s/o swingset discussions...new or used?

[AngB]

There are lots of wooden swingsets on our CL ranging mostly from 400-600 mostly with a few outliers. I have convinced DH we "need" one--we take DS1 to the park/playground nearly every day and it's not within walking distance so we have to drive there and it's kinda a PITA with our 5 month old in tow, not that we would never go to the park again, but this would save us a lot of trips especially when we only have time to take him for a half hour or whatever. (He is already really good at climbing and is all over playground equipment even stuff meant for older kids like the rope bridges.)

Anyway, DS1 will be 2 at the end of the month, DS2 is 18 months younger, we may hypothetically have one more in a couple years or so. So we anticipate that we would get lots of years of play out of it.

If we bought new, we are looking at stuff around $1000 and slightly over (like from Costco or similar). Most of them have free delivery and we'd try to pay someone to install it or get it installed through the store we buy it if that's an option.

If we bought used, all of them need stained badly, we would have to pay someone to go disassemble it, move it to us, and assemble it. (Not sure how much that would cost.) DH is really busy at work right now and is not going to have time to mess with it.

We most likely will not be moving in the next 4-5 years or more.

Would you just buy a new one given how young are kids still are?

[ourbabygirl]

Yeah, I would, just because your 2 year old is already very interested and able to use the equipment. We bought our (larger) set when we had a 2 year old DD and newborn DS, and even though our daughter was not as active as your son probably is, she loved the swings and sandbox and slide. We've gotten a ton of use out of ours, even though we don't have the best weather; it's soooo nice just having something in the backyard, and great for play dates and such, too! :)

[wellyes]

I think used is a great option if you have a truck to bring it to your house, and can do the disassembly and reassembly yourself. Friends of ours have done that with great success. But if you have to pay someone to do all that work (I'm guessing minimum $2000) that cuts down on the savings. Plus, sanding and staining is time consuming and a PITB. And if you have to do it because your DH can't, that means doing it with two kids in tow- not fun. Just buy the exact set you want.

[georgiegirl]

I'd only buy used if the set was from a big name company (like Rainbow and the like). Cheaper sets probably won't survive a move and reassembly very well.

So, buy new unless you can find a great deal on a name brand set.

[hellokitty]

I'd only buy used if the set was from a big name company (like Rainbow and the like). Cheaper sets probably won't survive a move and reassembly very well.

So, buy new unless you can find a great deal on a name brand set.

:yeahthat: Also, what the other pp said about moving and assembling it yourself vs. hiring someone to do it eating into cost savings. If I could do it all over again, I would have just bought the sam's club set, instead of the childlife set that was double the price. My kids would have been perfectly happy with the sam's club one and now that childlife got bought out and they discontinued the line all together, I'm stuck with a set that I can't really add onto (was going to get the eagle's nest, taller slide and monkey bars).

[Sweetsunshine]

We bought a used Rainbow Play set from craigslist. But my husband had to bribe my brother to help him go get it, and rent a trailer to bring it back because it wouldn't fit in the back of just a truck. He had to stain it, buy new bolts (Home Depot trip but it was just one more thing to do), reassemble it. The whole process took one very long day.

I'm lucky my DH is handy because we were able to get one of the bigger sets for a great deal. Compared to my neighbor's set (from SAMs club I think), ours is taller, the beams are thicker, and the platform is way bigger. So we'll get more long term use out of it because the kids can grow into it. The neighbor's kids are 8 and 6 and almost too big for theirs.

But it sounds like the best thing to do in your situation is to buy new. I love that even if my kids only have 20-30 minutes I can send them outside for at least a little while to play. We wouldn't have time to go to the park, especially at times like after dinner and they can run off a little more energy. It makes bedtime just that much easier, assuming they don't get dirty while they're out there.

[AJP]

We got a used set from my DH's cousins. They had paid over $3000 new several years ago and we had the company (creative playthings) move it for us and assemble it in our yard for $450. It made sense for us since DH didn't have the time or big enough truck to move it and reassemble. We stained it while doing our deck last spring since it needed it badly. We weren't going to spend $2k for a comparable set, so it was a bargain for us. There are some pieces of wood that need to be replaced due to rot, but I'm waiting till next year. If the price exceeds 4 or 5 hundred it won't be such a great deal for us though. We would have spent up to $1800 on a new set assembled. If the set makes it 5 more years with minimum repairs ill be happy.

