Question
Hello Kathy, I saw a recent post in which a lady is trying to landscape a "beach" around her pool.  I too am attempting to put a beach in my back yard.  The area is currently grassy and slightly sloped to a creek that is just beyond my property line.  I have planted some beautiful tropical looking flowers around the area and a couple of hardy palm bushes and banana trees.  I would like to be included in on the answers you find, if you don't mind, so I can do a good job too.  Thanks so much for your consideration.  I live in Charlotte NC. Zone 7b or 8.  Since they just changed it, I am not really sure.

Answer
Hi Nessie,

Here is the response I sent Pam. Good luck and let me know how it turns out :-D

1. The beach area should be level and consist of good quality sand to a thickness which prevents users from contacting the underlying surface.

2. Define the dimensions of your backyard beach. A square shape works much better than a curvilinear one according to this plan.

3. To keep the sand in the beach area, where it belongs, and grass and dirt out, there are several solutions. I think rubber (not the wood railroad kind which are hazardous) railroad ties or landscape timbers would work very well.

4. In most areas, excavating to a depth of 3 feet will be necessary. The first and foremost safety precaution is to call your local "Utility Hotline" and have them locate any buried power lines and utilities. Be sure to call them ahead of time, as they may need a few days notice.

5. The best tool for the dig (if it's a very large area) is a front-end loader or "bobcat" which can excavate the base evenly, remove the dirt, and also haul and spread the stone and sand. This equipment can be rented for a few hundred dollars for a weekend. If you're not up to the task of handling heavy equipment, a good landscaping company can be contracted to excavate and haul the stone and sand. Otherwise, if it's an area that you think a little sweat and muscle can tackle - go for it!

6. Excavate the playing area to the desired depth and pitch the base to one end or corner. Proper drainage is extremely important, or you could find yourself lounging in a giant puddle.

7. Once the base is excavated you can begin laying the drainage pipe. The closed end of the drainage pipe should be placed in the highest point of the excavation and should zig-zag with the open end of the pipe terminating at the lowest point. The drainage pipe should be laid with the perforated side down. This allows water to wick-in from the bottom and sides and be carried away. It is an extremely good idea to wrap the drainage pipe with landscaping fabric before laying the pipe. The landscaping fabric prevents the eventuality of sand and dirt clogging the pipe.

8. Now it's time to fill it in. Cover the base and drainage pipe with #57 (or similar thickness) gravel and spread uniformly. Depending on how well your soil drains overlay the beach area with a one-foot thickness of smooth rounded gravel.

9. Roll out and cover the gravel base with landscape fabric or burlap. The landscape fabric will keep the sand from filtering its way into the gravel.

10. The final step is to spread the sand, uniformly and evenly throughout the beach area. Deposit one-to-two feet of beach sand, washed masonry plaster (golf course or soft and fluffy horse sand is acceptable, too) sand over the area and rake level. The more washed the sand is the less dusty it will be. (When testing sand for purchase wear shorts and test the sand in both dry and wet conditions by kneeling down onto it knees first, "no scrapes, no problem," scrapes, scrap it and keep shopping.)
*Sand is not cheap, costing about $10 per ton. The formula for determining the number of tons of sand needed is: tons of sand=LxWxD divided 27x1.5 (where L, W and D are in feet).

Warm regards,
Kathy
Manzella Studio
landscape consulting & design