Swing set for a small yard

[knaidel]

You guys are full of all the right answers today...so I hope you will be able to help me with this one, too. :) Then I need to actually get some real work done....or else my telecommuting privilege might be yanked. :)

We have been saving up for a swing set ever since we moved into the house (2.5 years ago). We don't really have any good parks close by, and no one else in our immediate area has a swing set for us to use.

So I had picked out a gorilla set that other people on the board purchased and recommended. I was all set to get it, when I realized the size: something that's 20 feet wide and 12 feet deep. I started browsing around on willygoat, gorilla, etc....and I realized that they are all about the same width (on average 20 feet wide)....that means that after I do the landscaping, these sets will all take up about 30 feet in my yard.....it's way too big for my small yard.

My yard is a rectangle: about 75 feet wide and 25 feet deep.

Then, I thought about something much smaller, like this:

http://www.allwebdiscounts.com/amishswingsets/swingset_wood_01.php

or something similar, like one of the space saver models from triumph.

But my question is like this: is a small swing set like this a total waste of money? I mean, if there is barely any room for kids to play on, and not that many swings, is it even worth buying? And for whatever reason, its; not as if these smaller ones are much cheaper--- so its not like I will be saving any money.

So two questions:

1) has anyone seen any good quality, smaller playsets that still look like FUN? I have an 8 year old, so I don't want to buy one with a 6 foot high swing beam and a 3*4 platform.

2) Do you think one of these "space saver" types is a waste of money?

[brittone2]

We had a metal one that wasn't huge in a previous home. It was green, blended in fairly well with our wooded lot, and wasn't distasteful, although I prefer wood. Dh was in grad school, we weren't sure if we were staying in the house, so 200 was a lot better than 2K+. My kids and the neighborhood kids had a lot of fun on that set considering the price. It had 2-3 swings, a trapeze, one of those glider seats, and a slide. DH later built a huge wooden fort with playhouse underneath, and we put in a big slide, so that carried DS1 a little longer. The older neighborhood kids (including kids up to 10-13 yo) had a lot of fun with it. It was maybe like 7x7 or larger up top.

When we moved, the house we purchased had just a basic 3 swing setup with a slide. We haven't really upgraded. If my older 2 were younger, I might have, but eh, it serves the purpose and they don't really complain. I think it is totally fine; if you don't want your whole yard chewed up, then I'd go with a small set. I don't think they are a waste of money, but bigger sets do tend to have somewhat better longevity for some kids.

You may find that you save money on the surfacing materials with the smaller set since you won't have to put down as much. We spent a pretty penny on pea gravel at our last home (with the metal set and the big fort/playhouse DH built). So while the set itself might not be much less expensive, depending on the price of mulch or pea gravel, etc. in your area, it may save a good bit to have a smaller area to take care of. (also edging, underlayment, etc.)

[knaidel]

Beth, thanks for chiming in. What do you think of that swing set I linked to? I think something like this--- at least it has a fort. And no, neither my husband or I are building a fort in our yard. :) Do you think something like that is worth spending the money on? Considering my youngest is 3 months old, I will likely be using it for at least 9 years. I would add a baby swing.

we don't have any trees in the yard to hang swings on or anything.

[brittone2]

I like it. My 3 would still have fun with it for sure!

[pastrygirl]

I think my kids would love that one! We have just 3 swings, and they don't use them much. I think they'd prefer a fort and climbing stuff over the swings.

[IansMom]

I love that swingset! I wish that company delivered to my state (I am in Alabama). It reminds me of a swingset that I have fallen in love with:

http://www.blueskyswings.com/trainer.htm

[elbenn]

Hopefully lhafer will chime in because I know she has posted about a nice gorilla set in a small backyard.

[vludmilla]

We have a VERY small yard. I think our entire lot is .11 or .15. We have this set from Costco last year.
http://blog.jakeparrillo.com/2012/02/cedar-summit-mountainview-resort.html
It was $1000. It is fabulous. Not too small or big. Made out of cedar and sturdy. DD loves it and multiple kids can use it at once. Costco has a slightly different version of this every year for about the same price.

