Kids Play Ground

[EddieWalker]

My grandson will be 4 in a few weeks and he has asked me to build him a playground. He likes to swing and go down a slide and climb the rock wall, so those will be part of it. I'm also thinking about a fort up in the air, maybe attached to a tree in my back yard. Might make the slide go down from the fort and a rock wall to get up to it.

Home Depot used to have some of this stuff in their stores, but they don't anymore. Amazon seems expensive, but maybe that's what stuff costs now? I'm hoping somebody on here has done this recently and you found a good source of materials for a reasonable cost?

I'm also hoping some of you can post pictures of what you did, that might inspire me to make this better for him.

 

[kf4uda]

Unfortunately I have nothing to add but based on your previous posted projects I guessing your Grandson is going to have an awesome playground.

You better stock up on kool-aid and snacks for him and all of his buddies.

 

[oosik]

I know that the "Mountaineering" stores sell the rock climbing stuff.

 

[ustmd]

So 10 years ago, when my daughter was 4, I built her a fort/play house that has a platform ~ 8ft up.


I hate to tell you, but the parts are expensive no ands, ifs or buts. I lucked out and found a plastic slide at Lowe's on clearance (I think maybe $100). I did incorporate parts from a metal swing set we had got from Walmart a few years before.

I would also check Craig's list or the local Facebook marketplace for used play sets that you could rework into a you own design. Around here, parents buy them and then when the kids hit 10, they put them up for sale cheap.

 

[bindian]

I bought a playhouse/slide/swingset for my Grand daughter, last year, from Amazon for $749. It is really lightweight and adults make the joints move when swinging. Check out one of those speciality playground places where all their product line is assembled and check them out or to get ideas. They are not cheap, but way stronger than what I bought.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

..........oh yeah, it has a small rock wall on the side of the playhouse. Kids love'em.
hugs, Brandi

 

[dougtrr2]

Make sure you add a rope and pulley with a bucket so he can haul milk and cookies up to his fort.

Doug in SW IA

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Check with this guy. He is not far from you and I think that sometimes he has used playground equipment.

Kincade Recreation

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the ideas.

My first thought is to build a platform off of the trees and the height of the platform will be based on the slide. From what I'm seeing, 4 feet off the ground seems to be the most common. That doesn't seem like much of a slide to me. There is a significant jump in cost for a 5 foot height, and that slide is two pieces instead of one. I prefer one piece because I think it would be stronger and last longer, but I have no first hand knowledge to support this.

I've looked on Craigslist and saw a "fort" in Dallas for a good price, but it's 2 hours away, and the more I looked at it, the less I wanted to drive that far.

I'll have to look through FB. I didn't think of that.

His Birthday Party is August 29th, so I need to find a slide and get it ordered this week.

 

[EarPlug]

I would suggest not attaching to a tree. Not healthy for the tree. And, the tree is growing and and moving with the wind, affecting your attachment points.

 

[MossRoad]

Got me thinking about the playground I built for our kids about 18-20 years ago. $300 for the 7' turbo slide, lumber for the 4' x 5' sky fort and ladder, and beam and A-frame for 2 swings and rings....

YIKES! The turbo slide alone is about $575 now! YIKES!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Swing-N-...e-Slide-with-Lifetime-Warranty-Green/17454168

 

[bcp]

Get one of these multipurpose slides. All it needs is a ladder up one side of the bed floor and a brace to keep it raised.





Bruce

 

[EddieWalker]

This slide on Amazon is what I'm using as my starting point. Now I'm trying to find something bigger without spending a stupid amount of money for it.


Amazon.com: Playstar Scoop Slide, Swing Set Slide: Toys & Games

 

[MossRoad]

This slide on Amazon is what I'm using as my starting point. Now I'm trying to find something bigger without spending a stupid amount of money for it.


Amazon.com: Playstar Scoop Slide, Swing Set Slide: Toys & Games

That looks fun. When I was a kid, my dad had a tree cut down in our backyard due to storm damage. It was a large tree. He had the company leave the stump about 4-5' tall. Then he built a platform on top of the stump, put a ladder up one side and a slide salvaged from a broken swing set on the other side. We played pirates and called it "The Crow's Nest" for years and years. He also dug out the dirt for about a 15' circle around the stump a foot deep and put sand in it. Played for hours in there with Tonka's.

Whatever you do, I'm sure the grandchild will just have a blast playing at your place.

 

[weathda]

Here's something I threw together for my boys which is built off of an existing swing set which was given to me. Part of the platform was an old deck. I just reused the joists.

I have more pics of you want any.

 

[EddieWalker]

The porch swing is something I didn't consider!!!! Overall, it's kind of what I'm thinking, especially with the two levels and the beam going off to the right for swinging stuff.

 

[EddieWalker]

... He also dug out the dirt for about a 15' circle around the stump a foot deep and put sand in it. Played for hours in there with Tonka's.

A sand box of some kind might be fun too!!! I'll have to think about that.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

A sand box of some kind might be fun too!!! I'll have to think about that.

Consider using pea gravel instead of sand. We put a small area of pea gravel about 3' x 10' just off my garage. The grandkids have really enjoyed it. And the pea gravel is not as messy when they bring it in the house.

 

[MossRoad]

The porch swing is something I didn't consider!!!! Overall, it's kind of what I'm thinking, especially with the two levels and the beam going off to the right for swinging stuff.

When our last kid left for college, we took down the two swings and rings, shortened the beam, and put up a porch swing for the wife and I. When the kids come home with their significant others, they seem to enjoy it as much as when it was swings when they were kids. :laughing:

A sand box of some kind might be fun too!!! I'll have to think about that.

Funny story about that. We'd go up to beaches at Lake Michigan often in summer in my parents' VW bus. We'd always take several wash tubs, and fill them with sand for the sandbox. Well, one year, we brought home sand fleas! :laughing:

Consider using pea gravel instead of sand. We put a small area of pea gravel about 3' x 10' just off my garage. The grandkids have really enjoyed it. And the pea gravel is not as messy when they bring it in the house.

We put pea gravel in the box under the sky fort for our kids. Worked good. And cats don't poop in it like sand. However, it's hard to take that toy backhoe and dig a nice trench for a pipeline in gravel. Damp sand was great.

Nothing says you can't have both a sand area and a pea gravel area, either. :thumbsup:

 

[psvfd]

I am thinking of trying this Fun in a culvert - YouTube, I have a 20 foot piece of 24 id, It does have a small ribs on the inside but the kids in that video seem to ok with it. It is not cheap I think I payed about $400 for it 10 or more years ago.