Installing a Sand Beach with retaining walls

[cashen]

Pictures of yard:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ethan.roelle/LakeHouse

How do i install a sandy beach?

My yard is 40' at the water and my house is set back about 80'. I would say the house is about 15'-20' higher than the water. So its a nice constant slope. It is all grass (well, green) at the moment.

I want to have about 25' by 15' sand beach and behind that a stone retaining wall that goes up to another level area of about 20' by 15' that is about 4'-5' higher than the beach. OF course another stone retaining wall behind the 2nd tier.

So, high high above the water line do i want the base soil? do i need any special drainage under the sand so it doesnt stay soaked after it rains? i was thinking a layer of lime stone then a layer of black landscaping fabric, then the sand.

I can't find any decent examples of private beachs on the internet.

thanks for all your time

[sheshovel]

Put this in the Hardscaping forum and you will get some good answers for this project. Or better yet the Homeowners Help forum.

[AGLA]

You need to check out he legal issues in doing this type of project before you proceed. There are federal, state , and local laws that will come into play.