Building an outdoor play-system

As life in the suburbs has gone to bigger and better things .. more square footage in the home with bigger yardspace … the play area for children have grown and gone in the direction of bigger is better as well. It was not so long ago that if your friend down the street had a simple swing – they were the envy of the neighbourhood. Today, kids become the subject of envy when their family builds a new “Play – System. ”

Terminology such as Play-systems, Jungle Gyms, Forts and Swing Sets are virtually interchangeable. Many stores selling outdoor play equipment like to call a swing a play “system” because it means that they can increase the price. For many people, seeing the price of these systems reminds us of how much we paid for our first car.  However, there is another way to make your child the envy of the neighbourhood and does not have to be very expensive.

With some very basic carpentry skills coupled with time and a little effort, a Do-It-Yourself Swing Set or Fort is easily attainable. Today’s swing DIY kits are basic and easy to understand.

These kits come with a fully illustrated manual that will take you step by step through the process of buying wood, cutting, drilling, assembling and adding the finishing touches.

The savvy parent makes the kit a Christmas gift, because you can then delay the cost of buying the wood until all of the planning and preparations  are complete (ie Spring), when it is finally time to build the system.  This wait will undoubtedly add to the child’s anticipation.

Some of the common questions that get asked are:

How much do I have to budget?

A small DIY Play Set can be as low as $295. ** BUDGET SAVINGS ** Many play sets have to charge a hefty fee for sending the slide. Indeed, this is the only element that must be boxed and cargo shipped. A good way to save money is to buy your slide locally. Check with your local hardware store first.

You should be able to purchase your wood locally for approximately $175 for a small system. Which means the total price for a basic play system would be approximately $470. On average (Including the cost of wood) a basic package can be built for less than $ 600, a medium sized system less than $900, and larger models $1,200. (which usually includes the cost of the slide)

How long do these projects take to assemble?

Most DIY mid-size swing set, jungle gym, and forts can be completed in a weekend (12-16 hours).

Good system kit plans try to avoid pre-drilling and angle cuts whenever possible. In addition, they design their frames and beams without compromising overall strength.

Do I have the necessary tools?

All DIY plans will include a “list of tools required.” Believe it or not .. The only power tools that 90% of the available plans require are a circular saw and an electric or cordless drill. Only commonly found tools and basic carpentry skills are required to assemble these kits. The plans, swings, accessories, hardware, etc is all included in the kit. The wood is purchased by you locally and typically consists of 2×4, the 2×6, and 4×4.

Here is a simple guide for buying your play system.

1. Research! Start by determining the system that you want. Determine whether a slide for your kit is available locally. This will save about $100 in the cost of shipping a slide from the manufacturer! Kits without slides typically include: brackets / bolts / swing seats / channels / canvas roof (if included) and plans. Take note of what tools are required.

2. Purchase your swing kit. A standard kit with a 5 ‘x 5′ Fort and a three-system system will typically cost about $300

3. Once you have purchased your kit, identify and budget for the purchase of wood. One way to save a few extra dollars in the price of wood is to contact your local lumber store. Do not always assume that the local big-box hardware store is the cheapest wood available. Taking the time to compare the price of your wood between stores can save you up to 25% in the total cost of your system. The cost of wood for a system like the one mentioned should run about $250.

4. The final step before building is to determine if you want to prepare the land where you intend to build your system. Do you want to level the ground, or add mulch or padding of any kind? While this will add to the cost of the final project, it will save bumps and bruises in the future.

By using a DIY kit, and your own efforts, you will have built a play-system that your children will love you for. Note that the above is assuming you are looking for a basic Fort / Slide / Swing Set system. There are many more elaborate designs available, which can dramatically increase your costs.

Fort Simcoe $4529.99 Playground includes Pyramid Roof 5 Play Deck 3 Play Deck 10 Slide 6 Slide Mouse Hole 2 Periscope Panels residential application or 2 Steering Wheel Panels commercial application Climbing Wall Tic Tac Toe Panel Ground Level Fort Outside Climber Support and more!

