Hardstacking is the process of stacking sand without the aid of the clunky plastic molds. with this method you can:

• Build towers, walls and arches several feet tall out of sand and water!
• Combine those structures to create other structures!
• Carve those structures into recognizable shapes!
• Get a great tan without even trying!

What You Need

• A beach, (or sand box) fine-grained, silty sand works the best
• A shovel, long-handled with a small scoop is ideal, but a garden spade is better than nothing
• Some simple carving tools

Build a Better Sand Castle

We start by digging a hole down to the water table. (If you dig too far from the shoreline you will probably have to dig a very deep hole... too close and you might get wiped out by waves or incoming tides.) Water is the glue that holds the sand together, so you want to have an easily accessible source. An alternative to digging a hole is to mix the sand and water in a bucket and build out of it instead.
Everyone knows how to dribble! Our method is just a modified dribble technique using larger handfuls of sand - very WET sand.

Using your hands like a front end loader, scoop out a large doublehandful of super wet sand from the bottom of the hole, pulling the sand towards you. Move that sand fast so you don't lose all the water before you get to your destination. Start building your castle on top of the mound of sand you dug from the hole.

Build a Tower

Flatten your handfuls of wet sand into pancakes by jiggling them with gentle pressure. DO NOT pound, push, pat, pack or pummel the sand into submission! The goal is to distribute the water consistantly through the patty so it settles into and binds to the patty below.
A tower is nothing more than a stack of sand patties piled on top of each other.Use smaller handfuls as you gain altitude so that the tower tapers at the top and doesn't get top-heavy and fall over before you get to carve it.

Build a Wall

We use walls to connect towers to other towers and to create staircases. You can carve your name on a wall or tunnel through it as well.
Once again, pull a doublehandful of wet sand from the hole. This time, instead of flattening it into a pancake, hold the sides between your flattened hands and jiggle so that the sand takes a brick shape. Keep laying bricks end to end for the desired length of the wall, then lay another layer on top, repeating until you reach the desired height. To form a staircase, first carve the wall into a descending ramp, then cut in individual steps.

Build an Arch
Sorry! Figure it out for yourself (Hint: start with two towers), take a lesson, buy my new book - or download the SoB eBook. (I can't give everything away -- this is how I make my living!)

Carving the Structures You Have Built
Put a point on a tower -- Start at the top by cutting an upside down V so it resembles a steeply sloped roof. Repeat from other angle to form a pyramid. Carefully shave off corners to form a cone shape. Undercut to create roof line. Carve windows and doors, etc. etc.