Building Your Own Backyard Beach

Whether your backyard is a slate of endless bare grass, or is home to a barrage of swimming pools, lounge chairs and garden gnomes, you can transform it into your own private beach. Once created, your beach will have warm sand upon which you can relax or build sand castles, driftwood to create the right atmosphere, and perhaps a small stream of water, where you can pretend to hear the ocean roar.

Pick a Location

Choose the part of your yard you want to turn into a beach, then clear it out so that there are no items in it, including rocks, log, and decorations. Be sure the section of the yard will be satisfying once the beach is created. For example, avoid areas that are in shade most of the day, as you won't be able to lounge on the sand in the sun. If you want to have a fit pit in the beach, avoid spots where the smoke will be blown into your house or a neighbor's house. Avoid a spot near trees, which will cover the beach will leaves in the autumn season.

Prepare the Land

You'll need to prepare the area where the beach will be to ensure that it drains properly and retains sand. Pour a layer of cheap gravel onto the ground that is between four and six inches thick. Create mounds of gravel in areas where you want dunes. This gravel will not only reduce the amount of sand you need, but will also enable rain water to drain through the sand quickly, reducing, or possibly eliminating, issues with water stagnation.

Pour the Sand

Pour a thick layer of sand over the gravel. The sand should be thick enough that you can dig in it to a reasonable depth without hitting the gravel beneath. Keep in mind that rain and wind will carry some of the sand away over time, and if you put down only a shallow layer of sand, you'll need to bring more in within weeks to fill in the areas where gravel has been exposed.

Add Decorations

Be creative; remember, this is your private beach. You can do anything to it that you want. Do you want it outlined in Tiki torches for nighttime use? Hammer the torches into the ground so that they're stable. You can install a metal-grate fire pit for grilling food over open flame or keeping warm during the winter months. Scatter around driftwood or logs to create an oceanside atmosphere and give yourself a place to sit. Consider purchasing a bag of seashells and scattering them around to give it a more realistic look.