Fort Delaware $3824.99 12 tall (to top of pyramid roof). 19×17 in actual size. Includes 6-Crayon Tower (1) Pyramid Roof (1) 3 Play Deck (1) 5 Play Deck (1) Molded Steps to 3 Deck (1) Short Vertical Climber from 3 deck to 5 deck (1) Crayon Loop Climber (1) Firemans Pole (1)Periscope Panel (1)

Fort Bridger $8843.99 Made of recyclable plastic. Size: 26 x 20 x 12 tall. Installed in a matter of hours using commonly available household tools. Modular system allows you to start with any play system and expand it as you go. UV protected so the colors on your playground look great year after year.

Barbarian Take Along Fort by Playmobil $14.89 With the Playmobil Barbarian Take Along Fort have fun even on the go with this portable play set. Includes 2 warrior figures, a working crossbow cannon, and many accessories that can be placed in the fort’s storage compartment.Ages 4 and up.By Playmobil

Baseball in Fort Worth $13.25 In 2003, over 160,000 fans watched professional baseball in downtown Fort Worth’s near north side. Baseball, which had been played in this north side area since 1911, had returned after a near 40-year absence. Fort Worth’s rich tradition of professional baseball dates back to the start of the Texas League of Professional Baseball Clubs in 1888 and includes many players who continued to impact our national pastime at the major league level. Presenting over 170 photographs, programs, and maps this volume documents not only the play on the field, but the fun and excitement off the field as well. The book contains a chapter on Fort Worth’s black baseball history, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century, and includes the new discovery of a forgotten ballpark dedicated to the black players and leagues of the early 1900s. Though the details are difficult to trace, this chapter showcases the pride the players demonstrated at the local level and the force they became in the national Negro leagues.

Fort Laramie Deluxe Playground $8836 12 tall (top of pyramid roof). 22×17 in actual size. Made of recyclable plastic. Includes additional mouse hole for crawl entrance to fort under deck and tubes 1 additional slotted panels 1 magnetic draw and play panel 1 picture spinner panel 1 sign language panel 4 short crayons.

Roman Fort (Fly on the Wall) $14.98 In Roman Fort, husband-and-wife team Mick Manning and Brita Granstom take readers on a journey through ancient Rome with an authentic and appealing cast of characters at work, at home, and at play. The sounds, smells, and textures of everyday Roman life are vividly evoked as young readers march through the rain with emperor Vespian’s centurions as they escort Lepidina over the mountains and visit a very important queen, witness a gladiator show at an arena, battle with Felix, and visit the bathroom with brothers and noble Romans, Titus and Marcus. Ancient Romans spring from the pages of this fun, fact-packed scrapbook that features pages blotted with fingerprints, splashes of oil, and squashed insects.

Sky Fort Wooden Swing Set $1367.99 This outdoor playset will be the kids favorite with its raised clubhouse play fort wooden roof gabled entry way and balcony. From the crows nest theyÂ’ll cast a keen eye to the horizon then race to the monkey bars and swing set on its three-position swing beam.

Eatontown and Fort Monmouth $13.25 For more than 200 years Eatontown, Oceanport, and West Long Branch shared a proud history as one township, and this book covers that communityas heritage from the Colonial and Victorian eras through the 1950s. It also highlights the importance of Fort Monmouth, a US Army communications research facility that has now been listed as a maritime site on the New Jersey Coast Heritage Trail. Through the pages of this book we meet presidents and magnates; read local newspapers from over a hundred years ago; learn the history of the Jersey Shoreas horse-racing tradition; discover ghosts and grisly crimes; and experience war, industrial revolution, the coming of the railroad, and great disasters from our past. Above all, we meet the people who have created Eatontown over the centuries at work, at play, in church, and at school. This book is a wonderful journey into a rich and diverse pastaa past that will prove fascinating to resident and visitor alike.

Wood Ramp For 5 Foot High Swing Set Play Fort $249.99 The Wood Ramp is a popular Creative Playthings accessory for your wooden swing set that challenges your childs coordination and motor skills. The Wood Ramp makes a great inchswing set inch gift idea too! For 5 high play decks.

Pinnacle Rock Wall For 7 Foot High Swing Set Play Fort $359.99 The Ultimate Challenge. The Creative Playthings Pinnacle Rock climbing wall extends the full height of the gym and is longer than our standard Rock Climbing Wall. It also includes a standard knotted climbing rope for added adventure. Designed for 7 high play decks.

