Any advice on Play Structures for the kids

[JCasper]

I am looking to purchase or build a play structure for my kids. I have a 5 year old and a 3 month old. I have looked at the Rainbow and also Backyard adventures ( I think that is the other one ). They are very nice sets, but I didn't really want to spend the $4-5,000 on one of them.



I have also looked at the Sunray one that Costco has, but my wife likes the one that Costco had last year that I cannot seem to find anywhere.



Has anyone built their own? I have toyed with the idea, It just seems like that would be an awful lot of work. To make it nice like the higher quality ones you can buy it would take a lot of time to build.



I appreciate your suggestions,



Thanks,



Joe

 

[JPope]

The only one I have dealt with personally is the smaller plastic fort with a swing, and a 4' slide out of the fort.

While with design firms and doing schools, hospitals and here at the hospital we have the 'BIG' ones, multiple thousands of dollars!!!



But in all of them the ground underneath is very important for safety. Consider the surface your kids could be landing on, or falling on, and make it soft.

12" or so of wood chips can take a lot out of the trauma of a hard landing, and possibly prevent more severe injuries. Sand typically creates tracking issues into the house, and can become a litterbox Pea gravel can be thrown or swallowed!



Consider trying out some of the commercial ones in parks, play grounds, etc. , and see what features that your kids like best. Perhaps that will help you decide on what you want to spend your money on.

 

[DLausche]

Get an assemble-it-yourself kit from http://www.willygoat.com and you will be very happy. I know, the name sounds funny, but they have good stuff, good service, and reasonable costs.



About 4 years ago we too were looking at the Rainbow and Backyard Adv. stuff. VERY nice, but VERY expensive. My wife found WillyGoat somehow and we ordered one of their wooden sets. Came on a truck and we assembled it in a weekend. We were/are very happy with the quality. Everything was cut and pre-drilled perfectly making for easy setup. Only thing we modified on our set was to add a 1/2" marine plywood to the bottom of the sandbox area, attached with SS screws to the bottom of the set *after* it is assembled. This helps stabilize the square structure and once you add the sand it is not gonna move no matter what! Make sure you havea nice level area for the set.



I also looked at the build-it-yourself kits from the likes of Home Depot and Menards. I typically will tackle most do-it yourself projects, but this one I do not think is worth it. Even for the smaller sets there are a LOT of pieces and a LOT of drilling. The pre-cut & pre-drilled set we got was easy to do, but it did still take a fair amount of time to assemble because of the sheer number of pieces. After assembling one from a pre-cut kit I can assure you that the do-it-yourself route is absolutely not worth the hassle.



A co-worker asked the same question you have here and he went with WillyGoat on my recommendation. He was very happy with the result as well.



FWIW, I don't think my kids would care one way or the other if the thing cost $500 or $5,000. The neighbors have a Rainbow and all the kids appear to have just as much fun on the $700 setup at our place.



-Deon

 

[rrausch]

Build them a tree house!

 

[JCasper]

I don't have a big enough tree. I do think I am going to build the structure my self though. Sounds like a fun project. You can buy slides and swings, rock walls, all that kind of stuff at the Home Depot.



Joe

 

[Bertram65]

I have a Sunray, I got it at Costco last year, the new one looks pretty nice just a little different this year. The Sunrays at Costco are a very good deal compared to what else is out there, I looked around quite a bit.

I have some friends who are looking for one now and said the same thing, they liked the one I had but not this years, mainly because of the fabric roof vs. last years wood roof. If that is the reason I would look into making a wood roof if would be pretty easy, that is what I suggested to my friends they are still thinking about it.

One thing that surprised me is how much work it was to build, took me about 20 hours, I built the whole thing by myself with no help. One thing that made a huge difference was using air tools, I had a 1/2" impact gun to drive in all the lag bolts, I tried it with a air ratchet and it did not have enough torque, I was amazed at how much it took to drive in the bolts.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I did the do it yourself one from home depot. I think it was their Timberland series. Pretty straight forward. Got the bigger slide, cargo rope, swings, etc. I have a 4 year old boy, and a 17 month old girl that will get some use out of it this summer. I built it last fall and whenever we go outside he likes to play in it. I already am thinking of ways to expand it and tack on other features... ..... LOL Good enough kit and instructions though.

 

[BNH4221]

Got mine from Cedarworks . I think they are out of Maine. Shipped freight and arrived via TT unit at my house.

Took about 8 hours to put together using regular hand tools. Everything was labelled and clear concise instructions.

All cedar construction, metal pieces are laminated so no rust. Cedar does not splinter and needs no maintenance. No crappy pressure treated stuff.

You can customize what you want or use their packages. Company was a pleasure to deal with.

