Dig out the hole
Dig at least 200mm deep and a metre and a half across (in a shape to suit yours or your child’s imagination). Keep in mind that you don’t want your top sand layer to be too thin otherwise your children can’t dig satisfying holes and tunnels. It will be hard work but dig your pit deep enough to accommodate drainage plus an adequate layer of sandpit sand on top of that.
Loose rocks or aggregate are used at the bottom of the sandpit to prevent water build up and an can be used to drain away the water. You will also need a barrier between the sand and the drainage rock material to prevent children digging down to the rocks. The barrier should be made of a porous material such as netting, rubber mat or landscape lining fabric.
Trim the edges
Decide on your edging next. Edging will prevent the sides of the sandpit from caving in plus it helps to stop the sand from spreading all over the garden. There are many options. If your sandpit design is curved, you will need flexible edging. Garden edging or pavers may be suitable. In this case you might partially fill the sandpit first, then place the edging and then fill up further with sand. If your sandpit has straight lines, you could edge it with sleepers – just peg the sleepers to hold them in place.
Fill with the appropriate clean and washed sand.
Make a cover
Make sure that you keep your sandpit covered when it’s not in use. This will keep animals from messing in it. The material you use for a cover is up to you. Some people prefer a weatherproof cover to keep the sand dry during rain. Other people prefer to use something like netting, to will keep animals out but still allow the rain to drain through the sand and clean it. This is fine as long as your sandpit is well drained.
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