Our daughter will be three this spring and it's time for a swing set. Since she's only 3 and baby #2 is likely coming within the year so we don't need a huge swing set. I fully anticipate upgrading to a full size/more extravagant swing set later.

Any recommendations on an economical solution? Are the $300-500 options at Academy and Home Depot solid enough?

Certain place (online?) to buy to DIY kits? I'm more mechanically inclined than carpentry but I've got a mitre saw and plenty of sockets/wrenches/drills/nut driver/impact.

Thanks!

I bought one from Sam's when my kids were that age. Stained and sealed all of the boards before I put it together. Took my father in-law and I almost a whole weekend to build it. It's lasted well. It's probably 7 years old and still in great shape. I do get out the ladder and re-stain/seal it about once a year though.

I've taken care of it, but mine was well worth the money. I think it was in the $300-400 range and it is still in great shape.

Got mine for free on this site. All I had to do is haul it away, unload, and put it together. Big win. Left it erected at the house when we moved as it made more sense to do that and I kept the 'pay it forward' train going.

These days of under-engineering & not-made-in-USA
it has become Important to read the specifications such as

Weight limit: then use your crystal ball to figure total weight of number x weight of guests hanging onto it + motion weight added when swinging, etc. ... then add weight to each as the years go by

Age range: $300 seems to buy up to 8-yo, $600 up to 10-yp, etc. Now, at what age do they stop using it???

As for me, non-corrosive metal is forever and when abandoned for play, could be employed as greenhouse, hunting blind, tenting storage, etc. Consider metal rust vs. wood splinters and rot .... even IF redwood/cypress/cedar.

I love the suggestions toward buy-used, especially if most of it could be hauled assembled! Buy TWO in different configuations? Anchor well those footings, perhaps in deep hole Quikcrete .... Tie those swing out-o-way when on riding lawn mower.

TMI, I know

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Just buy a used one off Facebook marketplace or whatever. People are always getting rid of thesethings for dirt cheap.

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This.

If you were close to Denver, you could come get mine which I posted this morning, for free!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/576257530902983

We got it for free ~5 years ago from someone in the neighborhood whose kids outgrew it.

Find one with good bones and sand/stain/paint and update/upgrade to your hearts content. I had fun when I did one for my kids a few years back. With as many that are out there, I actually thought about rebuilding and selling them on the side.

62strat said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Just buy a used one off Facebook marketplace or whatever. People are always getting rid of thesethings for dirt cheap.

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This.

If you were close to Denver, you could come get mine which I posted this morning, for free!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/576257530902983

We got it for free ~5 years ago from someone in the neighborhood whose kids outgrew it.

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I have that exact swing set, which I got off facebook marketplace from someone free in my area. AND, I did the same thing you did - I built walls and added a sandbox between the four posts in the bottom.

The previous owner had upgraded that arm holding up the swings to a 4x6. That thing was a bear to reinstall myself when I was building it in my yard.

But yeah, I'd take something like this over a $200 new one again too. Get one for free out of someone's yard, spend that couple hundred restaining it, and you end up with a much better, safer set.

Edit: maybe my previous owner did more than upgrade the one post. Mine is on 4x4 posts all around, with a wooden roof - yours looks to be on something lighter weight, and you're missing the roof. At any rate, the configuration and hardware all matches.

Ark03 said:

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62strat said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Just buy a used one off Facebook marketplace or whatever. People are always getting rid of thesethings for dirt cheap.

---

This.

If you were close to Denver, you could come get mine which I posted this morning, for free!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/576257530902983

We got it for free ~5 years ago from someone in the neighborhood whose kids outgrew it.

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I have that exact swing set, which I got off facebook marketplace from someone free in my area. AND, I did the same thing you did - I built walls and added a sandbox between the four posts in the bottom.

The previous owner had upgraded that arm holding up the swings to a 4x6. That thing was a bear to reinstall myself when I was building it in my yard.

But yeah, I'd take something like this over a $200 new one again too. Get one for free out of someone's yard, spend that couple hundred restaining it, and you end up with a much better, safer set.

Edit: maybe my previous owner did more than upgrade the one post. Mine is on 4x4 posts all around, with a wooden roof - yours looks to be on something lighter weight, and you're missing the roof. At any rate, the configuration and hardware all matches.

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and just like that, this playset is gone out of my yard. 1 day lol. I had 25 responses. Went to a young couple in my town that has a 2 year old.. they were both mechanics so it felt good to pay it forward.

Ours had a green canopy up and over that center bar, but it was really dry rotting badly with a few shreds starting to show, and one day we were launching water balloons from my neighbors backyard and we hit that canopy dead center which annihilated it lol.

If you have sturdy trees spaced about 20-30' apart I recommend a slack line play kit like this one. Swings and all the other climbing stuff works just fine on it and the ease of install and removal and reconfiguration is awesome. This is just an example, they make a ton of different lengths and attachments.

Double Ninja Slackline Obstacle Course for Kids - 80 Foot Line - https://a.co/d/51qIT7w

We caught a deal at Sam's club and ordered online. Most of the swing sets I saw on fb marketplace were a couple hundred bucks and aged. We bought new under $400 from Sam's

https://www.backyardcity.com/Swing-Set-Kits-Do-It-Yourself.htm


I built the Trailblazer with 3 swings just prior to COVID when the parts from backyardcity.com were less than $200 and lumber was cheap. I think we are going to add a upper deck like the Adventurer but instead of the twist slide do a couple climbing walls.

About 10 years ago I built a playset using plans from www.detailedplay.com. You can either buy just the plans for $10 or less, or you can purchase a hardware package from them and all you need to do is purchase lumber (the plans tell you what you need). At the time I priced it out and it was cheaper to purchase the hardware package from them than get it all at Home Depot, plus it was more convenient. I don't know if that is the case now. It is way sturdier than the sets you buy from the box stores, and it has held up well over the years.

Not to hijack, but any recommendations for a playground in the $3k-$5k range? Located in college Station and found one place on Highway 6. The one we liked online was something stupid like $15k. Looking for something that looks nice/modern and will last a long time. I know that's still a big budget for a swing set, but grandparents have offered and insisted on spending that much.

lawless89 said:

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Not to hijack, but any recommendations for a playground in the $3k-$5k range? Located in college Station and found one place on Highway 6. The one we liked online was something stupid like $15k. Looking for something that looks nice/modern and will last a long time. I know that's still a big budget for a swing set, but grandparents have offered and insisted on spending that much.

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We spent like $600 on one last summer because it was on sale from $1200 and I thought that was insane.

lawless89 said:

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Not to hijack, but any recommendations for a playground in the $3k-$5k range? Located in college Station and found one place on Highway 6. The one we liked online was something stupid like $15k. Looking for something that looks nice/modern and will last a long time. I know that's still a big budget for a swing set, but grandparents have offered and insisted on spending that much.

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I'm assuming you don't want to DIY or aren't comfortable with tools because you would have seen all of the above advice.

If that's the case, find the resellers on FB marketplace to come install a used set for you. Plenty of gently used quality sets out there from Kid Craft, Gorilla, Lifetime, etc.