The boy's sandbox

What do you get for the boy who has everything? Well, maybe not everything. But what do you get for a boy who was super patient with a move and a move and is about to turn four in a new house with a big yard to play in?

Easy. You build a sandbox, but not just any sandbox. A great, big sandbox with a lid that folds into benches that he can spend all day in.

This was actually a long time coming in that a yard with a sandbox was the first hint we dropped to him that moving might not actually be terrible if that was what was waiting for him at the finish line. Considering how much he loves the tiny turtle sandbox at grandma and grandpa’s the idea of a bigger one was enough to get him to keep an open mind about our move. So I went into this project putting a lot of pressure on myself to live up to expectations, and I dare say I succeeded.

This is one of those builds with plans all over the internet. I had plenty of time to plan and think about how things would come together so that by the time I was ready, I had everything purchased and the build itself took less than a day. Sanding took a bit more time b/c I paid special attention to it on this one but it was worth it in the end.

As always, plans change. I had planned on going big with a 5’x5’ square base for this, but I realized building the table that our Journey probably couldn’t fit the 10 foot boards and still close. So I stuck with 8 foot boards to split and make a 4’x4’ square. Also, I had planned on getting 2x8s, then accidentally got 2x10s and didn’t realize the mistake until I got home and realized they looked bigger than the table boards. Oops. But ultimately that just meant a taller box than expected. More room for sand. 

At this point you're off & running.

 Like I mentioned, this came together pretty quickly. I trimmed one 2x10 to 90 inches long then cut it in half for the short sides of the base. Then joined them with kreg holes to the halves of the second 2x10. Using 1x4s for the lid, I halved six 8-foot boards and laid them out to plan how they all got joined together. The 1x4s should be hinged twice so they fold into an “L” shape, with the handles on top attached to 2x4s cut a little long to keep the back up once they’re folded. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. 8 hinges and 4 handles and you’re ready to go.

Everything together. But will it open?

A 4 foot square ended up working great, b/c each half of the lid is six 1x4s. The first two are screwed directly to the base, they’re never going to move. The middle two are connected via two 8-inch sections of 2x4 that act as armrests on the bench, and connected to the first two via a top hinge. The last two are connected via the long-cut 2x4s that the handles get attached to, and to the rest of the lid via a hinge on the inside of the lid. This was actually the trickiest part; I got overly excited and started attaching boards when my original plan was to build the lids on the ground then attach the entire thing to the base. I ended up having to put the whole thing on one side and put the hinge on while trying to line everything up. Not the ideal way but it worked okay.

Yes! This was a simple build but I was still relieved to see it actually work.

At this point it’s at least recognizable as a sandbox, and this was how we wrapped it up for the boy to open on his birthday. Unfortunately it was still in the 20’s in early April so it didn’t get filled until a few weeks later, but it’s been a hit since then. A few last minute details: when I moved it out before we filled it I put two layers of weed barrier on the bottom. Just tacked it on with nails. I have no plans of moving this, and doubt we even could now that it’s filled with 10 40 lbs bags of sand. That was actually fewer bags than I thought we’d need but I was fine not carrying any more sand at that point.

Get used to this view. Actually, make some more seats for grown ups.

Should I add a purchase list to this? Sure, let’s spell it out.

2 2”x10”x8’ treated boards
6 1”x4”x8’ treated boards
1 2”x4”x6’ treated board
8 2” utility hinges (ended up with 6 2” and 2 3” b/c that’s all that was in stock)
4 gate handles
additional wood & kreg screws
natural stain
10 40 lbs bags play sand