# Backyard Play Set



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Let's build a children's play set...*

Once again, the time has come. It is time to build a back yard playground for my two boys. Yes, I am still in the middle of the bunk beds right now, but I have a lot of planning and research to do. My plan on this project is to blog my way through it just as I work on it every day.

Back last year my wife started wanting to get the boys a play set for the back yard. Looking at all of our pre-built options, I came to the conclusion that I could probabl=y do a little better building this myself. All of the really nice stuff was going to cost us on the order of $2000.00 (+). Knowing us it would have been a whole lot of (+). So, I set out to start designing a play set in my head. Now, a year later, we are finally ready to start planning the build. We are going to have to buy the materials over several months, and the project, no doubt, will be spread over those months. I am really hoping that it will at least be usable by their birthday party on May 31. It would be nice to have it all done, but I would be satisfied if the platform is up and a slide is attached by then.

We know in our heads what we want to build. I know that the commercial sets are way too expensive for my budget. I know that there will be some things that I will have to buy, such as a slide. In the same respect, there are going to be a lot of things that I will build simply for the economics of the matter.

I am going to blog the project from the start which is right now. I will take you through the research that I do, the safety considerations that I am looking at, everything. Hopefully this will help me and you. If I overlook something, I hope someone speaks up. I will show you the drawings I am doing in Sketchup and the whole planning process. Then, of course, I will show you the building process which I plan to involve the little ones in quite heavily.

So, sit back, adjust your glasses and get a tall glass of tea. Enjoy the ride as we build a playground in my back yard.


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## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Let's build a children's play set...*
> 
> Once again, the time has come. It is time to build a back yard playground for my two boys. Yes, I am still in the middle of the bunk beds right now, but I have a lot of planning and research to do. My plan on this project is to blog my way through it just as I work on it every day.
> 
> ...


Your Boys are lucky to have a dad that cares enough about enjoying time with them and doing special things with and for them it will become a memory much cherished by them and a good example of what a father should be. I will follow your adventure. Good luck


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## Phishead (Jan 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Let's build a children's play set...*
> 
> Once again, the time has come. It is time to build a back yard playground for my two boys. Yes, I am still in the middle of the bunk beds right now, but I have a lot of planning and research to do. My plan on this project is to blog my way through it just as I work on it every day.
> 
> ...


I built a playset for my two kids a couple years ago. I got it done in a weekend. Here's a tip, I got all the hardware( handles, swings, brackets, and climbing holds) off ebay for a great price. I think 6 plastic climbing holds from the Depot were 30.00, I got 50 professional quality holds off ebay for 40.00! A friend and I split them up. Also, I covered all the play surfaces with the cheapest composite decking I could find. It adds some cost to the project but it's nice to not have to worry about splinters..


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Let's build a children's play set...*
> 
> Once again, the time has come. It is time to build a back yard playground for my two boys. Yes, I am still in the middle of the bunk beds right now, but I have a lot of planning and research to do. My plan on this project is to blog my way through it just as I work on it every day.
> 
> ...


Awesome! I look forward to the build.

When I was a kid my dad decided to build a swingset. I was either in late middle school or high school at the time, but it was built on an adult scale, and, as all such projects occur, final assembly happened in the twilight heading into dark.

I remember hoisting the, I think 6×6 uprights and 2×12 horizontals of the, structure with the shop lights pointing upwards, and thinking "holy cow, that thing is _huge_!" Kind of bittersweet now that we referred to it as "the twin towers".

But, yeah, I did a lot of swinging along the ladder and rigging up a tight-rope and doing high school sort of workout things, even while my younger sisters got their exercise on it. And a good high pivot point for swings is always better!

Hope your project gets as much good use as ours did, I'll be following along!


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## arcarius (Apr 2, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Let's build a children's play set...*
> 
> Once again, the time has come. It is time to build a back yard playground for my two boys. Yes, I am still in the middle of the bunk beds right now, but I have a lot of planning and research to do. My plan on this project is to blog my way through it just as I work on it every day.
> 
> ...


