In my previous post I was quite excited about selecting the components for the swing set for the backyard and after down loading the catalog I sat down with the family to decide what we would go with. The first reaction was to go for the Jungle Fort Swing Set plus Tower but after marking out the space in the yard it proved to be so big that we just could not accommodate such a structure.
The one thing we did decide on is, we would have to have as a minimum a swing set that replaces the one that I was feeling a little uneasy about. So with that in mind the first part of the order was selecting the Jungle Fort Swing Set.
With the Jungle Fort Swing Set you get to choose the color of the roof tarp and with our son his favorite color is green and you’ve guessed it he wanted the tarp to be solid green, not green and yellow that we could have had, but solid green. The one good thing about having solid green is it shouldn’t stand out too much, it will blend in with the rest of the garden especially with the roof line being so high. Homeowner associations can be so finicky when it comes to garden structures even if it is for children. The next choice we had was with the two belt swings that come with the kit, that was an easy choice as well, green and blue, as Jack’s sister likes blue so that was easy as well. I was thinking to myself that we will need to have some of the other colors available, just to give the whole structure a little pizzazz so we’ll have to have red and yellow in the mix.
The next item that comes with the kit is a trapeze bar, this is a swing that Jack really likes, he’s already mastered the hanging upside down by his feet on the set that we already have so this will keep him energized nicely, we chose yellow just to mix the colors up. The only other items that we has to pick colors for are the two sets of hand safety grips that are used for entrances to the platform, one for the ladder and one when positioning ready to slide. The colors for the grips we chose were red and blue. The only other item that comes with the kit is a full set of plans but you also get the chance to download the set of plans as a PDF file so that you can study them and/or order the lumber required to start building.
To take advantage of the free shipping that Detailed Play Systems was offering until June 1st I decided to purchase all the options that we wanted so that I could plan the lumber quantities easier. We would have additional to the main Jungle Fort, a rock wall, monkey bars, rope ladder, one additional swing and the picnic table. I also decided to upgrade the roof tarp to the mega top to give additional sun protection and upgrade the swing hangers to the ductile iron hangers. The only item outstanding would be the slide but this was exempt from the free shipping.
With all the extra add-ons we decided on red for the rock holds, we went with the sand rock holds rather than the plastic, I felt there would be more grip on the simulated sand rock even though they would be of a cast resin, giving them a little more realism than the plastic alternative. Jack’s more accustom to the sand rock even though they are smaller than the plastic option as this material is used at the local park, bare feet and up the wall he goes.
The monkey bars come with the hot dipped galvanized hardware and the dowel rods, that’s all that comes with this add-on. The rope ladder is going to be 36 inches wide, simply to minimize arguing on who would go up first, it would be wide enough for both to climb, be it under supervision. The additional swing will be red so that all the swings have a separate color so we can control who swings on what swing. There will be no confusion when we say, “Your turn on the red swing.” The picnic table cover is going to be multi-colored, blue and yellow. With this add-on the plans allow you to remove the seats and table top so that you have access to the sandbox. I’m not sure that we will use the sandbox so maybe the picnic table will be a fixture but nevertheless it’s a good feature.
The final item to order was the slide, this item is ten feet long fixing to a five foot platform. The slide that we have at present is about seven and a half feet long fixing to a four foot platform, so all in all it’s going to be a lot more fun with the larger slide. We decided on what you would call a “Combo Slide,” this is a combination of a wave slide and a scoop slide. I like this one because it also has the higher side walls and has double wall thickness for extra durability. We decided on the color blue for this item because of the wave effect.
Well that’s it for this order, no doubt there will be a few extra items to get that I’ve forgotten but until I get this order delivered it will be hard to tell. I’m interested to see how good the quality is, it wasn’t cheap but if it’s as good as I expect then the extra cost would be worth it. I’m certainly looking forward to the challenge of building it.
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