Build a Fort Green Camouflage Kit by Be Amazing Toys $29.89 Kids use their imagination to make the Build a Fort Green Camouflage by Be Amazing into their own private play land. The fabric panels are equipped with loops for stringing the included ropes, making it much easier to build. It even comes with clips and suction cups to affix the fabric to things like dresser drawer knobs, door knobs, mirrors, walls or other furniture. Comes with 2 glow wands to light up the play area inside the camo build a fort for hours of fun! Ages 6 and up.By Be Amazing

Fort Adams Playground $1884.99 This model offers the most amount of play activities in the least amount of space. It is very popular for backyards businesses churches or daycare facilities especially those with very little space. Made of recyclable plastic.

Penguin Inflatable Igloo Snow Fort Winter Toy $29.99 Check out this cool inflatable penguin igloo. If you love penguins and snow, then this toy snow fort igloo is for you. Hide out in this adorable igloo made of durable cold resistant pvc. The full size toy snow fort features a door and a window and hours of outdoor winter fun. Perfect snow fort for the winter months and can be brought inside the house to play with as well. No snow? No problem! This bunker is great fun inside or out, snow or no snow! Watch your kids’ imaginations soar as they make the Penguin Igloo into whatever they want it to be! Approximate inflated size is 60″ x 40″.

A Soldier’s Play $8.62 A black sergeant cries out in the night, They still hate you, then is shot twice and falls dead. Set in 1944 at Fort Neal, a segregated army camp in Louisiana, Charles Fuller”s forceful drama–which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 and has been regularly seen in both its original stage and its later screen version–tracks the investigation of this murder. A Soldier”s Play is more than a detective story: it is a tough, incisive exploration of racial tensions and ambiguities among blacks and between blacks and whites that gives no easy answers and assigns no simple blame.

Fort Bridger With Climbing Wall $9243.99 Made of recyclable plastic. Size: 26 x 20 x 12 tall. Installed in a matter of hours using commonly available household tools. Modular system allows you to start with any play system and expand it as you go. UV protected so the colors on your playground look great year after year.

Fort Lafayette Playground $9828.99 For home or commercial this is the ultimated playground for endless excitement and unbeatable play activities. Residential applications also include: Belt Swings (4) installed below Hand-Over-Hand Bars Note: Commercial applications should have swings as a separate unit.

The Bride of Fort Edward $21.27 Large Format for easy reading. A play based on the story of Jane McCrea, a beautiful young woman who was killed by American-Indians en route to meet her fiance in 1777. Her story was sensationalised by the American side and became part of the iconography of the Revolutionary War.

Eatontown and Fort Monmouth (Images of America) $15.98 For more than 200 years Eatontown, Oceanport, and West Long Branch shared a proud history as one township, and this book covers that community?s heritage from the Colonial and Victorian eras through the 1950s. It also highlights the importanceof Fort Monmouth, a US Army communications research facility that has now been listed as a maritime site on the New Jersey Coast Heritage Trail. Through the pages of this book we meet presidents and magnates; read local newspapers from over a hundred years ago; learn the history of the Jersey Shore?s horse-racing tradition; discover ghosts and grisly crimes; and experience war, industrial revolution, the coming of the railroad, and great disasters from our past. Above all, we meet the people who have created Eatontown over the centuries at work, at play, in church, and at school. This book is a wonderful journey into a rich and diverse past?a past that will prove fascinating to resident and visitor alike.

A Soldier’s Play (Dramabook) $10.98 A black sergeant cries out in the night, "They still hate you," then is shot twice and falls dead. Set in 1944 at Fort Neal, a segregated army camp in Louisiana, Charles Fuller’s forceful drama–which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 and has been regularly seen in both its original stage and its later screen version–tracks the investigation of this murder. A Soldier’s Play is more than a detective story: it is a tough, incisive exploration of racial tensions and ambiguities among blacks and between blacks and whites that gives no easy answers and assigns no simple blame.

Fort Knox Chocolate Coins (tub of 144) $19.99 You’re rich and you have chocolate gold coins to prove it. These kosher chocolate treats double as coins that kids can play with before eating them. You get a tub of 144 1-1/2″ gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins. Total weight is 25 oz.

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