Let me know how it goes. I am looking at building one for my daughter. I have some options of buying DIY packages like U-Build.com that gives me everything except the wood.


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## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Safety and Concept Drawings...*

Well, the project is off to a good start, and I am really excited about this. I know my boys are going to really enjoy all of the things they will be able to do and imagine on this play set.

That said, let's get down to business. The first thing I considered was safety. I went Googling and came up with the following web site:
National Program for Playground Safety
From here there is all sorts of good information, including a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) web page where there is a PDF document that tells a lot about home playground safety. I highly recommend anyone tackling a project like this to check out those web sites. Also, download the document and give it a good reading. In the document it mentions the ASTM standard for back yard playgrounds. Although I am sure that it would be helpful, I am also sure that I do not need to spend $40.00 on it. I am almost sure it is just a lot more detail on what the CPSC booklet says.

Well, I also got the concept drawing done this weekend. It is done in Sketchup, and the kids (customer) have totally approved of the design. The wife likes it too. Here are four views of the design as it stands now.





































This is just a rough view. now i will start the drawings where I design the joinery and take all the little details into account.

I want to send out a special thanks to Tony Z for the hint last week to get the hardware on eBay. This weekend I completed buying the hardware, except the slide. Everything was purchase on eBay, and I can say that looking at other retail outlets, I got around $200-$225 worth of swing hardware for around $100.00 - $125.00 (shipping included). I am not sure of the total yet because of an outstanding shipping issue, and the fact that I have not bothered to sit down and calculate it all up yet. The retail number is quite good. Sorry Tony. I cannot afford to give you a cut of the money, but thanks for the helpful idea.

Well, enough about this tonight. I am off to bed for the day here shortly. I just thought I would update my blogs tonight. I hope everyone had a safe and productive weekend.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Safety and Concept Drawings...*
> 
> Well, the project is off to a good start, and I am really excited about this. I know my boys are going to really enjoy all of the things they will be able to do and imagine on this play set.
> 
> ...


Rob,

This is a great project. You have managed to involve the entire family so that everyone "buys" into it. What is not to like about this?

I am looking forward to seeing more posts on this.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Safety and Concept Drawings...*
> 
> Well, the project is off to a good start, and I am really excited about this. I know my boys are going to really enjoy all of the things they will be able to do and imagine on this play set.
> 
> ...


Woo hoo. 
going to be great.


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## Mario (Apr 23, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Safety and Concept Drawings...*
> 
> Well, the project is off to a good start, and I am really excited about this. I know my boys are going to really enjoy all of the things they will be able to do and imagine on this play set.
> 
> ...


I look forward to seeing it come together, thanks for the post.


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## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Construction Started...*

Well, last Wednesday I got home and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought there would be no better time to dig the holes for the concrete pads for the play set to sit on. Well, the digging was the fun part as you can see in the following pictures.



















I would loosen up some dirt in the boys holes and they were in charge of cleaning them out. They both did a really great job. Then the younger one start making a game out of putting a scoop of dirt back in to an already cleaned out hole. We all had fun, and that is what matters.

I had only planned on getting the holes dug, but the digging was easy and I had time that afternoon to mix up the concrete and get it poured into the holes. Let's just say after digging four holes and mixing and pouring six and one half bags of concrete, I was ready for bed.

On Friday, the weather was great again. So, I tool off work a little early, and the oldest and I went into town to get the wood to start building. When we got home, my wife and I got the posts set up, plumbed and ready for starting the real build on Saturday morning. Here are a couple of shots of the state of things at the end of the day Friday.



















Friday night, our oldest had a really bad flare up of his allergies. All of the pollen in the air is really causing problems with his eyes. So, we decided that we would have to keep him in on Saturday. Good thing we did, I could leave the truck sitting for 30 minutes and would have to wash the pollen off the windshield in order to see out of the truck, and our driveway was black Saturday morning and almost totally yellow by the end of the day. I am surprised it did not affect me any more than it did.