[lhafer]

My yard is also a rectangle - almost exactly like yours. Mine is 85'W (and slightly narrows as it comes towards the house from the back fence) and 25' from the house to the fence. We have a back patio and have 17' from the end of the patio to the back fence. We have a 7' easement, which I don't worry about because I don't consider a playset a permanent structure.

I got a gorilla set after much research. I needed to find a set that had the slide coming off the end of the set - not out of the middle, which a lot of sets have this set up. I did not do the mulch stuff underneath the swingset and it hasn't been a problem.

Our set is now 2 years old, and held up marvelously. I never stained it when we got it - just hired someone to put it together. I need to stain it now - hot Texas sun all day long and the roof is splotchy (we have a wood roof).

If I had to do it over, I would go with the set with the tire swing instead of the sand box for a couple of reasons. While the sand box does get used, it's usually only in the spring and fall (winter too cold, summer too hot). It's messy, and the girls always needs a bath afterwards. I have since built them a sand table that is much smaller than our old sand table. They would LOVE the tire swing now. My girls are swingers, and the swings are the most important part of the swingset for them. That said, they do slide some, and use the rock wall some. They use the sand box the least.

For underneath the fort, I laid down a weed barrier screen on top of the grass to prevent weeds from growing. I bought a plastic baby pool that fit in it (4' across I think), and poked holes throughout the bottom (using a screwdriver). I filled it with sand. I bought mulch and filled in the rest of the area. I bought the cover that fits this area, so neighborhood cats and animals would not go to the bathroom in the sand. The cover is mesh, and lets water get through - that's why I poked holes in the pool, so it would drain.

Here are my previous posts/threads about my swingset search:
initial search: http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=393564&highlight=gorilla

Here's my thread with pictures of our old metal swing set vs the new Gorilla one - you can see the size of our yard. The swing set looks really close to the back fence, and it is - but the swings have plenty of clearance. http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=395707&highlight=gorilla

You can see some modifications I made to the openings of the fort in this thread - I always worried when my 2 year old would climb up there by herself. Now I don't worry about her falling out of the openings as much anymore. http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=447271&highlight=gorilla

[knaidel]

Thank you all for your responses.

I called a company up in Lancaster regarding the "mini" one I posted-- basically a wooden version of the one Ian's Mom posted. I am waiting to hear the pricing on a vinyl one. A wooden one would be about $1500, installed and delivered. But I realized something......This model is still 18 feet by 11.5 feet. That's not considerably different from the gorilla one I am interested in (21 feet by 11 feet)

Regarding the costco set --- it's the same thing-- I don't think that the costco set posted above is considerably smaller than one of the gorilla ones I am considering (with a tire swing-- 21 feet by 11 feet). The one on JakeParillo.com is not considerably smaller: 19.5 x 10.6

Hmmm....this has given me some food for thought. See, because, the small one that I posted a picture of...... same price range as some of the gorilla ones we're talking about. So I feel kind of silly.....like spending the same, if not more money for a smaller set, with one less swing. Like Britone pointed out, I would be saving money more on the landscaping.

But lhafer and vludmilla: you guys feel like you still have room in your yards?

[Tondi G]

The one you linked to looks like it would be really fun for kids. Lots of options, slide, rock climbing wall, net, tire swing, etc. I would go for something like that!

[knaidel]

The one you linked to looks like it would be really fun for kids. Lots of options, slide, rock climbing wall, net, tire swing, etc. I would go for something like that!


which one do you mean? the wooden "mini" one? even though it's small and doesn't have a lot of swings?

[lhafer]

Yes, I have at least half the yard left over. Swings are important to my kids, so I would more swings. I have 3 swings...I keep 2 regular swings up and a glider so a toal of 4 kids can be swinging at one time. They have the fort where they like to camp out. And use the rock wall occasionally.

[vludmilla]

It works out for us. We still have some landscaping, room for a bench, a small deck and some open space.