So I had 2 beams left from building our pergola.

I wanted to give them some good use, so we came up with the idea of building a sandbox for our daughter.

The items I used are:

- 2 impregnated wooden beams 75x225x6000mm @ €43,80 in total
- 4 concrete plates 40x250x3cm @ €87,60 in total
- 4 concrete poles 40x40x80cm @ € 56,85 in total
- 3 kubic meter ( 5000 kg) washed sand @ €98,10 in total
- 1 cover to place over the sandbox 255x255cm @ €96,15 in total
- 24 pole holders 7x7cm @ €96,96
- 2 impregnated poles 68x68x240cm @ €13,98
- 100 wood bolts M8 8,0x30mm @€5,30
- 100 spacers M8 @ €4,74

So the total cost was around €500.

I little bit much than I wanted to spend but hey, nothing beats the smile of your child.

Supplies

Step 1: Choosing a Location

As we had just built our pergola, the sandbox would be placed next to it.

This way we had a view on the box, and it falls in the shades.

I started with laying out the concrete plates so I had an idea of where to dig.

Step 2: Digging

I did the digging by hand.

Just a shovel and my wheelbarrow.

I dug 40cm deep, leveling it a bit on the bottom.

Step 3: Placing the Edges

Next step was placing the concrete corners.

I used a grounddrill to make some holes, placing them level.

I then placed the concrete plates in them.

At the bottom I placed some anti weed cloth.

Step 4: Cutting the Beams

I cut the beams at the right length and prepared the pole holders.

Step 5: Start Filling Up the Sandbox

Now I could start filling up the sandbox.

Again I used my shovel and my wheelbarrow, manually filling the pit.

Halfway trough I let my daughter already play in it.

She loved it.

Step 6: All Filled Up

I finished filling up the pit.

I placed the beams in place.

The only thing I still have to do, is placing the pole holders underneath the beams so the wood won't come in contact with the ground and creating a little bench all around the sandbox.

Step 7: Conclusion

It took me 6 hours to remove all the ground from the put.

It took me 3 hours to place te concrete poles and plates.

It took me 2 hours to prepare the wooden beams.

It took me 3 hours to fill the sandbox.

It will take me about 2 hours to place the pole holders.

It will take me about 2 hours to finalize the whole thing.

With finalizing I mean sanding the beams to prevent splinters and using my mill to cut the corners off the beams making it a bit safer.

This is my first writing, I hope you liked it.

Step 8: Creating a Bench

I have raised the beams a bit so it creates a bench to sit on.
I used the pole holders to raise them a bit.
I used my leveling laser to define the middle of the pole holder and measured from a side of the beam to define the center.
I used long bolts to connect both together (beams and pole holders).
I used 6 pole holders/beam to keep it all steady.
I drilled holes in the beams so that the bolts don't stick out.
Afterwards I used silicones to cover the bolts.

My custom made cloth arrived too, so I can easily open or close the sandbox.

When it's closed you can still play on it.