Anyway, Saturday went well except for one little thing. When buying the lumber for the set, I miscalculated. The outside corners of the 4×4 posts are 72" apart, and the band board is on the outside of 4×4 post. This made the span for the flooe boards 75". Silly me bought 12' boards and had them cut in half. Well, needless to say, I had to make a run into town on Saturday for more floor boards. Here are a couple more pictures of the state of the playground at the end of the day on Saturday.



















Considering the problems that I had with the floor lumber, I think I got a good deal of work done.

Just in case you noticed, those are 2×6's for the floor. We had already planned to use non-treated wood for the play surfaces. I know that the new stuff is supposed to be safe, but then again, so was the CCA stuff at one time. When I got to Lowe's 1×6s were almost $8 a piece and the 2×6s were $5 a piece. That is the reason behind the 2×6 flooring.

I will post more this week and weekend as I get things done. Next overall goals are the ladder and the rail to keep the kids safe. More on all of this as the posts are made.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Construction Started...*
> 
> Well, last Wednesday I got home and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought there would be no better time to dig the holes for the concrete pads for the play set to sit on. Well, the digging was the fun part as you can see in the following pictures.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to seeing more!


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Construction Started...*
> 
> Well, last Wednesday I got home and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought there would be no better time to dig the holes for the concrete pads for the play set to sit on. Well, the digging was the fun part as you can see in the following pictures.
> 
> ...


this is coming out great. I'm sure that your kids will love this as both you and them helped put it together. Can't wait to see more!


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## wpreman (Mar 27, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Construction Started...*
> 
> Well, last Wednesday I got home and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought there would be no better time to dig the holes for the concrete pads for the play set to sit on. Well, the digging was the fun part as you can see in the following pictures.
> 
> ...


A great project for you and the boys, something they will never forget. Look forward to seeing more of the play by play.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Construction Started...*
> 
> Well, last Wednesday I got home and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought there would be no better time to dig the holes for the concrete pads for the play set to sit on. Well, the digging was the fun part as you can see in the following pictures.
> 
> ...


this is really great…;ast year i did not think i was ready to build my own…so went with cheap kit from walmart…and one year later its pretty wobbly!!! yours looks so great and solid…


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## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Completing the tower portion of the structure...*

Sorry about this everyone. I got a little side tracked a little over 400 days ago and forgot to post the completion of the play set for the kids. The last thing I showed was the completed floor with the slide leaning up against it. Well, over the next few day after that, I got the railing up and got everything finished. here are a few shots of the final stages of construction as of the beginning of summer last year.

This shot shows the starting of the rail structure. 


Here is a shot of the completed railing system with the slide not firmly attached.


Here is the best shot that I have of the ladder. It is just a couple of 2×6s at an angle with 2×6 steps between them. Since this picture I have added a couple of bars on each side at the top of the ladder so they have something to grab on to.


I do not remember if I said this or not already, and I am too lazy to go back and look. All of this was constructed of 2x material. The only treated lumber in the whole thing is the posts and the floor supports. I figure even the untreated will probably last till long after they get through playing on this.

Just a few weeks ago, I added the swing arm. I will get out tomorrow and take some pictures and hopefully get the blog post done tomorrow night. I will definitely have it done by Thursday night.

As always, thanks for looking,


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## thiel (May 21, 2009)

RobH said:


> *Completing the tower portion of the structure...*
> 
> Sorry about this everyone. I got a little side tracked a little over 400 days ago and forgot to post the completion of the play set for the kids. The last thing I showed was the completed floor with the slide leaning up against it. Well, over the next few day after that, I got the railing up and got everything finished. here are a few shots of the final stages of construction as of the beginning of summer last year.
> 
> ...


