Sandbox Cover?
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- mantrakid
Hey - any engineering geniuses want to help me brainstorm an idea to cover up a sandbox for the winter - Im kinda going for something a little less 'permanent' so technically my kid could even 'fold' or 'pull' or 'roll' the cover up himself without too much hassle (ie i toyed with the idea of a big wooden cover, but it would be too heavy to lift on/off all the time.)
I figured its a shot in the dark to ask you guys but you're the most creative crew i know aside from day to day peeps and i swear to god ive been thinking of this since the middle of summer and haven't been able to come up with jack shit.
I'd like to make something like the ipad smart cover so it folds up in pieces, but even that i cant think of a material that would be strong enough, but light enough once it's all stacked up ..
any genius ideas!?
love mantrakid
- mantrakid0
The sandbox is 7 feet by 8 feet wide, so that's why the 'weight' is an issue... lots of surface area to cover..
- MHDC0
make one that can crank open. That way your kid could open and close it. It would roll onto a fixed wood pole attached to the side. when you close it just unroll it and make hooks that go into grommets so it stays.
- Fax_Benson0
Why do you need to cover it for the winter? If it snows, he'll not know where it is. If it warms up, he can play in the sandpit.
- Squirrel / nut issue?Fax_Benson
- could be leavesFax_Benson
- cat toilet if no coverprophetone
- Of course! Cat turds would probably put the squirrels off though.Fax_Benson
- mantrakid0
only prob with that is i live on an island where it fucking rains almost daily from mid-october to next may... so i was worried about pooling... tho i suppose with something in the middle tenting it a bit, it might not be that bad..
- mantrakid0
Its actually a rain issue, i worry that all the rain that comes down all winter long will affect the sand quality... like... somehow make it rougher since it's 'sifting' all the fine stuff to the bottom.. am i trippin?
- mantrakid0
Thx for helping me get my wheels going guys.
- Fax_Benson0
What about some kind of parasol - would work as a holiday style sun shade in the summer.
- omg0
I know you're looking for something easy enough for kid to put on or off. But chances are, no one is going to want to deal with it. Especially a kid. People cover pools for half the year. So a smart pad like cover?
A good ol canopy should do the trick. no need to bother with it. Easy to install, cheap, adjustable. Should allow your kid to play in the sandbox even while raining or snowing! But who is going to want to play in the sand, when you got freakin' snow!
- vancouver island winds will tear this to shreds in no time and/or carry it to the mainlandprophetone
- also, it rains sidewaysprophetone
- mantrakid0
Yeah we had a canopy like that on our patio once and came home to it sitting in a distant neighbors yard haha. :) our first winter out here and we were not anticipating just how strong the winds get. :)
- prophetone0
why don't you get 8' 2x2's to span the 7' width, enough to cover the entire hole; 1" spacing between 2x2'.
lay a large canvas on top covering almost everything. staple gun canvas to 2x2's. screw a canvas handle to one side like and ikea lift bed.
you will be able to lift it up and fold it off as needed, not too heavy, won't blow away, cheap, custom, etc.
bonus: have your kid paint something cool on the canvas to make it his own.
- like this sorta, but solid canvas and the wood faces down, canvas to sky: http://www.ikeafans.…prophetone
- mantrakid0
U know i honestly didnt even think of that... yeah basically just pieces of wood - wood provides the weight, and stapling them an equal distance apart would give it the spacing necessary to roll up basically..
you, sir, have changed my life today. thank you!!
- for like, $20! and bonus points for getting you kid involved w/ an art project, they love that shit!prophetone
- mantrakid0
Could work in conjunction with the ties just to make sure the wind doesnt catch it from underneath, too. & i could actually have some sort of spacer on the back side to lift the whole thing like 2-3" up on the back side so that it's angled and provides runoff for any water pooling up in it.
@prophetone, thank you dude.
- prophetone0
if you space the 2x2's out more, like 4" between each one, it may still be heavy enough to stay in place but light enough that a kid can fold or even roll it away him/herself. screw down one end so it stays put and the other end have a canvas handle that wraps around a hook or something.
- mantrakid0
yeah thats what I was thinking too - space it out enough so it can just roll up even if he wants to do it himself. Im thinking still grommit around the edges and weave a rope or elastic rope through it all and still have it tie down ala
But the wood skeleton will basically give it proper structure so water wont pool up in it.
- exactly, perfect, the water may pool between 2x2's but ultimately would run off the sides away from the boxprophetone
- but screwed in on one side so it's basically a 'unhook and roll up' kinda deal.mantrakid
- yeah on on end, unless doing the elastic rope like the picture keeps it from moving aroundprophetone
- which is probably better, but more workprophetone
- mantrakid0
thanks again. ;) Ill take a pic when all done. :)