Children's Outdoor Playset

tpaulson · Feb 5, 2002

Children\'s Outdoor Playset

I am looking to build an outdoor playset(slide, swings, bars, etc) for my son this spring/summer.

Some of the kits I have seen at Menards and Home Depot get pretty expensive by the time you buy the hardware and lumber.

Has anyone had experience with the kits?
What are some of design features to look at?
Where can you get the best priced children's outdoor playset plans and hardware?

I have considered having some of our own lumber sawed up to the plan's dimensions in order to save some money. We hire a bandmill each year to saw lumber to be sold anyway.

Here is a link to a company that sells these type of play systems
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.detailedplay.com>http://www.detailedplay.com</A>

MossRoad · Feb 5, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

I built a "skyfort" for my kids several years ago. We bought the plans and hardware kit for the smallest playset that included the "turbo slide", then bought enough lumber to build the bigger "skyfort". I just enlarged the plans in my head. The "turbo slide" alone was $300.00 on sale for $199.00. All in all, we had about $900.00 in the whole setup which included the slide, two swings, a set of rings, room for another swinging device, the ground fort, the ladder and the skyfort. The worst part was putting the slide up by myself. They recommend 3 people and they mean it. Not because it is heavy, but because it is awkward. We used pressure treated lumber, and galvanized hardware. Couldn't find the lumber any cheaper anywhere. I wanted to use cedar, but it was even more expensive. Best of luck to you.

shade2u2 · Feb 5, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

Here is the treehouse that I built last summer. 1st picture is the framing...

shade2u2 · Feb 5, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

Here's the "nearly" complete pic...

* I know, where nuts!

Anonymous Poster · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

Try this site - good products that I have used many times.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tuffkids.com/comm.htm>http://www.tuffkids.com/comm.htm</A>

Egon · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

That looks nice.

Egon

Jeff396 · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

You're only nuts if it has plumbing and central heat. I'm looking at building something just like that in the spring. I got a little sticker shock with the kits. The larger playsets approached $6000/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Now I'm into spoiling my kid as much as the next but come on...there are limits. I'd rather buy them a car to mess with for that price. Unfortunately, my wife says 7 and 3 is too young to drive......even with blocks on the pedals./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I'm looking at doing just what you did with maybe a pole to slide down and a cable strung down to the base of another tree for one of those things you hang on and slide down. Anyway, it looks great...you just can't beat a fort for kids!

Jeff

PhilNH5 · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

My wife came home once with a book from Sunset called Outdoor Play Structures. It had plans for playhouses, swingsets, sandboxes, etc. She asked if I could build one. I looked at the plans and instructions - seemed easy enough. All straight cuts as uprights were cemented in place straight up as opposed to the typical A frame. So I said sure I could build that.

Unbeknownst to me she took the parts list to the lumber store and ordered it all. I came home the next day and there was a pile of lumber, 2 tons of sand, bags of cement and all the necessary hardware. Spent Friday night digging post holes and setting the uprights. Then all day Saturday building. Total cost was $400 (in 1992) plus pizza and beer for 3 in-laws that helped.

It was a great swingset with a big slide, a fort and a huge sandbox plus swings, climbing rope, balance beam and chin up bar. My daughter loved it. When we sold that house the swingset was a major selling feature for the family that brought it.

So two morals to this story. 1) You can probably do better building your own. 2) Be careful what you say to your wife.

Phil

mwagoner · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

I too would like to build a playset this spring/summer for my son. I hope to use a bunch of old barn wood that I have stored. However it will probably be more work than its worth to route the edges and get it smooth enough for my young son. WOuld be one heavy duty playset though. I anticipate designing it to fit the posts and lumber that I have and then buy the play hardware.

PaulT · Feb 6, 2002

Re: Children\'s Outdoor Playset

Last spring I went through the same process. As I was shopping around, I noticed that Sam's Club had a package deal for $450. I looked at the picture, and went next door to Lowes to price the lumber of a do-it-yourself kit with plans and a plastic slide (just like the Sams kit). THe Lowes lumber alone would have cost what the entire kit at Sams cost. THen I would have to buy the slide, the swings, the 2 person swingy thingy, and the final price came to about $900 for nearly the identical thing from Sams. Even if you made the swings and slide out of common materials, you still couldn't beat the price from Sams. I think the brand was creative playthings, in central PA. We live in NY, so its probably a regional product. It might be worth your time to ask the local Sams if they plan to stock anything like that this spring.

Another thought - my brother had a real sweet swingset built for his daughters. Now that they have grown out of it, they want the backyard space back. They were willing to give it away to someone who was willing to dismantle and remove it, since it was so heavy. Just drive around the neighborhoods looking for swingsets that don't get much use anymore, and knock on the door.