Posted: 4/21/2014 4:13:34 PM EDT
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Alright, looking for some direction. Three years ago we bought a HomeDepot "Swing n Slide" special...the kit has the metal and you buy the wood from the hardware store. 3 years later, it's coming apart...as in you can't just tighten it back up. It was fine the first two years, but now it's falling apart to the point that we had to tell the kids and our neighbors is off limits until I can pull it down this weekend. I'm looking for something substantial enough to withstand the rigors of 3-8 year olds. Thought about going commercial but I could buy a reliable car for the same price. Not confident in the wood sets, and while it all went well I'm not against paying an installer if the set can last 10 + years. Anyone on the STL side aware of anyplace that might have something reasonably durable yet hit the $1,000 or less?
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Alright, looking for some direction. Three years ago we bought a HomeDepot "Swing n Slide" special...the kit has the metal and you buy the wood from the hardware store. 3 years later, it's coming apart...as in you can't just tighten it back up. It was fine the first two years, but now it's falling apart to the point that we had to tell the kids and our neighbors is off limits until I can pull it down this weekend. I'm looking for something substantial enough to withstand the rigors of 3-8 year olds. Thought about going commercial but I could buy a reliable car for the same price. Not confident in the wood sets, and while it all went well I'm not against paying an installer if the set can last 10 + years. Anyone on the STL side aware of anyplace that might have something reasonably durable yet hit the $1,000 or less? Too bad you're not closer to Kansas City. My company does a lot of work for a property management company that is always giving these things away. I'm going to pick one up for my kids soon that probably cost the person who bought it several thousand dollars and they just left it when they left the house. I could get you a free one |
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Well, that's heartbreaking. Right now I have a 3 and an 8 year old in tears because I'm taking the saws to the existing one tomorrow. I told them a new one is coming, but our backyard is the neighborhood hangout thanks to all the 5-0 cars parked in the driveway and on the street. I'm a believer in making our yard the place where they can hang out.
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Well, that's heartbreaking. Right now I have a 3 and an 8 year old in tears because I'm taking the saws to the existing one tomorrow. I told them a new one is coming, but our backyard is the neighborhood hangout thanks to all the 5-0 cars parked in the driveway and on the street. I'm a believer in making our yard the place where they can hang out. I didn't mean for it to be heartbreaking. I'm sorry. I definitely agree in that I want my house to be the place to hang out for my kids and their friends so that I will always know where they're at and what they're doing. I'd be willing to throw in a few bucks to help you replace your swing set if you'd like. |
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Quoted: Build it! Some treated dimensional lumber and a weekend or two... Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings.
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Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings. Quoted:
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Build it! Some treated dimensional lumber and a weekend or two... Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings. We used 6x6" as the corner posts, and it's been standing for 14 years. I go out once a year and look for any loose bolts or anything, but overall the thing's as solid today as it was the weekend we built it: 
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Quoted: We used 6x6" as the corner posts, and it's been standing for 14 years. I go out once a year and look for any loose bolts or anything, but overall the thing's as solid today as it was the weekend we built it: http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af227/mid_mo/mid_mo/swing_zps4cf4369a.jpg Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Build it! Some treated dimensional lumber and a weekend or two... Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings. We used 6x6" as the corner posts, and it's been standing for 14 years. I go out once a year and look for any loose bolts or anything, but overall the thing's as solid today as it was the weekend we built it: http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af227/mid_mo/mid_mo/swing_zps4cf4369a.jpg |
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Not too different from the one we have. The only 6x6 we have is the cross beam for the swings. Quoted:
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Build it! Some treated dimensional lumber and a weekend or two... Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings. We used 6x6" as the corner posts, and it's been standing for 14 years. I go out once a year and look for any loose bolts or anything, but overall the thing's as solid today as it was the weekend we built it: http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af227/mid_mo/mid_mo/swing_zps4cf4369a.jpg Not too different from the one we have. The only 6x6 we have is the cross beam for the swings. I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it  I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.
