A Fun Pea Gravel Play Area, DIY Rustic Bench & Backyard Activity Wall

The Pea Gravel Play Area I’ve been working on this month is finally done. Yea! The boys are loving their new digging spot. I’m loving the new rustic bench where I can grab a cup of coffee and enjoy 20 minutes of peace while they play.

As with most of my projects, I used our scrap corral boards, but this can easily be made with pressure treated 2×4’s. Check out the pictures to see how easy it was to make this pea gravel play area, backyard activity wall, and DIY rustic bench.

Our gazebo has been mostly unused since we moved in 5 years ago. When I told the hubby I wanted to build a pea gravel play area, he suggested putting it in the gazebo. I was a little unsure at first. Then I realized it was perfect for my idea. But you can build your own pea gravel play area on grass, just be sure to use landscaping fabric to keep the weeds out.

Follow the link for full build details and costs.

Step 1: The Pea Gravel Play Area & DIY Rustic Bench

The gravel box is a simple box frame, held together by 4x4 posts in the corners. Easy Peasy.

Bury your posts in the ground to prevent shifting and lifting of the box. Use landscaping fabric to prevent weeds.

If you build your box on pavement or stone, like me, you can use short posts to construct your frame, but you'll need to anchor that box to the ground somehow or the pea gravel will spill underneath.

I screwed my frame into the gazebo posts to prevent it from lifting.

Tip: If you have a truck, buying loose pea gravel by the cubic yard is cheaper than buying bags.

The bench uses 4x4 posts as legs and 2x4's for the rest of the build. It's a pretty simple build, painted with exterior paint, then sanded to give it a rustic, distressed look. The color and distressed look disguises all of the muddy footprints and abuse it gets from my kids. ;)

Step 2: The Activity Wall Details.

I used an old dinner bell and left over copper pipe to create a fun bell. Scrap wood and drainage pipes became great ball and gravel chutes. My son painted a wood car that we attached with velcro. And I found this awesome 3-piece rhythm band on Amazon for about $30.