Swing Set questions

[redredwine]

I finally won the battle of "We need more sh*t to entertain our toddler" and getting a swing set for our yard. We don't have a HUGE yard, but we can make it work. We have a 2.5 year old and not having more. 


A few questions, as it's a pretty hefty investment. 


1. Roof material: Wood or Canopy?  
We're in the PNW, so LOTS of rain and while I don't expect a wood roof to protect a ton from the rain, I feel like just a canopy wouldn't hold up well. 
2. Brands: Debating between these two sets. Any difference between these two brands (Backyard Discovery and Swing N Slide)

www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/backyard-discovery-tanglewood-all-cedar-swing-set-vpe1081.html

www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/swing-n-slide-jamboree-fort-play-swing-set-sns1304.html

3. WE're just going to put it on grass - assuming out yard is level? Any tips for securing? 

Anything else that's helpful to know when purchasing? 

ETA: Finally landed on this one. Gorilla seems to be one of the better brands and a great warranty.

www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Playsets-DIY-Outing-III-Wooden-Playset-with-Wood-Roof-Wave-Slide-and-Rock-Wall-01-1063/312327090

[waverly]

I don’t have experience with these kind of sets, but yes I agree wood would hold up better than canvas. Actually I think the sun damaged canvas probably more than rain- ours typically look very faded in 2 years.

Do you have to waterproof the cedar every few years?

[janegold]

Well we just had ours installed this morning, so I don't have any practical tips yet, other than - hire a professional installer! They had it together in 6 hours. It would have taken us 6 weeks.

We went with this one, and chose the wood roof. All the canvas covers I have seen end up looking faded and raggedy. gorillaplaysets.com/mountaineer-clubhouse-swing-set/

[noodleoo]

Mar 31, 2020 13:33:16 GMT -5 janegold said:

Well we just had ours installed this morning, so I don't have any practical tips yet, other than - hire a professional installer! They had it together in 6 hours. It would have taken us 6 weeks.

We went with this one, and chose the wood roof. All the canvas covers I have seen end up looking faded and raggedy. gorillaplaysets.com/mountaineer-clubhouse-swing-set/

We were looking at Gorilla!  I want one now too for our 4 and 1.5 year olds.  We had decided not to get one and just take them to the park instead (pre-corona), but that's out the window now.  We definitely will not be installing ourselves (we are NOT handy, LOL!).

Did you look at Creative Playthings?  Everyone I know has that brand.  I'm curious as I was leaning towards Gorilla.  Also, do you know what the deal is with yellow vs green slide?  Is the yellow preferable for some reason?  Thx!

[InBetweenDays]

We're in the PNW as well and had a playset for 9 years (replaced it with a trampoline last summer). We did the canopy and it held up fine. Here are two photos I posted when we sold it on Craigslist. We hadn't cleaned or waterproof anything in the 9 years we had it. The wood was a bit weathered but everything was still in solid condition.

 

ETA: We didn't do anything to secure it to the ground. The weight of it kept it in place. We get a lot of wind at our house and it didn't budge.

[minniemouse]

We have had a set since 2011, the green canopy is a little faded but still looks ok. Wood may be nicer though. Ours is a different brand than the ones you posted- We bought ours at Lowe’s.
Definitely hire someone to install if you can within social distancing restrictions! It took my h about 35 hours to set up. Ours is also on grass with long anchors into the ground. It is solid.

[redredwine]

awesome - thanks everyone! Note, we would LOVE to have someone install it, but not sure it's possible with stay in place orders here. We'll see!

Looking at this KidKraft one, I think this one is made just for Walmart, but I know the brand is supposed to be good.

www.walmart.com/ip/KidKraft-Windale-Wooden-Cedar-Swing-Set/46847463?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-834279575926:pla-51320962143&wl5=9032828&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=46847463&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1Iv0BRDaARIsAGTWD1vKhR6pCHWY22uIM7l4PSYwjeS_lkziWwRxme7ClDeoMsHsZs1h92QaAkIYEALw_wcB

[janegold]

Mar 31, 2020 14:20:59 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Mar 31, 2020 13:33:16 GMT -5 janegold said:

Well we just had ours installed this morning, so I don't have any practical tips yet, other than - hire a professional installer! They had it together in 6 hours. It would have taken us 6 weeks.

