Wooden Backyard Playsets

[nealr]

I have been looking at some of these Wooden Backyard Playsets sets and they're pretty expensive ($2k+ at Rainbow systems, or Creative Playthings). Before I plop down that kind of $, do any of you have experience with doing it yourself, or have any preference of brands?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Isla]

Ah, we just got one for Christmas... The Mister did a lot of research on it and got a pretty good deal on one.

Here it is... it's not very large, but perfect for our family.

Playground

As for putting it together... it was fun for the Mister... didn't seem to be a big deal, but then again, that's his kind of thing.

Anyway, this particular company was very good about shipping, delivery, etc. We are happy with it.

Happy playground shopping!

 

[Isla]

I like this one!

Yee haa!


Anyway, prices on these are the best you'll find, at least that's what we found.

 

[nealr]

Thanks for the info Isla. Was he able to put it together himself? How long did it take to put together?

 

[Howard]

Bah, real men buy their lumber and make their own.

 

[Isla]

Yup, he put it together himself...

Hang on, let me ask him for you.

"It took about 2 days, wasn't very hard. A good cordless drill is a must. The instructions were easy to follow." ----The Mister


And from my perspective... I've seen him cuss and moan over assembling some things, but I never heard any grumbling during this one!

Hope you have a good experience with it.

 

[jonnyfin]

we got this for our 4 year old daughter for christmas: swing set I was able to put it together by myself in ~6 hours or so. it's stable and she loves it, and the price is right!

 

[jonnyfin]

btw, don't buy off the website, just go down to toys r us and they have them for the same price. shipping is mucho denero on that item

 

[nealr]

I'm tempted to get This one. It looks pretty good, and the price is outstanding. Anyone want to comment on this one?

 

[Isla]

Originally posted by: nealr
I'm tempted to get This one. It looks pretty good, and the price is outstanding. Anyone want to comment on this one?

Um

Will you be my daddy?



Looks great, but make sure you have plenty of room for it. We had to go small because our yard is unfortunatly much smaller than we would like. When we leave here, we plan to have a few acres... but by then, the kids won't be interested in swingsets anymore.

 

[nealr]

That's a good point. This would fit, but then it wouldn't really leave any room for kicking around the soccer ball or anything. I guess I'll get out the tape-measure in the morning, and see if it'll fit.
Thanks for all your help!

 

[T2T III]

Watch out for some of those companies. Our friends put a deposit down on a wooden playset before they moved into their home. Once they moved into their home, their decision had changed. The company refused to give their deposit back. They had to take the company to court and sue to get their deposit back.

I can't figure out why they would have put a deposit down. Gosh, there would be plenty of playsets available at any given time ... unless the salesperson hinted that there might be a price increase in the future - which may have provoked them to put a deposit down.

My only advice: Just be careful with your money. Don't put a deposit on the item unless you're 110% sure it's the one you want.

 

[Tripleshot]

I saw some nice playsets like the one Isla has refered you folks to at Costco. It might be worth a visit to that store, or even Home Depot or some other lumber oriented home supplier. When the big stores buy, they get discounts, and pass the lower prices on t othe consumer. Isla's choice I saw at Costco for about $300.

I plan to get one as soon as the next grandchild is born. The 6 grandsons I now have are too old for that and are busy riding motorcylces and four wheelers. I need new grandchildren to make that investment worthwhile.

 

[Aquaman]

One thing with wood playsets. Check to see if the pressure treated wood has arsenic in it? A big thing that happened here recently was that the city bought a whole bunch of wooden play sets for schools & parks but they leach out way too much arsenic into the soil.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[nealr]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
One thing with wood playsets. Check to see if the pressure treated wood has arsenic in it?

No arsenic in the ones made by the company Isla bought from . So far it seems like the best one. I'll probably take a printout to the plaything stores tomorrow to compare sizes & such.

 

[SherEPunjab]

wow those sets are pretty cheap. Rainbow systems are MUCH more money.

To be honest, Rainbow is generally used for commercial applications where you have maybe 20-30 or more kids playing on them everyday.

I think the smaller ones would probably suit you just as well, but it doesn't matter how big it is. The real issue is safety. Depending on the age of your child, make sure their is proper railing on the second story, that it isn't too high in case your child falls, and that the wood is sanded well and treated for life. you don't want it cracking or splinters. In addition, make sure if there are 'bridges' or on the railing, that their appendages will not get stuck in various grooves. I think that that is one benefit of a rainbow system is that they have been in the business a long time, they are just some carpentry team making the products, but i think any company will be fine as long as it is made well and more importantly, designed with safety in mind.