My boys outdoor play area "The Pit"

I wanted to create a place for my two boys to have in our yard. My husband and I figured out where we wanted to put the area and I drew up a plan of what I wanted for it.  I decided on a sandbox, picnic table, hopscotch and a bench and umbrella for me. And as you can see I was able to get everything I wanted in the area. 

How I did this.


Step 1. Layout the size of the area
Step 2. I had to dig a trench big enough to move the sprinkler systems into and then also put in the border that I had chosen, which was textured cinder-blocks.

 Step 3. Pulled up all the sod (I did this with a shovel and my hands)

Step 4. Had my brother help me, or rather I watched as my bother ;)  ran a new sprinkler line and sprinkler heads to the outer part of the area.
Step 5. Picked up 30 cinder-blocks from a local company.
Step 6. Leveled out the trench with a layer of sand (purchased at Lowe's. Paver Sand) and placed all the cinder-block in the trench.

Step 7. Filled in all the gaps around the cinder-block and leveled out the entire area.
Step 8. Took my big truck to a local place to get the bed filled with paver sand to lay out in the area (for good drainage)
Step 9. Filled the area full of the sand and raked it level.

Step 10. Found an astro-turf outdoor carpet for the ground cover. We bought this at Lowe's here Laid this down and hammered landscaping staples.  Landscaping Staples click here

Step 11. Put together the Kidkraft backyard sandbox which you can purchase here Sandbox  I loved this sandbox because it comes with a mesh cover to keep bugs and cats out. Plus its a great size and has 4 seats in each corner.

Step 12. I went back to the place where I got a truck full of concrete sand but this time I got mason sand for the sandbox and put it in the sandbox.

Step 13. Found my Storage bench here (similar one) and outdoor cupboard here for all the toys I want to keep outside. They were the top sellers on amazon and both had good reviews.

 Step 14 Found my 9ft Umbrella here and 60lb stand. I didn't get it online but here is a link that will take you to some here

Step 15. I then found this outdoor kids picnic table here with umbrella. I wanted a different colored umbrella so I purchased this one separately here

Step 16. I laid out the hopscotch I had made a few weeks earlier. I took square pavers and spray painted them different colors. here I spray painted with white the numbers from 1-10.

 

I also purchased a triangle sun shade sail (click here ) for over the sand box and an Outdoor mister (click for similar item) to cool the boys and myself off while we play outside in the sun. 

We all absolutely love it. My boys have played outside in the new area every day since I finished it. We named it "The Pit" after my favorite hut we had growing up. It was a lot of work but it was well worth it. The entire project took me about 2 weeks to do as I could only work on it in the early morning and I was learning as I was going. I had never done anything like this before so I just went for it. I think it turned out great and I know we will have lot of fun times and memories there.

side-note: for anyone with a sandbox, if you add in a bunch of cinnamon it keeps the ants out!