Nice job! I made one of these from a kit (pre cut, predrilled) and it STILL took me forever!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Completing the tower portion of the structure...*
> 
> Sorry about this everyone. I got a little side tracked a little over 400 days ago and forgot to post the completion of the play set for the kids. The last thing I showed was the completed floor with the slide leaning up against it. Well, over the next few day after that, I got the railing up and got everything finished. here are a few shots of the final stages of construction as of the beginning of summer last year.
> 
> ...


Hey Rob 
looks like something your kids will enjoy for a long time good job


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## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Completing the tower portion of the structure...*
> 
> Sorry about this everyone. I got a little side tracked a little over 400 days ago and forgot to post the completion of the play set for the kids. The last thing I showed was the completed floor with the slide leaning up against it. Well, over the next few day after that, I got the railing up and got everything finished. here are a few shots of the final stages of construction as of the beginning of summer last year.
> 
> ...


May you enjoy the fun of childhood through there eyes. Dad will always be the guy that build the best play station ever.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Completing the tower portion of the structure...*
> 
> Sorry about this everyone. I got a little side tracked a little over 400 days ago and forgot to post the completion of the play set for the kids. The last thing I showed was the completed floor with the slide leaning up against it. Well, over the next few day after that, I got the railing up and got everything finished. here are a few shots of the final stages of construction as of the beginning of summer last year.
> 
> ...


looks sooo great…they will enjoy for a long time…

i still am thinking of re-doing the tower of the crappy kit i bought…


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## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*The Swing Arm...*

Okay, well I am a little late on this, but here it is. Just a couple of weeks ago I put the swing arm on the playground. Here are some shots of the work.

Here is on overall shot of the swing arm and the two swings. The arm itself is a 10 foot long 4×6 and the end support is made of 4×4s with a 2×4 brace between them. It is attached to the rear corner 4×4 of the tower with two 1/2" galvanized bolts.









Now, here is a close-up of the intersection of the swing arm and the support. The supports are half-lapped at the joint with two 1/2" galvanized bolts holding the joint together. The swing arm simply sits in the V. There are 7" lag screws going through each 4×4 up into the 4×6 to keep the support from being knocked out from under the swing arm. Ok, that is overkill, but it is safe.









This is a shot of one of the swings. We used rope for the swing supports, and I made the swing seats out of 2×8 material. The swings are hung from the swing bar with heavy duty hangers that came off of Ebay. They are lag bolted onto the 4×6 with 5" screws. Once again that is more than likely overkill, but it is safe.









Finally, a shot showing the happy customers!









There is one thing that is not in this picture. I want to put some bracing up between the swing arm support and the swing arm to keep the support from getting knocked out from under the arm. Even with the lag bolts, if someone hit it hard enough, it would probably come tumbling down. I will get that done before long.

Two more things to finish up the whole thing. First is another swing arm to hold a set of rings and maybe a tire swing or something similar. Finally is a roof over the top. Both of the boys love to go sit in the tower and listen to it rain. I can't blame them, I like it too. The roof will make nicer to do that.

As always, thanks for looking and if there are any question, feel free to ask.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Swing Arm...*
> 
> Okay, well I am a little late on this, but here it is. Just a couple of weeks ago I put the swing arm on the playground. Here are some shots of the work.
> 
> ...


fantastic!!!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *The Swing Arm...*
> 
> Okay, well I am a little late on this, but here it is. Just a couple of weeks ago I put the swing arm on the playground. Here are some shots of the work.
> 
> ...


Hey Rob
Nice swing set and great looking crew. interesting corner joinery. well done.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Swing Arm...*
> 
> Okay, well I am a little late on this, but here it is. Just a couple of weeks ago I put the swing arm on the playground. Here are some shots of the work.
> 
> ...


That's pretty cool. I'm going to have to build one, one of these days for my daughter when she is a little older.


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## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Swing Arm...*
> 
> Okay, well I am a little late on this, but here it is. Just a couple of weeks ago I put the swing arm on the playground. Here are some shots of the work.
> 
> ...


Hey Rob that came out real good. Good choice on the hardware no ware on the rope.


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