How To Build An Outdoor Wooden Playground
If the space around your house is permissive, then don’t hesitate to build an outdoor playground for kids. It will stimulate their imagination and creativity and will keep them busy for many hours while you relax on the porch or work in the garden. You can choose among a myriad of projects, but we set our eyes on a standard plan, featuring a slide, swings and climbing ladders. It is an easy project which can be implement over the course of a day. Here are some technical details about how to build an outdoor wooden playground, as seen on Howtospecialist.com.
The first step is building the frame and the platform of the tower. The frame lies in six posts, two of 95”, three of 110” and one measuring 48 inches. If you want to create a really rigid structure, you could set the posts into the ground for about 1-2′, but it is not compulsory.
Attach the top slats of the frame, as seen in the image. You can also build a sandbox at the bottom of the tower for a better looking project. Plumb the posts with a spirit level and to check if the corners are right-angled. The next step is fitting the deck posts into place, spacing them ¼” apart and notching them to fit around the wooden posts. Attach pieces of wood to posts in order to create simple stairs. Adjust the distance between the steps to the needs of your kids, checking all the time if they are perfectly horizontal.
Finish the platform by attaching the support for the balusters, again adjusting the height to the kids’ needs, and then attaching the balusters to the supports. Optionally, you can install a plywood roof to give the project a complex look. You can also opt for fabric to cover the platform on those hot days. Next is building the opposite side of the swing frame which is a simpler process. The handyman here recommends you to create a structure as the one in the plans, so that your kids could climb it and diversify their activities and to dig 2′ deep holes in the ground and to set the posts into concrete, as the swings will tend to unbalance the structure.
As the playground is ready, you should take care of the finishing touches – filling the holes with a good wood filler and smooth the surface with 120-grit sandpaper along the wood grain, after the compound has dried out. In the end, apply some coats of paint in different colors to protect the wood and give the place a dynamic appearance as well.
