If you want to equip a children's sandbox at your own cottage or near your house in the city, then first you need to familiarize yourself with the detailed instructions that will allow you to cope with the work in just half a day. So you can not only save a certain amount, but also take the children while you yourself are passionate about gardening.
Typically, the described construction is a fence or box with a bottom that rises 25-40 cm above the ground. There may not be a bottom. In diameter, the product is usually limited to the following dimensions: 1.2-3 m. It will take about a cubic meter of sand to fill a space of 2x2 m. Before starting work, you must choose a place.
Varieties of sandboxes
Considering the types of sandboxes, first you recall the traditional version, which is located on the street. Another solution is the desktop design. But the arrangement of such a place for games can be problematic, since much more sand is needed. If it is planned to arrange it at home, then you will need a completely separate room. Such a lesson will be very useful for a child who has the makings of a sailor, strategist or geographer.
Territory Definition
The children's sandbox should be in the right place. You can prefer the area where the sandbox in the first half of the day will be under the rays of the sun, and in the second - in the shade. However, placing the structure under a tree is not recommended. In this case, garbage will pour in the sand in the summer, insects and bird droppings will fall there.
It is better to begin construction at some distance from watering the beds, pond, bushes, fountain and other sources of moisture. Another selection factor does not concern the sandbox itself, but the house on the site. Sand is an excellent abrasive.
Its sharp elements on shoes can ruin a laminate or parquet, as well as a paved garden path. Around the sandbox in this regard, it is necessary to place about 2 m of blind area or lawn, which will remove sand from the sole. If the structure will not be located on the lawn, then it is recommended to place rugs for the hallway around, however, you can use improvised materials.
Site preparation
A children's sandbox is usually made stationary. In this case, the structure is better protected by the roof. Before starting construction, it will be necessary to prepare a place. On this site, turf and a loose littered soil layer are removed for this. It is necessary to go deeper by about 20 cm. This depth is on average equal to half the shovel bayonet. The exit on the sides should be approximately the same.
The site must be leveled and covered with sand. The thickness of this layer should be about 6 cm. A rake must be walked along the surface. Next, geotextiles go into business, they are covered with sandy preparation. Instead, you can use agrofibre or propylene matting. The extension along the contour should be 40 cm. Such isolation is necessary so that soil animals, as well as roots, do not penetrate the sandbox. Excess moisture will not come from the ground during such preparation.
Once the sandbox box is installed, the insulation lapels must be folded up and attached to the sides with tape. The trench, which is located in the form of a border, is filled with washed soil, which must be compacted. Excess insulation is cut and tucked. They must be tucked with a ruler. If the design is seasonal, then the insulation should be tucked better. When autumn comes, the lapels must be pulled out and straightened. The box will have to be removed when the sand can be removed for winter storage.
The need to use a cover
If you plan to make a sandbox with your own hands, you can think about the need to supplement the design with a cover. Experts say that the mentioned part must be used, because otherwise the sandbox will attract animals who like to cope with such conditions. And it is undesirable for children to play on raw sand. It sticks better, but not far from the common cold.
You can use the lid by laying boards, pipes and poles on the surface of the drawer, as well as covering everything with film and crushing it with bricks. But in the summer you will have other worries and troubles, so you will not have time to deal with the sandbox at all. This indicates the need to supplement the place for children to play with a lid.
The simplest option will be plywood or a board shield. Another solution would be a cover that folds like a book. Considering the ideas of sandboxes, with your own hands you can make one of them. For example, the lid can be converted to a bench. You can make such an addition from the board, the cross section of which is 100x20 mm. You will need square bars with a side of 50 mm.
Removing the beam will help regulate the backrest. The cover will include barn and card loops. In the central part of the upper back board, it will be necessary to make cuts in the form of grips. If the cover is deaf, then it will also be possible to install door handles in it. Before you make a sandbox with your own hands, you should consider its features. One of the options for the cover is the swing structure, which is suitable for children of different ages. The basis of the lid can be colored plywood or chipboard. Such an addition can become a working or gaming table.
