Homemade Playground

[dooleysm]

With a 15 month old son and another on the way in September my wife decided we need a swingset/playground/whatever you call it at home. All I heard was a chance to use the tractor and power tools and I signed right up!

We found an area that is 35'ish square-ish that borders the driveway/turnaround on two sides, a side walk, and the lawn. I'm currently in the process of peeling away about 4-6 inches of topsoil. I'm planning to line the side that borders the lawn with RR ties and then fill the void with something kid feet friendly. My current thought is pea gravel, but that's the first question I have, what should I put in here?

I'm pulling the sod away because I have a semi-elaborate setup planned and I didn't want to have to weedeat/mow around all that. I first thought about wood chips/mulch, but I figured I'd spend all my time weeding that huge area and it wouldn't be very foot friendly. My driveway is crushed limestone and it's not very foot friendly either (I'm talking bare feet here, in case it's not obvious). I thought sand, but I figured that would be pretty weed prone too, and be very inviting for stray cats. Not to mention, I'd have to deal with sand tracked all over the house for the next 15 years. Pea gravel is the only other thing I've come up with that will be relatively easy on bare feet and not be too weed prone.

So, there's the first hurdle, what to put under/around the playground. What about a weed barrier underneath? I'm figuring that since i'm putting a good amount of rock (or whatever) in that any geo-textile will not be necessary, am I right?

 

[GT2]

With a 15 month old son and another on the way in September my wife decided we need a swingset/playground/whatever you call it at home. All I heard was a chance to use the tractor and power tools and I signed right up!

We found an area that is 35'ish square-ish that borders the driveway/turnaround on two sides, a side walk, and the lawn. I'm currently in the process of peeling away about 4-6 inches of topsoil. I'm planning to line the side that borders the lawn with RR ties and then fill the void with something kid feet friendly. My current thought is pea gravel, but that's the first question I have, what should I put in here?

I'm pulling the sod away because I have a semi-elaborate setup planned and I didn't want to have to weedeat/mow around all that. I first thought about wood chips/mulch, but I figured I'd spend all my time weeding that huge area and it wouldn't be very foot friendly. My driveway is crushed limestone and it's not very foot friendly either (I'm talking bare feet here, in case it's not obvious). I thought sand, but I figured that would be pretty weed prone too, and be very inviting for stray cats. Not to mention, I'd have to deal with sand tracked all over the house for the next 15 years. Pea gravel is the only other thing I've come up with that will be relatively easy on bare feet and not be too weed prone.

So, there's the first hurdle, what to put under/around the playground. What about a weed barrier underneath? I'm figuring that since i'm putting a good amount of rock (or whatever) in that any geo-textile will not be necessary, am I right?

I went thru the same thing. My thoughts were that pea gravel would get drug in the house in the kids shoes.
I went with wood chips ( not beauty bark!). I layed that black landscaping cloth down first.
Its been 2 years and no weeds!

 

[hazmat]

My daughter (21 months) is going to be jealous when you get your playground up before I do.

I talked to a landscape architect about playground materials. Wood mulch or chips is generally considered the best value. I think she said you can get special "rounded" chips. The ultimate in "fall protection" is rubber mulch (recycled tires), but it costs $1,000 for a 2,000# pallet of the stuff & creates a future disposal problem.

The CPSC has some good publications on playground safety. playground pubs document #325 (intended for public playgrounds) is the most comprehensive.

As you may already be aware, there are tons of companies out there who will sell you the various components - slides, swings etc. There are some that will give you a plan & you prep your own lumber for them. I can't really recommend any, as I have yet to do any business with any of them.

For ideas - check out this company CedarWorks Wooden Swing Sets: America's Premium Swingsets they have a really cool online design tool. Request their free catalog & DVD, my daughter likes to look at all the "babies" in the pictures while Dad is thinking about building her a playset.

 

[firemanpat2910]

You might want lanscape timbers instead of RR ties. The ties are covered with black goo. I also agree the bark instead of sand. I would cover with the fabric then bark or pebbles

 

[dooleysm]

I was going to go with the RR ties because that's what I've got separating the gravel drive from the yard, just for matching those (I used them because they were free). I'll have to think some more on that issue, but I think you guys have convinced me on the wood chips. I bought 10 yards back in Feb. for around $150. I haven't priced pea gravel yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be more than that. I don't really know how much fill I'll need, but based on the pile of topsoil I've moved so far, I'm thinking at least 20 yards.

I've already ordered the DVD and am heading to check out the CPSC pubs right now.

Thanks for the insights so far. I've got more questions coming...

 

[HomeBrew2]

... CPSC ...

Has the American society degraded so far that young parents must resort to federal government publications to provide a safe play environment for their children? Having read the publications on the referenced site, I am at a loss as to why there needs to be multiple manuals to prescribe common sense

 

[MossRoad]

I used pea gravel because wood chips eventually rot and become black soil at the bottom of your playground, you have to replenish them every couple of years, the kids get splinters, and if you have a 100 year rain, they end up in someone else's yard, as they float. The pea gravel has never been an issue in my kids' shoe soles.

If you are set on wood chips, just be sure you have good drainage under the playground.

 

[MossRoad]

Has the American society degraded so far that young parents must resort to federal government publications to provide a safe play environment for their children? Having read the publications on the referenced site, I am at a loss as to why there needs to be multiple manuals to prescribe common sense

We played on asphalt playgrounds... I remember lots of bandaids and ice in a washclothe back then. Anyone else remember that fantastic thud in you brain and that bright light you would see when your head hit the asphalt just before you blacked out? I don't recall any serious side effects. Anyone else remember that fantastic thud in you brain and that bright light you would see when your head hit the asphalt just before you blacked out? I don't recall any serious side effects.

 

[kwolfe]

I still have just gras around my kids swingset fort thing. I have looked into playground mulch, and rubber mats. I did happen to find one interesting idea online. A compay around here uses a submat and then places artificcial turf on top of it. That would keep the weeds out, easy on the feet, and would keep the dirt out of the house. As long as the drainage below the turf was good, sounds like a interesting option.

These guys are down the road from me. They have some decent products.
Zeager, Innovative Products from Renewable Resources

 

[gsganzer]

It's funny that this post just came up. I just bought a playset yesterday from Lowe's. They had a pretty fancy one on sale for $1099 that included all the lumber and hardware.

I looked at building one myself, but by the time I bought all the hardware and lumber and my time to construct (my time is short at the moment) I couldn't make it work out. The kit comes in four boxes and will take me about 4 hours to construct, I already have the level spot. I'll rent a sod cutter for a few hours and "roll-up" the lawn. I can use the sod around the tank in back.

If you want a hardware-only "kit", go to this site and check out the clearance section.

Here's my thoughts on lumber. If you use pressure treated, plan on a lot of warping and twisting, as well as splinters. A friend of mine built one with PT and it was a wreck after 2 years with all the warping and twisting. My true preference would be cedar, but the cost gets prohibitive, plus most cedar around here is rough cut and would need to be planed and/or sanded. A good compromise is a good quality yellow pine or fir with a good stain/sealer, but in dimensional sizes other than 2 x 4 and 2 x 6's is probably more difficult to find then dimensional cedar. Again, you'll need to router edges and ends to make them smooth.

In the long run, you only need the thing to last until your kids are about 8 years old. After that age, they typically don't show any interest in playsets.