Swingsets / Playscapes?

I'm sure that someone here has been through this. My three year old is really putting the pressure on. I would like to eliminate the near-daily trips to the local playground, as I'm getting tired of fighting off all the single moms.

Has anyone built one of these with a DIY kit or a set of plans? I'm sure there's got to be a better option than writing a big check and waiting for it to show up.

I have built a few Adventure Playsets playsets. I'd say avoid them. The cedar is so weak that i broke the picnic bench the first time I sat on it and the swing set sways visibly when my kids both swing on it, and they are only about 75 lbs combined.

I bought a kit from one of the club stores. I think it was Sam's. Quality was decent, but not great. It came with 500 or 600 screws. Took my Dad and me a whole weekend to put it together. Five years later, the thing is still standing, and in decent shape, really. I've stained it a couple times to keep it looking nice. The kids don't play on it as much as they used to, but it still sees some action from time to time.

Some of the pre-assembled panels for the roof were stapled together. They didn't hold together very well. I had to re-attach a bunch of boards properly with screws.

While you definitely want something in your yard to play on, there are times when my kids at least would rather go to a public playground just to meet some new kids.

I just got done building this one.

We ordered it thru SamsClub.com and it was delivered to the house for "free" (included in the price no doubt). Here's how it started, (3) ~160 pound boxes and (1) 250 pounder and the slide -

Overall I'm very pleased with it. I built it basically by myself in about 30-40 hours with help from my wife and/or kids here and there when I needed 3 hands or whatever. Quality seems good and instructions weren't bad, pieces were labeled and all the hardware was there except for one small bag of 1" wood screws that the shipped to me quickly when I called.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=198829&navAction=push

http://www.swingsetsonline.com/backyard-products/play-sets/sky-fort/

Honestly, another good move is to look on Craigslist, people around here spend a fortune on these things new and then are stuck with them once their kids outgrow it. My brother-in-law just picked one up for free that someone just wanted out of their yard.

If you have a truck/trailer and are willing to disassemble, it may be a good way to go. I know our 4.5 and 3 year old got really bored of their Little Tikes gym really quickly, so I'd hate to sink some serious $$$ into one only to find out that they've moved onto something else a week later.

I'd second the Craigslist idea. That's where we got ours. I don't have a picture of it, but it's a monster. Swings, playhouse, suspended bridge that leads from the playhouse to a platform with a slide, etc... Made from solid, heavy wood. I'd bet it was $5000+ new. I bought it on CL for $700. When we bought it, I didn't have the time (or skills) to take it apart, move it, and reassemble. There are several businesses around here who do nothing but build swingsets. They got this one for us and put it in our yard. Even after that cost, I paid a very small fraction of what I would have if I went new. The playhouse could use new roof shingles and the whole thing now needs sand/stain, but nothing major. Great investment.

FYI-Lowes sells slides, swings, handles, rock-wall thingies...everything you need to DIY. When building my treehouse, I came across plans for sets using pressure-treated lumber, I think Google is your friend there.

3rd for the Craigslist idea. We got one that was 4 years old, well maintained and was 1/3 the price of a new one.

I've considered the Craigslist route, but I'm sure that I am obsessive enough that I wouldn't be happy until I had completely disassembled, sanded, stained, replaced ropes and chains, etc. It would be a nightmare and wouldn't be finished until Winter.

I just found free plans for this and I may give it a shot. They say that it can be built in a weekend with materials from Home Depot for $640. That's about half of what a comparable one would cost.

http://www.hot4cad.com/playset.html

How about this? If the yards too small, substitute a late 40's Chev sedan for the plane.

I got mine for free. Used the car trailer to pick it up. I see them free for the taking all the time on CL. Right there with unused treadmills and scrap appliances.

Take your kid to the playground. They get to play with other kids, and that's a good thing. At home, they play alone, or with you a bit. So the structure sits there unused.

Go cheap, get a used one free off craigslist. That's what I did.

get a piece of rope and an old tire.. tie one end of the rope to a tree branch and the other end to the tire, with the tire a couple of feet off the ground.. poke a couple of drain holes in the bottom side of the tire to prevent it from filling up with water.

if you want to get fancy, get a few 10 foot chunks of 2X8 and build a box around the area where the tire is hanging and fill it with sand..