With summer approaching, we wanted to improve our backyard with something fun for the boys. We decided to build a sandbox but after looking into it we thought it would cost a little more money than we wanted to spend. I didn’t want this to deter me so I started looking in my local online classifieds (ksl.com for those of you in UT) and I found free sand from a family who was getting rid of their sandbox!

Lumber is not too expensive, but I thought a big old tractor tire would make a good sand pit. I searched the classifieds and came up short.  I thought, “There has got to be used tractor tires that people don’t want, right?!?”  I called a tractor supply place in my area and they referred me to a tire shop who invited me to come down and pick a tire for free! I found people to be very nice and helpful when you ask for their help.

My 4-year-old loved wandering around the tire lot and wanted one that was taller than him lying on its side. But to avoid having to dig a pit for it, we went for a 6′ tire which I thought was plenty big.

Tires are filthy so we scrubbed it down and painted it. I thought a light color would make it so it wouldn’t get so hot in the sun.  For low price paint, check out the section at Home Depot of returned paint.  We went for an exterior paint and found one quart was plenty for two coats.

We wanted the hole of the tire to be bigger so my hubby cut it with a Saw All blade.  To cover the jagged edge, we used a pool noodle, slit it and glued it to the tire.

I didn’t want weeds to grow through, so to prep the ground where the sandbox was going, I weeded, placed down newspaper and then an old sheet to allow water to soak through but not the sand.

Finally, measure and cut a circular plywood cover to lay on the top. Keeps the kids happy and the neighborhood cats out.

This turned out to be a very fun project and the boys LOVE their sandbox!  And the most impressive part was the total cost of this was $21.53!

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