My buddy bought some cheapo piece of you-know-what from BJ's or Home Cheapo and had a devil of a time putting it together. Lousy instructions and a million parts he could not figure out. Took him three solid days to assemble it.

Three years in and it still looks great and is sturdy and strong. Kids love it. My son is 4 and daugter is 15 months. Love the swings and slide.



Spend a few bucks more and get a good one. From comparing mine to my friends, it was well worth it.



Steve



Not affiliated blah blah blah...

 

[Bertram65]

Got mine from Cedarworks . I think they are out of Maine. Shipped freight and arrived via TT unit at my house.

Took about 8 hours to put together using regular hand tools. Everything was labelled and clear concise instructions.

All cedar construction, metal pieces are laminated so no rust. Cedar does not splinter and needs no maintenance. No crappy pressure treated stuff.

You can customize what you want or use their packages. Company was a pleasure to deal with.

My buddy bought some cheapo piece of you-know-what from BJ's or Home Cheapo and had a devil of a time putting it together. Lousy instructions and a million parts he could not figure out. Took him three solid days to assemble it.

Three years in and it still looks great and is sturdy and strong. Kids love it. My son is 4 and daugter is 15 months. Love the swings and slide.



Spend a few bucks more and get a good one. From comparing mine to my friends, it was well worth it.



Steve



Not affiliated blah blah blah...

Not sure if you are lumping the Sunray into that catagory where you reference BJs, but Sunray is made by Rainbow which is considered the best payset out there. Sunray carries a lifetime warrantee and is also made from cedar, cypris and redwood, it is not in the same class as the HD or other chain store sets.

 

[Motorhead]

Just park your truck in the yard when you are not using it!! They will then have as much fun as you do!!

 

[JCasper]

Thanks for all the replies. What if I were to just buy the slide, swings, etc. and build one from scratch. I think it might be kind of fun to do. What do you think about that idea? It would probably take a lot of time to make it like they do. To radius all the corners and countersink all the bolt holes, it might just take to long to build one myself. I haven't penciled it out yet, but it might not save me much. Did anyone else consider building one from scratch before purchasing one?

 

[BNH4221]

Not sure if you are lumping the Sunray into that catagory where you reference BJs, but Sunray is made by Rainbow which is considered the best payset out there. Sunray carries a lifetime warrantee and is also made from cedar, cypris and redwood, it is not in the same class as the HD or other chain store sets.





Bertram,



No, not lumping anything in particular. All I know is that my friend got the set at a BJ's or Home Cheapo type of place. Could have been Costco, Wallyworld etc. I don't even know the brand name he bought.

I just remember it being an inexpensive set that wasn't worth the few bucks he spent on it.

I was trying to illustrate that sometimes cheaper is not better. Spend a few more bucks and get a lot more value.



Steve

 

[JCasper]

Steve, I am looking at the Cedarworks

Hi Steve,



I am looking into the Cedarworks set. I just got their catalog in the mail the other day and have been kind of thumbing through it. I have been comparing Cedarworks, Rainbow, and Backyard Adventures sets. I don't want to spend any more then I really have to, but I want to be sure I am getting a quality set. Inside my Cedarworks catalog was a little brochure for their Play a Round series. They are made of all Natural round wood. Inside that brochure was a structure called the Trading Post that my wife really likes for $1499 including shipping. It has a 4X6 fort a 4X2 fort, wave slide, climbing wall, 2 leaning ladders, rope latter, picnic table and benches, wood roof, ramp and rappelling rope, firefighters pole, 2 swings and a trapeze bar. It seems to have a lot of features for the money.



I am not sure how sturdy the round wood would be and how it will hold up, but it is a lot easier on the bank account and made by a reputable company. What type of Cedarworks structure do you have? Do you think their round ones are a good unit?



I am going to try and call them tomorrow and get some more info.



Thank you I appreciate everyones opinion. I want to get the best structure I can for the money.



Joe

 

[BNH4221]

Joe,



I'm currently at work and the server won't let me bring up the cedarworks site. Probably thinks it is a porn site or something.



I'll take a look at cedarworks later at home and see if I can find my set.



I have a feeling that whatever the style of wood, if it is made by Cedarworks it will be quality. Mine is plenty strong and has weathered nicely.



I'll get back to you.



Steve

 

[JCasper]

Thank you Steve,



I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with the decision. I am not sure if it is on their website, I saw it in the catalog and could not find it online. I will call cedarworks and talk to them also. I am just glad to hear you are happy with yours and it is weathering well. How long have you had it?



Thanks,



Joe

 

[BNH4221]

Joe -



Sent you a PM.



Steve

 

[JB @ C and L Machine]

I'am i the same boat... I have 14 month old twin boys