The Sandbox Project

Yesterday, I posted some pictures of our little backyard project helper. Well, today, I’ll give a recap of the project we completed this holiday weekend!

As my hubby and I were cleaning up some things in the backyard on Saturday, we started to brainstorm about what to do about an area by our deck that is not currently being used to its fullest potential, if at all.

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Clicking a second time will show more detail.

You see, we have a three level deck on the back of the house. A few years ago, we removed a portion of it that was literally built around the Linden tree (the original owners had literally cut a circle in the deck around the tree). 1) The tree was suffocating because of the deck, and 2) because of the tree, that portion of the deck was in great need of repair, and 3) because the tree had grown so much since the deck was built, it was hard to use that portion of the deck anyway. Imagine our surprise when we discovered a two-level flagstone patio under that part! So, we removed the trouble-maker portion of the deck.

It was the right choice. My hubby repaired/rebuilt the remaining portion of the deck and now we have a three-level deck and a two-level flagstone patio. (Refinishing that patio may be a project we’re going to tackle this summer…we’ll see.)

Anyway, in making this change, there is a corner that is not being used. (In this photo, you can see that Claire is still wearing Momma’s glove…)

“What do you think we should do with this corner?” my hubby asked.

“You know…I was thinking about that. What about a sandbox?” I asked. “I think it’s about the right size for one of those, and Claire loves digging. This way, she’ll stop digging where you don’t want her digging, and this corner will serve a purpose. What do you think?”

“That’s a great idea!” he said.

That’s when I nearly fell over. I hadn’t realized that the planets were aligned properly. What else could I suggest that would meet such instant approval? Just kidding. We (eventually) agree on most things, but we’re known for our lively banter.

So, we found the sandbox we wanted online and went to Toys R Us that night to pick it up.

Sunday, we spent the day readying the area for the 200 lb. sandbox. Actually, the sandbox weighs hardly anything, but it holds 200 lbs. of sand. (Daddy used the wheelbarrow to transport the bags of sand from the car to the backyard, and that was the project Claire was helping him with in those pictures I posted yesterday.)

Momma and Claire goofed off while Daddy did all the work. Kidding! You can’t have a project without a self-portrait.

Daddy built a retaining wall. Momma helped dig the trenches for the support beams. Getting it level was challenging, but we did it!

We filled it with old concrete pieces that we’ve been collecting from the property over the years.

Daddy broke up those pieces with a sledgehammer…and then we backfilled it with dirt. A lot of dirt. The above picture is just the first of many layers of dirt. We had fun stamping it down and repeating the process all afternoon. Where do we get the dirt? Well, we have a gajillion tons of landscaping rocks in the back yard, and my hubby has been digging them up and sifting them. He then puts down new weed fabric and puts back the rocks or replaces them with woodchips, depending on the landscaping layout we’ve been working on. This sandy dirt mixture is what is left when he sorts the rocks. (He has a whole process, and he built a fancy sorting apparatus that he uses with the wheelbarrow.)

Once we had enough dirt, we put the sandbox in place.

Here it is with its lid shut. The lid will help keep out water and critters. Daddy will be installing hooks to the side of the deck and the retaining piece to use with a bungee cord so that it won’t blow off in the middle of one of our famous wind-storms. (You will see the black edging piece in the photo above. We opted to do something different there, so we didn’t install that piece. Not that it matters. I just wanted to clarify.)

Here is the top view from the top.

And, The Sandbox Project is complete! All three of us played in it for two hours on Sunday afternoon, and we had so much fun! I can’t remember the last time I played in the sand, and I’d forgotten just how much fun it really is. So, if you can’t reach us one of these days…check out back. Odds are, that’s where we’ll be.