NFT: Installing Backyard Children’s Playset

not sure where you live but near me in Stamford, CT there is a garden center/nursery that must have a partnership with one of these playground brands. My girls always want to go on it when we visit. There are also a number of "playground" stores that have a bunch on site. I'd just google in the area.

Thanks. I’m in Long Island. When I check those stores they tend to be almost double the price as a Costco.

Make sure you prepare the ground on and around the playset with a safe cushioning material.

In comment 14476307 Jim in Fairfax said:

Quote:

Make sure you prepare the ground on and around the playset with a safe cushioning material.

This, good call Jim. They sell soft mulches that basically act as shock absorbers to reduce risk of injury if kids fall. Well worth the cost.

I scoured CraigsList and other local classified sites like Nextdoor and picked up a decent free wooden playground. I'm treating it as a holdover until my littlest one is older then plan on building a customer playground for my girls with both of their input.

Just an option for you to consider.

I've seen people spend a lot of money on these playground)swingsets and their kids really don't use them all that much. While others were buying from these designer companies, I bought one from Toys R Us (years ago), installed it myself, and then disassembled it about 20 years later when we no longer need it. It did not cost me a fortune and it held up just as well as sets that people easily paid 5 times as much for. My brother-in-law bought one from Costco and passed it down to his sister when he was done and she had kids. My advice is don't break the bank. It's not worth it.

This is the truth. People, especially children, always appreciate things they don't have more than the things they do..

I’ve put together two cedar works play sets - my little sisters hardly used them.

Just take your kids to the local playground. Also these present a liability hazard if a neighbor's kid gets hurt while playing on it.

...

frugal type...but for this one I went the (seemingly) unpopular route.

I went to a local (central NJ) playset place and negotiated what I felt was a good price - $2500ish delivered and installed for a great quality cedar set that looks and plays great. 3 swings, Rock wall, Tire Swing, Rope ladder and 5 foot deck with a slide. The swing is reinforced allowing each swing location to take an added 100 lbs so adults love it when they come over with their kids.

I pay about $150 every 2 years for a tune up and staining. and 2.5 years in, its still beautiful. My kids were 3 and 1 when I bought it and still love it at 5 and 3, also have another on the way so I plan on getting great use out of it.

I agree with some of the horror stories above, but I also think its based on the parents/family. I try to make sure my kids are outdoor boys, so by default they have to use it when they get bored of their bikes and playing tag or whatever. If you arent like this, I would recommend costco for sure - you can craigslist local handymen/installers for 3-400$.

OK Mr Rockefeller.

You don't need to break the bank of a rope and a tire. All you need is an active imagination and the world is your oyster. Tell those kids to go have fun and be home before dark.

the model we bought was ~$1000 and my daughter loved it. One thing to consider/compare is the height of the bar for the swings which obviously determines how high they can go. As they get older, they're going to want to swing higher...

If you're moderately handy, you and a friend can put one of the Costco ones together on a Saturday. I'm somewhat handy, but my friend's experience was basically using a screwdriver and that's all it took us. Hardest part was actually the tube slide since you had to twist the damn pieces to get the screw holes to line up. Other than that, as long as you have a flat area on your lawn, it should be an easy install.

And once you settle on a particular set, look up the max height and then determine how thick a layer of mulch is recommended. Rubber mulch is more expensive, but you won't have to replenish it every couple years and it should keep weeds out much better.

...definitely got our money's worth. By the time I took it down, it was barely hanging in there - boys really abused the snot out of it, I replaced swings multiple times. Worth every penny.

Took a full day to build. I remember that.

and got something very similar (but not identical) to the linked version below. My daughter got a lot of use out of it when she was a pre-teen, and my autistic son (who is 10 now) plays on it every day, weather permitting.
Link - ( New Window )

do yourself a favor and have a professional installer do it. Well worth the money. It can take a couple pretty handy guys a whole weekend to assemble one of these. Pros can knock it out in a few hours, and for a reasonable price.