Tell me about swing sets please...

[sherry7]

Tell me about swing sets please...

DD just turned 2 years old. We were planning on waiting until next year to get her a swing set. However, I think we're going to go ahead and get one now, since she enjoys playing on them.

We've done just a little bit of checking and it seems that there are different kinds of wood - cedar, wolmanized, and pressure treated. What's the difference? Which is best?

Sam's Club has a nice cedar swing set for $900, but delivery and setup is a minimum of $589 extra. (There's no way that my non-handy DH could handle putting something like this together. ) We have a couple of places that sell Amish made swing sets nearby, and could probably get a similar wolmanized or pressure treated set delivered and setup for about the same price.

I also saw that some places use tarps on the tops of the swing sets. Do those hold up over the years? It's quite a bit to upgrade to the wooden roofs.

Anything else that I should be aware of? Any other tips for me? DS just had an inexpensive metal swing set from Walmart, that he quickly grew out of. If I'm going to invest the money in a wooden set, I'm hoping that DD can use it for many years.

 

[lorax123]

We have a wooden one that uses pressure treated and cedar. It's about 6 years old. We got it when our daughter was about 2. It's held up well, except we do need a new rope for the spinning seat and the pirate rope climb needs to be replaced. But that is norm and replacements are available.

The tarp up top... Ours came with the plastic kind and that only lasts about two years. A canvas may work better, but it is in direct sunlight most of the day, so that doesn't Help.

Overall it's still in good shape. I just pressure washed it today as plan on treating the wood. Other than the tarp and pirate rope climb, it looks good.

Price wise it was about $600 at home depot, but the kit needed 8, 8x4 pressure treated posts to finish. But that was it, everything else was included. We did add a toddler swing, but that was about $20 from fisher price. So less than $800 all together.

Construction is actually simple. I think it required one cut and that's it. I put it together with my father-in-law over a weekend. I think it said 8-10 hours of construction and that was a bout right. Two people aren't mandatory but it makes it much easier.

I think the SAMs club sets are really nice and you can't go wrong. As long as you have a level, a cordless drill and a level, anybody can do it with a little help.

If price is not an obstacle, the Amish built ones (we live near Lancaster) are nice but really expensive. Especially those vinyl ones. I looked at one and saw $5k as realized I am not the income to level to even bother looking at them.

There are a lot of smaller landscaping forms that offer them and they usually included setup fees. But you can expect to spend double the Sams club price.

Overall ours is nice and holds up to their abuse. But it is just a temporary construction, by the time DS turns 10, it's time to take it down. I don't see it needing to be replaced or major repairs before that.

Don't know if any of this helped, just relating our experience.

 

[lorax123]

We have a wooden one that uses pressure treated and cedar. It's about 6 years old. We got it when our daughter was about 2. It's held up well, except we do need a new rope for the spinning seat and the pirate rope climb needs to be replaced. But that is norm and replacements are available.

The tarp up top... Ours came with the plastic kind and that only lasts about two years. A canvas may work better, but it is in direct sunlight most of the day, so that doesn't Help.

Overall it's still in good shape. I just pressure washed it today as plan on treating the wood. Other than the tarp and pirate rope climb, it looks good.

Price wise it was about $600 at home depot, but the kit needed 8, 8x4 pressure treated posts to finish. But that was it, everything else was included. We did add a toddler swing, but that was about $20 from fisher price. So less than $800 all together.

Construction is actually simple. I think it required one cut and that's it. I put it together with my father-in-law over a weekend. I think it said 8-10 hours of construction and that was a bout right. Two people aren't mandatory but it makes it much easier.

I think the SAMs club sets are really nice and you can't go wrong. As long as you have a level, a cordless drill and a level, anybody can do it with a little help.

If price is not an obstacle, the Amish built ones (we live near Lancaster) are nice but really expensive. Especially those vinyl ones. I looked at one and saw $5k as realized I am not the income to level to even bother looking at them.

There are a lot of smaller landscaping forms that offer them and they usually included setup fees. But you can expect to spend double the Sams club price.

Overall ours is nice and holds up to their abuse. But it is just a temporary construction, by the time DS turns 10, it's time to take it down. I don't see it needing to be replaced or major repairs before that.

Don't know if any of this helped, just relating our experience.