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Quoted: I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Build it! Some treated dimensional lumber and a weekend or two... Its what we did for the last one. Our backyard is partially shaded by 3-4 century oaks with canopies that trap humidity and moisture. Treated lumber is now cracking to the point of failure. We are talking 4x4's secured to submerged 12x24" concrete pilings. We used 6x6" as the corner posts, and it's been standing for 14 years. I go out once a year and look for any loose bolts or anything, but overall the thing's as solid today as it was the weekend we built it: http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af227/mid_mo/mid_mo/swing_zps4cf4369a.jpg Not too different from the one we have. The only 6x6 we have is the cross beam for the swings. I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.Yeah, I'm looking at that as well. The thing was right before I declared "abandon ship" the most popular place was in the tower where my little princess and her friends were hanging out. The boys were trying to slingshot themselves into low orbit. We are also considering a separate playhouse, but I have some reservations there as it could lend itself to problems later. Thanks for the thoughts; keep them coming. |
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I just bought a demo model from Bergfield Recreation on Manchester. Not cheap, but the thing is all cedar and built like a tank. We're not moving and it's going to get used for 10+ yrs.
http://www.backyardadventures.com/products/peak-playsets/olympian-peak/ |
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I'll do that. We were looking at their company last night; their equipment looked fairly substantial. Quoted:
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search craigslist for "rainbow play set" and "rainbow playset". At least 20 of them pop up all for sale under $700 that were well over $2000 new. I'll do that. We were looking at their company last night; their equipment looked fairly substantial. My buddy just did this a few weeks ago, he got a really nice one for around $1K. He paid Rainbow $400 to move it and put it together. A trailer, a few friends, and a case of beer and you wouldn't need Rainbows help at all.
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I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.They're made as well as you make 'em... 
Home-built can be MUCH higher quality that the box-store kits, if you use proper lumber (none of those supposedly treated "landscape timbers"), let it age for a year, and then seal it with a deck sealer or something. There's no reason it can't last for fifty years if you build it right and put a few hours maintenance into it every couple of years. The only real question is whether you want to spend the time it takes to build it, and have the basic construction skills to DIY. |
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Quoted: They're made as well as you make 'em... Home-built can be MUCH higher quality that the box-store kits, if you use proper lumber (none of those supposedly treated "landscape timbers"), let it age for a year, and then seal it with a deck sealer or something. There's no reason it can't last for fifty years if you build it right and put a few hours maintenance into it every couple of years. The only real question is whether you want to spend the time it takes to build it, and have the basic construction skills to DIY. Quoted: Quoted: I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.They're made as well as you make 'em... Home-built can be MUCH higher quality that the box-store kits, if you use proper lumber (none of those supposedly treated "landscape timbers"), let it age for a year, and then seal it with a deck sealer or something. There's no reason it can't last for fifty years if you build it right and put a few hours maintenance into it every couple of years. The only real question is whether you want to spend the time it takes to build it, and have the basic construction skills to DIY. There is truth in this. We bought a kit that had the hardware; you buy the lumber from the supply store. We over built it; but the lumber just hasn't withstood the weather/humidity of our location I guess. Trying to find something that will last at least another 5-8 years
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There is truth in this. We bought a kit that had the hardware; you buy the lumber from the supply store. We over built it; but the lumber just hasn't withstood the weather/humidity of our location I guess. Trying to find something that will last at least another 5-8 years Quoted:
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I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.They're made as well as you make 'em...
Home-built can be MUCH higher quality that the box-store kits, if you use proper lumber (none of those supposedly treated "landscape timbers"), let it age for a year, and then seal it with a deck sealer or something. There's no reason it can't last for fifty years if you build it right and put a few hours maintenance into it every couple of years. The only real question is whether you want to spend the time it takes to build it, and have the basic construction skills to DIY. There is truth in this. We bought a kit that had the hardware; you buy the lumber from the supply store. We over built it; but the lumber just hasn't withstood the weather/humidity of our location I guess. Trying to find something that will last at least another 5-8 years Not trying to beat a dead horse, but have you considered just buying new lumber, using the hardware you already have, and rebuilding the same thing you have now? I'm thinking you may have gotten a bad batch of treated wood or something; no way it should have decayed that much in an above-ground application in only three years. Hell, I've got un-treated stuff outside that has held up better than that. I'd be surprised if all-new lumber cost you more than $300 or so, even assuming there's no salvageable wood at all in the old playset. I dunno about you, but $300 vs. $1K+ would make me take a pretty close look at that option. Wood can last that long outdoors in Missouri... there's a lot of hundred-year-old barns attesting to it. Left standing a year to age, and then a coat of deck preservative or even some decent exterior paint (paint it brown and from 20 feet away you probably couldn't tell it wasn't natural wood) and I bet your playset would be standing right there alongside the barns in 20 years. ETA: $1000 - $300 = $700... the price of a new AR 
