Where to get a good deal on a swing set

[jencp2001]

I am looking to buy a swing set this spring for my son who is almost 15 months old right now. I am hoping to buy one that will last at least 5-8 years and we have a budget of about $800.

My husband is handy so he will be able to put it together. We are leaning more towards a wood set and I know for my budget that is going to be hard to find.

Hopefully someone has an idea of how to get a good deal on one.

Thanks!

 

[wiigirl]

We got one from Lowes for around $700 a few years ago with a slide, fort, two swings and we love it. We had a handy man put it together for us but I remember it only took around 4 hours and all the wood was precut.

 

[Kassidysdad]

Hi , I purchased a hardware kit, you supply the 4 x 4 lumber. I live in New Hampshire with nasty winters, I wanted something sturdy..BELIEVE me this kit is, I am 6-2 , 220 pounds ...I can swing on this & it doesn't move. I have had it up for 3 years now and still as good as the 1st day:

http://www.planitplay.com/Free-Standing-Swingbeam-With-Swings-p/28-2006.htm

 

[Debbie7452]

We got a good one at Sam's Club for $1000, a little over your budget. It does have a wooden roof on the house part of the set. I've never seen a canvas roof that looked good after a few years or so. However, we get a LOT of sun here in TX so maybe that is regional. I have been very happy with the quality and looks of this one.

 

[Jenny3]

Look on craigslist; we got ours two years ago from a guy who bought it brand new four years ago. You'll find lots of people in that situation, or who are moving and can't take it with, or just aren't using it. Ours is a Creative Playthings and retailed for about $2500. It's huge, has a 2-story playhouse, slide, rock wall, climbing rope, 3 swings and a teeter-tooter.

We got it for $200 - just had to disassemble, pick it up and rebuild. We rented a U-Haul for $100 and made sure we took photos and bundled each section before disassembling. Well worth the time and effort to save that much!

 

[jencp2001]

Thanks for the replies. We have a membership to BJ's and Costco, so i was going to check there also when they have them in the store.

I thought about Craigslist, I'll have to take a look and see if there are any possibilities on there.

I checked out that website with the hardware, i will have to show it to my husband later tonight. He is pretty handy so that may be an option as well.

 

[Crystal824]

Look on craigslist; we got ours two years ago from a guy who bought it brand new four years ago. You'll find lots of people in that situation, or who are moving and can't take it with, or just aren't using it. Ours is a Creative Playthings and retailed for about $2500. It's huge, has a 2-story playhouse, slide, rock wall, climbing rope, 3 swings and a teeter-tooter.

We got it for $200 - just had to disassemble, pick it up and rebuild. We rented a U-Haul for $100 and made sure we took photos and bundled each section before disassembling. Well worth the time and effort to save that much!

This is what we did too. It worked out well for us. We had to rent a uhaul to get it but still paid much less than buying new.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

This months Costco flyer has a wooden player on sale for 999.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[scbelleatheart]

Check Craigslist. We just gave one away. They took it apart in sections and loaded it on a big trailer. All it cost them was time. Silde, fort, 2 swings, monkey bars & firepole. I was grateful to have someone take it that could use it.

 

[jedijill]

I agree with all the PP's suggestion of using Craigslist. My brother got a really nice one and reassembled at his house. He ended up restaining it and you would never know he bought it used.

Jill in CO

 

[gunka]

I just went through this a couple of months ago and for a new wooden swing set walmart.com had the best deal by far. We did site to store, picked it up at our local walmart and did not have to pay for shipping. Be aware that some of the wooden swing sets take a very long time and a lot of attention to detail to put together.

 

[jencp2001]

Gunka - Can I ask which set you purchased, and were you happy with it?

It doesn't look like there are many options on Craigslist in my area right now, so I'll keep checking.

Thanks again to everyone for responding, this is actually really helpful.

 

[msmama]

I ordered a nice wooden kit from Amazon (I googled around and they had the right price and it got delivered from a freight company, not UPS or anything).

I am NOT handy (nor is my ex) but we managed to put it together ourselves. It took a good chunk of the spring/early summer, but we did it.

 

[gunka]

We purchased the "Backyard Discovery Monticello Cedar Swing Set". We are very happy with it. Although it took me a couple of days to put together - it was relatively easy and all the parts were there. My 4 year old DD loves it.

 

[sherry7]

Ditto on Craigslist. We have an Amish made swing set that retails new for almost $4000, and I paid $950 for it. Other than some slight sun fading on the plastic pieces, it looks brand new. I fully expect to sell it for at least $500 after my daughter has used it for a few years.

Just a tip, whether you buy new or used: look at the height of the swing bar when you buy a set. The shorter it is, the less fun the swings and slide are going to be, and your kids will outgrow it at an earlier age.

 

[sweetdana]

Look on craigslist; we got ours two years ago from a guy who bought it brand new four years ago. You'll find lots of people in that situation, or who are moving and can't take it with, or just aren't using it. Ours is a Creative Playthings and retailed for about $2500. It's huge, has a 2-story playhouse, slide, rock wall, climbing rope, 3 swings and a teeter-tooter.

We got it for $200 - just had to disassemble, pick it up and rebuild. We rented a U-Haul for $100 and made sure we took photos and bundled each section before disassembling. Well worth the time and effort to save that much!

agree w/ this. We got ours 25$ u take apart .. 2 trips n home nearly new.

 

[pjlla]

Gosh.... I wish you lived near me! I have one that absolutely MUST GO this spring! It is a big pressure-treated set that has a slide and two swings plus it used to have some sort of round carousel type thing, but we took it off and replaced it with a tire swing. It is at least 20 years old and still in great shape! I have had to replace the swings and chains once. The original owners of this swing (my nieces and nephew) are all in their 20's and early 30's! My kids got it when DD was about 2 1/2 (she is 17 1/2 now) and used it for many years. We took it apart in 2008 when we had to have the septic system replaced and now it sits in the woods near the back yard in 2 huge pieces. I really need to get it listed on Craigslist this spring.

One word of advise..... the only other thing I did besides replacing the swing seats and chains, was adding plastic handles to the slide stairs. I didn't like the thought of my kids constantly touching pressure-treated lumber to climb up (would probably have gone with a cedar set if we were buying new, but this was given to us and I couldn't pass up the price tag of "free"!). If you do go with a pressure-treated set, make sure it is well away from any vegetable garden. You don't want any water run-off from the swing set getting into plants you might eat. ...........................

 

[kirstenb1]

We got a good one at Sam's Club for $1000, a little over your budget. It does have a wooden roof on the house part of the set. I've never seen a canvas roof that looked good after a few years or so. However, we get a LOT of sun here in TX so maybe that is regional. I have been very happy with the quality and looks of this one.

We got one from there, maybe the same for about $1100.00 DH is very handy but he still looked like he was going to cry when it had 99 steps (directions, not stairs!!). Also he did use extra lumber to reinforce it. Definitely not as nice as the really expensive ones, like Rainbow, but it works for us. Also, I stained it that first summer just to try to add some longevity to it.