How to: build a sandpit using timber sleepers
With the summer holidays here, why not bring the beach to home! Building a sandpit in your garden is straightforward to build and is sure to bring hours of enjoyment to your children.
This how to guide will take you through the steps of making a 1 layer, 2.4m by 1.2m sandpit:
2 x 2.4m sawn & treated sleepers
2 x 1.2m sawn & treated sleepers
8 x 150mm Wafer head timber screws
Step One: Prepare the Ground
Once you have decided where your sandpit is going, you will need to prepare the ground. Make sure the area is safe and level, removing any turf or rubble, raking the area if necessary. To ensure the ground is level you can use a spirit level. Alternatively, you could decide to use and area on a patio or decking that has already been levelled.
Step Two: Position the sleepers
Position the 2 x 2.4m sleepers and 2 x 1.2m sleepers on the ground in a rectangular shape with the narrowest sides on the ground. Use a spirit level to make sure they are level. Then use 2 x 150mm wafer head timber screws at each corner to secure the sleepers together.
Wafer head screws give a flush finish on the surface ensuring there are no sharp edges for your child to catch themselves on.
Step Three: Position the weed control fabric
Cover the bottom of your sandpit and inside edges of the sleepers with your weed control membrane. This prevents any weeds growing up from the ground into your sandpit but also stops the sand from displacing from the sandpit under the sides of the sleepers.
Step Four: Fill with sand
Fill the sandpit with playsand and watch your children enjoy!
Top tips!
We would recommend that you cover the sandpit when not in use to prevent attracting cats, debris, or water from filling the pit.
If you wanted a deeper sandpit, you could double layer the sleepers using 47mm x 50mm timber screws to secure two sleepers together.
