Backyard playscape recommendation? (Sunray: house, to buy, upkeep)

[LilyAustin]

We are looking for a playscape for our yard for our 5-year-old and 3-year-old. We've checked out the Rainbow store and the Backyard Adventures locations, off 35 and 620 up north. We found some that we like, but some are close to $10,000. So, we are looking to either build one ourselves or keep looking.

Any recommendations out there for other places to look for playground equipment? Either other stores or websites where you had a good experience ordering from? We really want a playscape that has an enclosed clubhouse on the top deck.

Thanks for any ideas. Our kids' birthdays are next month and this will be their gift.

[motherofthree]

I shopped for a playscape last year and was shocked by the prices - not to mention the upkeep a wood structure here in TX would need. I went this route instead: Amazon.com: Kettler Trimmstation Swing Set: Sports & Outdoors.

I know it doesn't have the clubhouse you want but it does have a lot of fun activities. My friends tell me they don't like their wooden set b/c the clubhouse is always hot and the slide is too hot to go down.

It's really well made, cost a lot less and no maintenance. I'm super happy we did it. It took 3 people to put together because it's so big but you could do it with two. We used a bag of fence post cement for each hole. It's been a year and still looks brand new.

[maustintx]

I just ordered a playscape from Kid's Creation online for my grandkids. I had located a swingset installer and asked for his recommenations for manufacturers and he recommended Gorilla, Kids Creation and Backyard Discovery. My daughter picked out a set on Kid's Creation and I was impressed manufacturer. It will hold up to 250 lbs on the swing sets, it comes with thicker bolts, thicker screws, stronger swing support, ladders strong enough for adults, thicker support beams, etc. Wooden Swing Sets | Wooden Playsets by Kids Creations The website has lots of information to consider when you buy a playset. That alone should be helpful in getting your questions together to consider before picking out a playset from anyone.

[Idlewile]

I'm not sure if this would fit the bill but the sets Costco offers are all backed up by Costco's solid return policy. We have friends who bought a set that was about 4K two years and they've absolutely raved about it.

http://www.costco.com/Common/Categor...=en-US&topnav=

[LilyAustin]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! We will check them out. In fact, my husband hopped on the Kids Creations site tonight and is impressed with the quality and selection. For some reason, that site hadn't popped up in some of our preliminary searches. They also have a cool "build-your-own" set 3-D modeler that he's having fun using to test some potential swingset footprints.

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

I'm not sure if this would fit the bill but the sets Costco offers are all backed up by Costco's solid return policy. We have friends who bought a set that was about 4K two years and they've absolutely raved about it.

Costco - Sports & Fitness - Playsets

thumbs up on the Costco playset. We have it and our kids love it.

[achtungpv]

I built the Costco playset last year. Did it by myself and it took 25 hours total. The Sunray models are made by Rainbow and are the same other than you assemble them yourself.

I will say I'm not completely sold on the quality. For the rock wall and the roof shingles, the wood is too soft for how thin the boards are. Also, in many cases, the screws provided are not long enough to hold the boards on when under stress...in particular for the roof shingles. Beware of this and replace them with screws that are 1/4" longer.

[sharondacoop]

We are looking for someone who can build a wooden playscape in our yard for under $2000. Included in that price would be the leveling of the play area and the filling of the play area with mulch, chips, or stones. We basically want someone who can do the whole project and build a sturdy playscape including two swings, slide, fort, climbing wall and table/sandbox for under $2K. It's hard to find. Anyone have a reference? We'd appreciate it!

[luzababy]

Hello!

I actually have a friend who is selling her backyard adventure playscape. It's in excellent condition and willing to sell it at a reasonable price. I just left her house and I was actually out there helping her take pics to post on craigslist. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll be happy to provide details.

[intmd8r]

We're not yet in the position to buy one, but will be within a year or so and the first place we look will be Craigslist.

Good luck!!