Parts preparation
Sandboxes are best done with wood. They are environmentally friendly and less traumatic. With harmless processing, you can achieve longevity in the open, which will be more than enough for the sandbox. It is possible to impregnate the material with a water-polymer emulsion. Silicone and oil water repellents are more expensive, and it makes no sense to use antiseptics, because there are few gaps that will hold moisture. In addition, they are well ventilated and are constantly in contact with sand, which absorbs moisture well.
You can’t use it for use on wood, because motor oils contain additives that can be harmful to children's health. When making a sandbox with your own hands, you will need to treat its underground parts with boiling bitumen or bitumen mastic. The variety of wood can be any. Quite often even aspen or alder is used. They cost little, but have low resistance to mold and rot.
For a stationary structure, it is better to purchase a pine. Under the influence of external factors, a birch will quickly become worthless and moldy. As for the type of lumber, it is better to buy sheet pile or quarter boards, which will prevent the penetration of moisture into the sand through the walls. With the help of tongue-and-groove boards, you can arrange wide, durable benches. The folding lid should be made durable and reliable. To do this, use 16 mm grooved boards.
When assembling the box, the tongue tongue comb is removed from the top board. It must be turned up, and the crest of the lower quarter - out. Otherwise, you will encounter moisture in the joints.
Sandbox creation
Quite often, home craftsmen make sandboxes with their own hands. You can also follow their example using the technology described in the article. At the first stage, you will have to put together a box whose height is approximately 3 boards. In this case, the width of the workpieces is taken into account. At the corners, the elements are fastened with self-tapping screws that are driven into pieces of timber. If you use a 100 mm board, you will need two mounting points. When increasing the first parameter to 150 mm, the attachment points should be already 3.
If the walls are made of edged or quarter boards, and the length exceeds 1.8 m, then in the center of each wall it is necessary to fix a piece of timber. By creating your own drawing of the sandbox, you are definitely not mistaken when cutting material. But for a successful result, it is also necessary to observe the subtleties of technology. At the next stage, it provides for additional fastening of the corners so that the box can be tilted without risking breaking it. Corner racks should be outside, but intersecting racks cut into a tree.
Work on the sides
The beads will be a seat, and they are assembled from boards. These nodes give the box stiffness. The ends of the boards are sawn at an angle of 45 degrees. It is important to observe the coincidence of the edges. The protrusion of the corner will be traumatic. Such a nuisance can be prevented by cutting the outside corners of the side and polishing them until roundness can be achieved.
Board on the box is fixed to the corner and intermediate racks. Mounting in a crown cannot be called reliable. An undersized block is also not an ideal solution. The best way to fasten the side is a piece of skirting. A 30-cm piece will be enough per meter side, which should be installed in the center. It is necessary to use three attachment points, which should be 10 cm apart from each other. If such supports are located under the outer outboard, the attachment can be hidden.
Work on the roof
A sandbox with a roof, as practice shows, is rarely truly functional. The classic option is the fungus. But it is usually centered and not suitable for active games. This unit can be installed only if there is waste construction materials.
The most reliable roof option will be a canopy on four pillars. A safer solution would be a roof on two pillars. They are attached to the sides of the box. If the roof is quite heavy and has a steep slope, then the pillars are supported by struts. When it comes to the seasonal sandbox, it is best to equip it with a soft or skid roof. It can also be a stretch. This option reduces wood costs and provides good shelter. The material can be any. The best option is polycarbonate, which remains from the construction of a porch, greenhouse, canopy or gazebo.
Installation procedure
Before you begin to make a sandbox in the country with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the technology. Many at this stage are wondering what is the best way to proceed — to assemble on-site or where it’s more convenient. For the sandbox, the first option is preferable, since it allows you to reduce the volume of earthwork. This factor is significant, since the sandbox is usually located on the equipped territory, and you do not want to spoil the area with the lawn and plantings.
On-site assembly has another advantage, which is expressed in the need for adjustment and leveling, as well as straightening the contour. In order to make the base of the sandbox, first you need to prepare the foundation pit, but you do not need to do backfilling and insulation flooring at this stage.