 

[lorax123]

We have a wooden one that uses pressure treated and cedar. It's about 6 years old. We got it when our daughter was about 2. It's held up well, except we do need a new rope for the spinning seat and the pirate rope climb needs to be replaced. But that is norm and replacements are available.

The tarp up top... Ours came with the plastic kind and that only lasts about two years. A canvas may work better, but it is in direct sunlight most of the day, so that doesn't Help.

Overall it's still in good shape. I just pressure washed it today as plan on treating the wood. Other than the tarp and pirate rope climb, it looks good.

Price wise it was about $600 at home depot, but the kit needed 8, 8x4 pressure treated posts to finish. But that was it, everything else was included. We did add a toddler swing, but that was about $20 from fisher price. So less than $800 all together.

Construction is actually simple. I think it required one cut and that's it. I put it together with my father-in-law over a weekend. I think it said 8-10 hours of construction and that was a bout right. Two people aren't mandatory but it makes it much easier.

I think the SAMs club sets are really nice and you can't go wrong. As long as you have a level, a cordless drill and a level, anybody can do it with a little help.

If price is not an obstacle, the Amish built ones (we live near Lancaster) are nice but really expensive. Especially those vinyl ones. I looked at one and saw $5k as realized I am not the income to level to even bother looking at them.

There are a lot of smaller landscaping forms that offer them and they usually included setup fees. But you can expect to spend double the Sams club price.

Overall ours is nice and holds up to their abuse. But it is just a temporary construction, by the time DS turns 10, it's time to take it down. I don't see it needing to be replaced or major repairs before that.

Don't know if any of this helped, just relating our experience.

 

[sherry7]

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

 

[michellev]

One thing to be aware of is that playsets come in different heights (I think three different heights, but I could be wrong). The smaller ones (that you would generally see at Home Depot, Costco, etc.) are meant for younger kids (the ads say 10, but I think that's pushing it). Since the swing bar is lower, the swing doesn't get as much momentum, the slides are shorter, etc. etc.

For right now, the smaller one would be safer (if you are getting a playset and not just a swingset), however it won't last you as long.

We ended up buying a big playset as we have 3 kids and wanted to get as much use out of it as possible. We've had it about 5 years and it's holding up great (we actually bought it used, so it's about 7 years old).

I believe ours is made from redwood and cedar and it does have a tarp which shows no signs of wear and tear (and we leave it out year round).

 

[sherry7]

One thing to be aware of is that playsets come in different heights (I think three different heights, but I could be wrong). The smaller ones (that you would generally see at Home Depot, Costco, etc.) are meant for younger kids (the ads say 10, but I think that's pushing it). Since the swing bar is lower, the swing doesn't get as much momentum, the slides are shorter, etc. etc.

For right now, the smaller one would be safer (if you are getting a playset and not just a swingset), however it won't last you as long.

We ended up buying a big playset as we have 3 kids and wanted to get as much use out of it as possible. We've had it about 5 years and it's holding up great (we actually bought it used, so it's about 7 years old).

I believe ours is made from redwood and cedar and it does have a tarp which shows no signs of wear and tear (and we leave it out year round).

That's a good point about the height. DD is only 2, but I want this to last until she old enough to no longer want to play on it.

 

[buffettgirl]

we have a cheaper one from Creative Playthings - Pine - that is about 17 years old now. They've replaced any pieces which have failed (a few rungs here and there, and a few years back we got an entire new upper ladder) . It's still safe and still being used.

It was an initial investment but I have never been sorry that we did it.

(we have this one - http://www.creativeplaythings.com/wooden-swing-sets/chesapeake-wooden-swing-set )

 

[msmama]

I think some of the ones from Home Depot and Lowe's come with free installation.

I just bought one from Swing and Slide (online - found it on Amazon originally but cheaper there). It took my ex husband and I about 3 weeks to put it together working on it for about an hour every evening (or most evenings, really). Overall, maybe 15-20 hours-ish total and trust me when I say that neither of us are very handy!!

For a little one though, you might want to look at a plastic one. You'd probably get a few years out of it, at least (and if you have enough room, can move it inside for the winter).

Another option is trying Craislist. I see LOTS of play sets advertised in my area.