[jent]

Thanks for starting this thread, I've been researching playset options too. DH is anti-playset b/c we're renters, plus he doesn't think of himself as very handy if we go the buy-used-and-assemble-yourself route (although truth be told he does ok when I push him to do something around the house). I was actually about to post asking how difficult they are to move, or how much $$ it costs to have them moved and assembled. If we DIY'd we'd have to rent a truck, so we have to figure that in the cost. (AJP, thanks for the cost info-- we are in your neck of the woods so it would likely be the same. Did they charge based on distance travelled too?)

So, for those that moved a playset yourself, what tools and skills did this require?

ETA: found this list of requirements on the specs for the Costco swing set:

Tool list (not included):
Tape Measure
Carpenter’s Level
Carpenter’s Square
Claw Hammer
Standard or Cordless Drill
#1 Phillips, #2 Robertson & Screwdriver
Ratchet with Extension (1/2” & 9/16” sockets)
Open End Wrench (1/2” & 9/16”)
Adjustable Wrench
1/8” & 3/16” Drill Bits
3/16” Hex Key
8’ Step Ladder
Safety Glasses
Adult Helpers
Pencil

[wendibird22]

We bought used from our neighbors 2 houses down. They were able to separate it into 2 pieces...the swingset part and the tower part...and move those 2 pieces on the back of a pick up. DH just had to rejoin those two pieces and reattached the slide. DH restained it himself. It took one day to sand and one day to stain. The other family had it for about 5-6yr before selling it to us. We've owned it 4yrs. It's in excellent condition other than the vinyl canopy over the tower is now weather worn. Best $300 we ever spent.

[AngB]

They were able to separate it into 2 pieces...the swingset part and the tower part...and move those 2 pieces on the back of a pick up. DH just had to rejoin those two pieces and reattached the slide.

Hm. I wonder if most sets can be disassembled like that and moved (like even 20ish-30 min away) or if they would have to be completely disassembled. I was imagining having to have it completely disassembled and it taking hours and hours...do you think it worked so well because it was only a few houses down or do you think it could have been moved farther like that?

[div_0305]

We almost bought off CL last year. SO many cheap used playsets. Several sellers commented that the set could be broken down into only a few main pieces. One offered to haul it to our house for the price of gas, since he had a big p/u truck. In the end we didn't buy one because our kids are getting older (8 and 3) and we have a major problem with various wildlife, snakes, some type of gigantic predatory bird, spiders, mosquitos and gnats in our yard. So we'd still have to be out there with the kids, and I'd have to toughen up and use a broom to de-web/scare away any wildlife each time--and deal with the disgusting gnats.

[knaidel]

I just bought a swing set- it was installed last week. I had been looking at CraigsList for a while, but I found that the cost to move, re-assemble, etc....would really negate my savings. Also, I have a small backyard, so I was looking for a smaller set. I think if you are in the market for a bigger set, you might see more of a savings with buying used.

My husband doesn't have a lot of time on the weekends to do this AND we don't know anyone with a pick up truck that we can borrow.


I paid $425 to have my swing set assembled.

[AJP]

Hm. I wonder if most sets can be disassembled like that and moved (like even 20ish-30 min away) or if they would have to be completely disassembled. I was imagining having to have it completely disassembled and it taking hours and hours...do you think it worked so well because it was only a few houses down or do you think it could have been moved farther like that?

Ours was moved this way as well. The guy from the company had the two pieces in a trailer attached to the back of his truck. He drove about 15 miles with it in two pieces.

[indigo99]

DH has put in about 10 hours cleaning and staining our new playset already, and only has one coat on it so far. I think it will take another 6 hours before we're done. That's on top of the two days spent assembling. The hardware (we replaced all of it with galvanized) was also a pretty big expense which you may need to account for if you disassemble and move a set. Most use only zinc plated hardware which will be rusted to some degree so you may not be able to use it again.

Most of the wood that contacts the ground will likely have some degree of rot too so a used set may not last as long as you'll want. IMO the possible savings of a used set probably just aren't enough to warrant getting a used set when you have such young kids.

[Looking4deals]

I thought about this, but I don't know what the previous owner did to the swing set... I want something new.. Something I can trust.... Is is really worth it to save money. Seems a little risky to get a used swingset.

[westwoodmom04]

Honestly, I think a used set would be fine. Our stayed with our house when we bought it so technically used. It wasn't properly anchored, so we had a guy come out and do that (as well as tighten the whole thing), total charge $100. Seven years later, it is still going strong, I would guess that it was 3-5 years old when we moved in. It's "Child Life," which was a more expensive brand, but I think you could get a good amount of use from a used set.