In those places where the pillars will go deep into the soil, using a hand drill, it is necessary to make wells. The racks should be deepened by 40 cm. One well will take you about 10 minutes. In the process of filling sand for insulation, the filling is carried out half or more. The legs of the box before sharpening with bitumen must be sharpened and processed with an ax. Once the insulation is laid, it is cut with petals.
The box is installed in the wells with legs and is leveled. To do this, you need a wooden sledgehammer. Too much is not necessary. If there is no suitable hammer, then it can be made independently from scraps of square timber with a side of 130 cm. This element is mounted on the handle.
Which sand to choose?
Before choosing sand for a sandbox, you should familiarize yourself with the recommendations. Experts believe that finely graded, almost white material is not suitable. It is difficult to sculpt, and also very dusty. If you use such sand, it will constantly get into your eyes and contribute to allergies and skin irritation.
A slightly grayish quartz and white sand is also not good. Although it does not dust, it does not lend itself to sculpting, and it injures the skin to scratches. Quartz is a solid mineral, so its grains are non-circular. Red sand is perfectly sculpted, which is sold as ravine. But for the sandbox, it is also not suitable. This is due to the fact that it is very dirty, as it contains a lot of clay.
Sand for sandboxes should be slightly yellowish and have medium roundness. For thin sculpting, clay should be enough in the mass, but here it acts as a skin protection from injuries. Such sand is sold as river sand and must be exploited in a special way. For example, in winter it is better to place it in an unheated room or to cover it in the yard with foil.
The sandbox with the onset of spring is filled again, but this must be done only when the weather is warm. If the sand hibernated in a box, then for its complete drying it is necessary to provide ventilation. The sandbox is filled in layers, each should be about 10 cm thick.
Sand is poured into a box with airing, and it is necessary to create a stream as tall as a human. The wind should have medium strength. The poured layer before laying the next portion is dried in air for about a day.
Making a sandbox in the form of a machine
The sandbox machine will not only become a place for constant games, but also allow parents to go about their business while the child is passionate. It will be based on a box that acts as a body. The design provides for a lid, which consists of two halves. They are fixed to the opposite sides using wooden hinges.
When the lid is closed, the child will be able to use the structure as handrails. When opened, the two halves turn into tables or benches, and the bent tubes from below will act as legs.
When making a sandbox with a lid with your own hands, you will need to cut out the halves of the covers from the OSB. Shields with a thickness of 20 mm are an alternative solution. At the ends of the tubes, which must first be bent in the shape of the letter P, flanges with mounting holes should be welded. They are screwed with bolts or screws.
A do-it-yourself sandbox with a lid is made using technology that involves the assembly of a square body. Its dimensions should be equal to 1.5x1.5 m. Such a machine is enough for three kids to play. Soddy ground to a depth of 30 cm is removed with a sharp shovel. Under the box for this, on the site, you need to mark out a square whose dimensions will be 1.8x1.8 m.
A layer of gravel or sand is poured into the bottom. Geotextiles or black agrofibre are covered on top. No matter how tight the lid is, there will be cracks in it, where atmospheric precipitation will fall, which will moisten the sand. A drainage layer will allow moisture to drain into the soil, and covering material will prevent weed germination.
From the boards you need to collect the box. At the end of the workpieces, the connection grooves are cut. The body height will be equal to the limit of 30 to 35 cm. The number of boards for forming the side will depend on their width. Ideally, you should get a wooden box.
If you could not make your own diagram, then you can use the sandbox sizes presented in the article. With your own hands, you can make a similar design quite simply. The main thing is to follow the technology. At the next stage, it will be necessary to attach the legs. For this, a square beam with a side of 50 cm is used. 70 cm workpieces are cut from it.
The supports are fixed at the corners at the same level with the edge of the sides. The columns at the bottom are treated with bitumen to keep them in the ground for a long time. To install the legs, holes are dug, at the bottom of which 10 cm of crushed stone is poured. Now you can install the box in its place. The pits are filled with earth. Concreting them is not necessary, since the sandbox will not experience special loads. A sandbox made of wood will be ready when you put the lid of two halves on the hinges that are fixed to the wooden sides.