 

[twinboysmom]

Hi OP.. I have two two year old boys and for their second birthday we purchased the set that you have seen at Sam's. Actually, the one they have now is the newer model but it is very similar and made by the same company (they contact with Sam's for that set but they have a ton of other models on their website). Would I buy it again, absolutely not. They are having a fantastic time with it but it's not that sturdy, the installer and the paperwork state it had a low weight maximum (he cautioned against us getting on it at all). If you are going to live in the same house for a number of years then get the better set if you can budget for it. The one thing I really do like about it is the wooden roof and I would definately get that in another set.

 

[julieanddanny]

We also bought direct from Swing & Slide (3 years ago?). Delivered free to our door. Dh put it together in a couple weekends (working most the day!) It was like 1/2 price so we got much more than we would have buying the same brand at Lowe's. Our 8, 7 and 2 yr all enjoy it.

ETA: just looked at the site and they still have the one we got: Juneau

 

[mjkacmom]

We got our Rainbow 10 years ago (tarp is fine). Best investment in kids' equipment we ever made. It still gets used on a daily basis, and has held up fine (fort, table underneath, 2 swing, plus side arm for swing or rope, ramp, slide - $3000ish?).

 

[100AcreWood]

We have a set by Creative Playthings. We've had it for 8 years and it looks good. They are replacing the main beam in a few weeks because it cracked. I have no complaints so far.

My neighbor bought a set from Sam's Club and spent an entire weekend putting it up. It looks good but it was a lot of work.

 

[sam_gordon]

We got a set from Lowe's 9 years ago. Our tarp over the playset only lasted about two years. We put another one on, and that lasted two years. We gave up after that.

The rubber covering the chains on the swings has worn away in places, and I've replaced the rungs (dowel rods) for the ladder. Other than that, it's going strong. Our youngest is 6 and she still plays on it, as does my 8yo occasionally.

It was all pressure treated lumber. We got a list of what lumber was needed, we had it delivered and I did all final cuts & installation. It took a weekend, but I was happy with it.

9 years later, it's looking worn (I've never treated it), but it's still in use!

 

[shoney]

We bought one similar to these:

http://www.ridgecabinet.com/playsets-vinyl-swings-slides.html

We bought it 7 years ago when we moved and it looks exactly the same. No maintenance at all!!!!


We originally bought a wood one and after a 2 years, it needed to be stained again. We sold it with the house.

 

[sherry7]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

We went to a local place on Sunday, and looked at Amish made swing sets. I have to say, I was pretty appalled at the prices!

So, I went home and took a look at Craigslist and I hit the jackpot! I found a Playmor brand set (the same brand we were already looking at). It's only 4 years old, and in excellent condition. The wood isn't weathered or cracked, and the bolts aren't rusted, etc. I priced it new with the various options, and it would have been $3,183 plus tax. I got it for $950, with the only downfall being that DH has to partially disassemble it, haul it to our house, and put it back together. It's a HUGE swing set, so he is going to have a busy weekend.

Here's the one I bought. My 2 year old DD is going to be so excited to have this in her backyard.

 

[vettechick99]

NM, just see you replied!! But I'll leave this here anyway...

We just got one for DD5 and were in the same boat! DH is very handy, but he has little patience for that sort of stuff. And we'd heard from several friends that they can take days and several people to put together.

So we looked on craigslist for someone who was trying to get rid of theirs. That way we could see how it was put together and take it apart in sections. We found one for $125 and drove to Atlanta to get it! Got it home and it was in great condition. It did take many hours to put together and stain it, but DH did a great job. I can post pics if you like...just so you can see how amazing a used one can look.

GL!

 

[teller80]

Thats a nice swingset! I have to say, I bought a lot of toys my kids played with for like ten minutes, but the swingset was something they got many many years out of.

 

[Anthony1971]

If you buy Cedar it should be mostly Cedar....
any wood that is in the ground or will touch the ground should be pressure treated. Cedar will rot if it is put in or touches the ground -- or i should say will rot a lot faster...
Cedar on all other parts will look nicer over time and will not split or warp like pressure treated... split means pressure treated will shrink in the first few years and the wood will have splits in it or what will look like tears in the wood not split as in split in half.
if you are keeping it for 20 years than presuure treated and cedar is the way to go... if you think you will keep it for 10 or less pressure treated all around is fine and should be a fair amount cheaper.