Project description
Our yard is small, but there is one flat, part-shaded corner that is just right for a sandbox, roughly one and a half by one and a half metres. I would like a wooden box with wide seat rails running around the whole perimeter, about twenty-five centimetres across, so a child can sit on the edge and an adult can perch next to them without balancing on a plank. The point of the whole thing is the lid: two halves on hinges, and when you swing them open they stand up as backrests while the perimeter rails become the seats, so the sandbox turns into two benches facing each other. Closed, it is a flat clean surface the kids can draw on with chalk.
The bottom should be open ground with a geotextile layer rather than solid boards: grass will not grow up through it, and rainwater drains away instead of turning the sand into a swamp. Under the fabric I would like a bed of crushed stone so the box is not standing in a puddle. Please work out the volume of sand for a depth of twenty-five to thirty centimetres and tell me how many bags that comes to, since I can order it myself if that works out cheaper. Assembly has to happen on site: a finished box that size will not fit through my gate, and levelling it in place is easier anyway.
What I consider non-negotiable:
— the lid must not pinch fingers, so fit soft-close dampers or stops that let the halves lower gently instead of dropping, and put handles along the outer edge so nobody has to reach in underneath;
— the timber is sanded until there is not a single splinter, all corners and edges are rounded over, and every screw is countersunk and plugged, with no head standing proud;
— only impregnation and paint certified as safe for children's playgrounds, with no harsh smell; calm colours please, sand and grey-green, nothing acid-bright;
— the sand must be protected from rain and from cats and dogs, so the lid needs to sit tightly, and the sand gets fully replaced once a season, which means the box should be easy to scoop out and rinse.
I need it ready for the start of summer, and a week and a half to two weeks of work suits me fine. In your reply please say what timber you use, what hardware goes on the lid, and the total price including materials and a visit to the site.
The bottom should be open ground with a geotextile layer rather than solid boards: grass will not grow up through it, and rainwater drains away instead of turning the sand into a swamp. Under the fabric I would like a bed of crushed stone so the box is not standing in a puddle. Please work out the volume of sand for a depth of twenty-five to thirty centimetres and tell me how many bags that comes to, since I can order it myself if that works out cheaper. Assembly has to happen on site: a finished box that size will not fit through my gate, and levelling it in place is easier anyway.
What I consider non-negotiable:
— the lid must not pinch fingers, so fit soft-close dampers or stops that let the halves lower gently instead of dropping, and put handles along the outer edge so nobody has to reach in underneath;
— the timber is sanded until there is not a single splinter, all corners and edges are rounded over, and every screw is countersunk and plugged, with no head standing proud;
— only impregnation and paint certified as safe for children's playgrounds, with no harsh smell; calm colours please, sand and grey-green, nothing acid-bright;
— the sand must be protected from rain and from cats and dogs, so the lid needs to sit tightly, and the sand gets fully replaced once a season, which means the box should be easy to scoop out and rinse.
I need it ready for the start of summer, and a week and a half to two weeks of work suits me fine. In your reply please say what timber you use, what hardware goes on the lid, and the total price including materials and a visit to the site.
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