Mark & Theresa Show How to Build a Dream Outdoor Wood Playset!

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• Love it Jeremy -- Sorry for the slow response. I love this project -- Mark

• Mark,

  Thanks for the quick reply and I am sorry for the delayed response. I definitely appreciate the info on the slide. The first tower has been built and I am making some modifications in terms of the overall finished product, but I'll be sure to send along pictures once I am done with the entire project.

• So I found the slide but there are two options. A 5 ft, which has a height of 7.6feet, or a 7 foot one. Which one did you use for your playhouse? I built the towers exactly the same as your provided plans.

  The hay needle site is a little confusing. Not sure how a 5ft slide can be 7.6 feet high.

  • Jeremy--The slide itself was a situation for us. I forget the exact height of the slide we used--which was among the most frustrating things I ever assembled and installed--but the key layout point as I recall was the required height of the 'play platform'. In other words, it doesn't matter how long the side is as long as it's designed for the play platform height of whatever you've got. It's kind of like stairs. The run (tread width) can vary, but the rise (how high the stair must go) cannot. So the 'play platform height is however high off the ground you've framed your deck. If the slide you want needs some nudging to work, you can fill in some earth under the slide base. Does this make sense? Let me know. How's the rest of it going?

• I was wondering where I could find the plans for this play set? Every link I click on it takes me to a page that says they aren't there anymore. I'd love to try this build with my husband. I know that our 3 kids would love this fort!

  • Hi Amanda,

    Here is a link to the building plans and materials list for this playset! http://myfixituplife.com/DIY/realwoodplayset/

    We'd love to see photos of what you and your husband create!

• Erin!!!!! I love this. I was just watching Ninja last night.
  There is absolutely no problem with using pressure treated lumber. Our playset is made out of it and it is rock solid. And there is zero science I know of showing any problems that I think you think might exist. Just make sure to use 'ground contact' rated PT where it's in ground contact. Check with your supplier. I like to use rated PT for the decking and bottom few courses of sheathing too. That mostly has to do with leaves and organic stuff getting in there and turning into 'ground' after a while.
  I recommend 2-by sheathing. While we don't have engineering on the sheathing, I think you'd be OK using 1-by in the configuration shown here, though I don't think you'd see much of a price difference. It's really the thru-bolted structural connections that are carrying the brunt of the dynamic forces of kids playing. As for the modifications you suggest--which sound super fun--I'm not sure what you mean by a swinging disc, but it seems a beam and probably another post set in concrete would be in order in place of the slide.
  You have got to send us picture of the project. Post them on our Facebook page. I love the Ninja Warrior use. You guys rock. And the pergola too!!!
  Finally, weather: Pressure treated or other exterior grade lumber should be just fine in the snow and other wicked weather you guys have. Let us know how it goes and thank you so much for getting in touch with us.

• We love this design! We just built a pergola so the detail on the tower really caught our eye. Since our kids (ages 1-13) are going to be in constant contact with the wood, we were thinking we should use cedar for the whole project instead of pressure treated wood. However, when we priced it out today, the total for just the wood was over $4000! Are the 2x6 sheathing boards necessary for structural support or can we substitute 1-by's? Are there any other areas that we could modify to make it more affordable?
  The videos are helpful, but do you have a cut list? Step by step instructions for where to use which nails/screws/boards?
  We also live in North Dakota. Is there anything we would need to take into account since we have snow and very cold temperatures for a good part of the year? Our whole family loves American Ninja Warrior so we want to add obstacles such as swinging discs and a rock wall instead of the slide but that means the whole structure will be taking quite a beating.
  Thank you for your help!

• Ben--I hope this does the trick. Three videos, drawings and a materials list ('take-off' in contractor talk) right here. Please let us know if this helps. http://myfixituplife.com/DIY/realwoodplayset/

• i was wondering if you had drawing of the play-set that were more detailed than the ones i found online. This is for the play-set with the 2 towers and the bridge connecting them.

• Stephanie--Thank you so much for your kind words. To answer your questions, we prefer wood on this as the walls (techincally, 'cladding') serve a structural purpose that composite decking really isn't designed for.

  As for pricing, not only did we build this several years ago, we built several of them and some prototype material, so sussing out the actual cost in today's prices isn't really possible. I do know that composite materials can be double or triple the costs of wood, which is also something to consider.

  Thank you again. We hope you get to build this project and keep us up to date!

• Brittanie--Good questions. We built this from pressure treated lumber. it could also be built from cedar or redwood. The lumber on the ground--technically in 'ground contact'--must be rated for such service. Generally 4-by and 6-by pressure treated is rated for ground contact. 2-by materials usually has to be special ordered though there is barely a price difference in many cases. If you live in a place where leaves can get caught inside the towers, you should use ground contact rated material up the wall one or two courses. Reason is: The leaves can decay and become 'ground'. Please let us know if we can help in any other way. We'd love to see progress photos on your project.