut the timber to size. Lay down your three pieces of timber to make the sides. (The 3 pieces of timber will sit one on top of the other to give a total height of approx 300mm.) Glue and nail the battens (centre) and corner posts to the side pieces making sure they are nice and square. Assemble ends using the battens and then glue and nail the end pieces to the posts already fixed on the side pieces. Be sure to round off all sharp edges and sand it smooth. Now you have your sand box, put it into position and fill with appropriate clean and washed sand, (ask at your local Mitre 10 store).
 

Building a Sandpit

If you have the garden space you can always dig a sandpit into the ground. Cut out your lawn in easy to move chunks. You can use the grass to patch other areas in your garden where the lawn is worn out. Dig out the dark coloured top soil and add it to your compost or scatter it in the garden. Try and get the finished excavated bed level.

I suggest that you dig a pit at least 200mm deep and a metre and a half across (in a shape to suit yours or your child’s imagination). Keep in mind that you don’t want your top sand layer to be too thin otherwise your children can’t dig satisfying holes and tunnels. It will be hard work but dig your pit deep enough to accommodate drainage plus an adequate layer of sandpit sand on top of that.

If your subsoil is hard, or is clay, your sandpit may not drain well. You could install perforated drainage pipes like Drainflo to direct water away from the sandpit. Otherwise you could place a layer of scoria down first.

Decide on your edging next. Edging will prevent the sides of the sandpit from caving in plus it helps to stop the sand from spreading all over the garden. There are many options. If your sandpit design is curved, you will need flexible edging. Garden edging or pavers may be suitable. In this case you might partially fill the sandpit first, then place the edging and then fill up further with sand. If your sandpit has straight lines, you could edge it with sleepers – just peg the sleepers to hold them in place.

Fill with the appropriate clean and washed sand. (Ask at your local Mitre 10 store.)

Make a Cover for the Sand

Make sure that you keep your sand box or your sandpit covered when it’s not in use. This will keep animals from messing in it. The material you use for a cover is up to you. Some people prefer a weatherproof cover to keep the sand dry during rain. Other people prefer to use something like netting, to will keep animals out but still allow the rain to drain through the sand and clean it. This is fine as long as your sandpit is well drained.