We went with this one, and chose the wood roof. All the canvas covers I have seen end up looking faded and raggedy. gorillaplaysets.com/mountaineer-clubhouse-swing-set/

We were looking at Gorilla!  I want one now too for our 4 and 1.5 year olds.  We had decided not to get one and just take them to the park instead (pre-corona), but that's out the window now.  We definitely will not be installing ourselves (we are NOT handy, LOL!).

Did you look at Creative Playthings?  Everyone I know has that brand.  I'm curious as I was leaning towards Gorilla.  Also, do you know what the deal is with yellow vs green slide?  Is the yellow preferable for some reason?  Thx!

I have no idea the difference between yellow and green slides, sorry! Ours has green.

A bunch of people on here, and in online reviews, recommended Gorilla when I asked for recommendations. I liked that it seemed like a solid mid-priced brand. I didn't want to get anything that was too inexpensive because I was worried the quality of wood wouldn't be as good, but I didn't want to spend a fortune either. It seemed like people were happy with the quality of Gorilla and the price was reasonable.  

[janegold]

Mar 31, 2020 15:00:47 GMT -5 redredwine said:

awesome - thanks everyone! Note, we would LOVE to have someone install it, but not sure it's possible with stay in place orders here. We'll see!

My installers this morning said they were designated as essential workers, lol. Not sure about that, but they were allowed to come and I felt fine about it because they were outside all day and I could interact minimally with them from a distance.

[Mrs.flang]

We have almost that exact gorilla one, except we have a canopy roof. The instructions say to remove it in the winter to prevent stretching from snow. We’ve only had it since last September or so.

We have a pretty small yard so I like the footprint of this one. We hired an installer to put it together and then later had a landscaper do some more work to make the ground more level, but we have a really sloped yard.

I’m so happy we have it now that we’re home all day. My 3.5 yo and 15 mo old both love it and use it every day. (We purchased an infant swing separately).

Here’s a photo just for funsies.

[carolinagirl831]

We have a gorilla one very similar to what you posted. We love it. I decided on gorilla after our neighbors had it a few years and it still looked great.

[noodleoo]

Mar 31, 2020 19:03:48 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

We have almost that exact gorilla one, except we have a canopy roof. The instructions say to remove it in the winter to prevent stretching from snow. We’ve only had it since last September or so.

We have a pretty small yard so I like the footprint of this one. We hired an installer to put it together and then later had a landscaper do some more work to make the ground more level, but we have a really sloped yard.

I’m so happy we have it now that we’re home all day. My 3.5 yo and 15 mo old both love it and use it every day. (We purchased an infant swing separately).

Here’s a photo just for funsies.

This is the one we’re thinking of! Your yard looks amazing. Thx for the pic! Did you do the installation through Gorilla or hire separately?

[Mrs.flang]

Thanks noodleoo! We just finished up a big yard project and we're so happy we had it done before this craziness!

We bought the set through Home Depot and they have referrals for contractors so I got a few quotes that way. Two guys came and finished it in about 4 hours. I think it was around $250 or $300 but it saved us a huge headache!

[noodleoo]

Apr 1, 2020 5:40:32 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

Thanks noodleoo ! We just finished up a big yard project and we're so happy we had it done before this craziness!

We bought the set through Home Depot and they have referrals for contractors so I got a few quotes that way. Two guys came and finished it in about 4 hours. I think it was around $250 or $300 but it saved us a huge headache!

Wow, it's cheaper on Home Depot!  But also out of stock.    Thx for the tips!  

[redredwine]

Apr 1, 2020 8:26:01 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Apr 1, 2020 5:40:32 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

Thanks noodleoo ! We just finished up a big yard project and we're so happy we had it done before this craziness!

We bought the set through Home Depot and they have referrals for contractors so I got a few quotes that way. Two guys came and finished it in about 4 hours. I think it was around $250 or $300 but it saved us a huge headache!

Wow, it's cheaper on Home Depot!  But also out of stock.    Thx for the tips!  

Yup, we ended up not being able to order it, so we went with the dual side version instead (and it was on sale until yesterday, but regular price today)
www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Playsets-DIY-Outing-III-Wooden-Playset-with-Wood-Roof-2-Wave-Slides-and-Sandbox-Area-01-1072/312169907