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Quoted: Not trying to beat a dead horse, but have you considered just buying new lumber, using the hardware you already have, and rebuilding the same thing you have now? I'm thinking you may have gotten a bad batch of treated wood or something; no way it should have decayed that much in an above-ground application in only three years. Hell, I've got un-treated stuff outside that has held up better than that. I'd be surprised if all-new lumber cost you more than $300 or so, even assuming there's no salvageable wood at all in the old playset. I dunno about you, but $300 vs. $1K+ would make me take a pretty close look at that option. Wood can last that long outdoors in Missouri... there's a lot of hundred-year-old barns attesting to it. Left standing a year to age, and then a coat of deck preservative or even some decent exterior paint (paint it brown and from 20 feet away you probably couldn't tell it wasn't natural wood) and I bet your playset would be standing right there alongside the barns in 20 years. ETA: $1000 - $300 = $700... the price of a new AR Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I cut mine down with a chainsaw last fall and told the kids to just live with it I burnt it all in my burn barrel. All joking aside, those things are not made very well and if I had to put one up again, I would just do the swing set only.They're made as well as you make 'em... Home-built can be MUCH higher quality that the box-store kits, if you use proper lumber (none of those supposedly treated "landscape timbers"), let it age for a year, and then seal it with a deck sealer or something. There's no reason it can't last for fifty years if you build it right and put a few hours maintenance into it every couple of years. The only real question is whether you want to spend the time it takes to build it, and have the basic construction skills to DIY. There is truth in this. We bought a kit that had the hardware; you buy the lumber from the supply store. We over built it; but the lumber just hasn't withstood the weather/humidity of our location I guess. Trying to find something that will last at least another 5-8 years Not trying to beat a dead horse, but have you considered just buying new lumber, using the hardware you already have, and rebuilding the same thing you have now? I'm thinking you may have gotten a bad batch of treated wood or something; no way it should have decayed that much in an above-ground application in only three years. Hell, I've got un-treated stuff outside that has held up better than that. I'd be surprised if all-new lumber cost you more than $300 or so, even assuming there's no salvageable wood at all in the old playset. I dunno about you, but $300 vs. $1K+ would make me take a pretty close look at that option. Wood can last that long outdoors in Missouri... there's a lot of hundred-year-old barns attesting to it. Left standing a year to age, and then a coat of deck preservative or even some decent exterior paint (paint it brown and from 20 feet away you probably couldn't tell it wasn't natural wood) and I bet your playset would be standing right there alongside the barns in 20 years. ETA: $1000 - $300 = $700... the price of a new AR Hey, I like they way you are thinking...especially if Dad can buy something for himself with the savings. That said, we looked at that as an option. I'd have to buy some new hardware, and by the time its done I'm wondering if I'm not better off to start from scratch. And...I'm not going to go all macho and say "I know what I'm doing, so it must be the wood". But I had help from guys who do know what they are doing and the general consensus was that the HD may have misled us on what type of wood/quality of the wood I bought. |
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Food for thought...........One thing I thought about when buying a prebuilt one and having it installed was liability. If my kids are going to be having friends over and someone takes a header off the thing, yeah, I'm going to get sued--but I didn't manufacture, nor install it. I have a crap load of insurance, but that was just one little additional assurance that I wouldn't get to raked over the coals on a negligence type of claim. I have about the same logic on reloads and anything else I manufacture/modify myself--it's just for me and my family.
Not knocking you skills or anything building your own, just something to think about if you're going to have other kids over climbing on it. I assume you wouldn't need permits for something like that, but it wouldn't hurt to check. Some places you need them for a deck. |
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No offense taken. I'm not going to be building my next home from scratch, but I'm a wee bit (not by much though) better than the average guy looking wistfully at all the shinny things at the local hardware store. Having it installed by another party may share some of the liability, or may not. You have to read that teeny tiny print where in they state that the structure in question shouldn't be used by anyone but the client/customer, and various other legalese.....
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Quoted: I have built enough stuff with treated 4X4 to know that this is a poor size of lumber to build anything that is going to last. I agree with the post that suggested 6X6. With the 4X4 I have seen this stuff split and warp. Which is exactly what happened. Even after we sealed it, wherever there was stress loads the wood split along the grain.
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