Sandbox DIY?

[moonlight]

The old homeowners were kind enough to leave a dog house and custom decking around the dog house when we bought this house. For over a year we've been ignoring it. Thankfully my inlaws came and got the backyard looking good. The dog house is gone but now we have a big dirt corner in the backyard. My Zen garden suggestion fell on deaf ears with DH. He is open to making DD a sandbox for that area. DD is 18 months old, summer has arrived here in NC, and she'll enjoy it over the next year or so.

Is it hard to make one? Did you have one and HATE it? Will it endlessly entertain a toddler, as I am hoping for?

[ladymoreta]

Ugh, the previous owners of our house left a rotting wodden swing set and a rotting dog house! Because "now that you have a house, you'll probably get a dog and have kids!" Yeah, thanks, lazy bums!

Anyway... We just spread the sand out over the lawn, and within a few months, it wasn't visible anymore and grass grew over it.

If you decide to do the sandbox, definitely get a covered one. That's all the advice I know...

[peggyfromwastate]

We built a sandbox. Very easy to do. It can be a garden box for the next owners but I plan to leave it as is.

[SuzySunshine]

I also think it would probably be pretty easy to do but 2nd the cover - otherwise animals will use it as a liter box.

We didn't make one because we move so much and just have ours on the balcony. But I will say that it's the thing DS has played with most out of all his toys. We have had it since before he could even walk and he plays in it every day!

[moonlight]

Good news! I've worn DH down and we will put in the sandbox and zen garden... Sandbox will go where the kid was located, zen garden goes in the corner spot at old dog house spot! Anyone put in a small rock garden? Can lowes peeps talk me through it?

[Cinderella]

When we were kids our parents put in a sandbox and it was pretty easy. It wasn't covered but it wasn't our biggest thing to play with because it did seem to get dirty. I remember finding cat poop in it and then I didn't want to play in it anymore. I was older than 10 then though. Don't know if that makes a difference. A zen garden sounds nice and easy. In college some students did one for a week as an installation art project in our main gathering area on campus indoors. It was kind of lovely while we had it though it did get messy towards the end with all the foot traffic and passerby's messing with it.

[Meenah]

Lowes and Home Depot have alot of DIY videos online. Also, DIY Network online is a good source.

[Meenah]

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how...box/index.html

[moonlight]

Sandbox update: We are in the middle of making it! Yesterday we sanded and panted the wood pieces, and bought the sand. This afternoon we started putting it together! While we were out getting sand I got a 64" kid pool and set it up today. The backyard is looking good! Now I can have my friends over and to be embarrassed of the backyard.