Building the Play Set

Bob,

In the first week of moving into New House, Nancy and I sat down and wrote out a list of jobs that needed to be completed on the house.  Some of these are fixes, but most of them are improvements.  The house is a great house.  We love it.  It's big and tight and fully functioning.  But like most new homeowners, we have plans to tweak this and that to make it more accommodating for our family. The list we compiled filled an entire page of paper, every line.  We have lots of plans.

One of the tasks on the list involved building a play set for Garner and the friends he will meet in the neighborhood.  I want the play set to be big and sturdy and well-made and safe.  Garner is a climber and a jumper.  He's very physical, so we need something that will provide him many ways to exercise. 

In my head, I put together a plan for a three-section play set, comprised of platforms at different levels.  One will have a roof, one will have climbing ropes and ladders, one will have a climbing wall and one will have monkey bars or swings.  This past weekend my friend, Ty, helped me and Sam put together the first platform.  (The platforms will be built in stages as time and money allow.)

Here's a picture of the first platform.  It's uncompleted, but you probably get the idea.  We used 6x6x10 beams for the columns and 2x6 lumber for the rails and the flooring.  The corners are at shallow angles and the hardware is counter-sunk for safety.  It's very sturdy.

 I still have a number of elements to add, including a bench and gate below, railings above, and a roof on the top.  But, to be frank, I'm very pleased it's square and level.  I have Ty to thank for that.

Sam dug the holes.  He could only dig down about a foot before he hit dry hardpan.  There weren't any rocks, which surprised me considering the amount of rock in the area.  I suspect dirt was trucked in at some point or a lot of garden plowing occurred in the past.  However, the fact that Sam hit dry hardpan a foot down speaks volumes. 

Roots grow to where the water is.  That's why it's better to give plants longer, deeper, watering than frequent shallow watering.  That's a consideration when you contemplate the permaculture mulching method.  Deep mulching captures and preserves the water, allowing it to sink in.  Trap the water and keep it where you want it. By keeping water down deep in the soil, it resolves many issues.  Roots grow deeper, accessing deeper minerals and becoming more drought tolerant.  Beneficial soil organisms move in and improve the texture and viability of the soil.  And most important, I will have to weed less.

Adios hermano,
Bill.

Update - Sept 29, 2014

I added some more stuff, Bob.

You'll notice a ladder to gain access to the platform, railings around the entire platform and a climbing rope.

There are additional elements needed.  I'm going to put spindles in the railings on two sides to keep the tykes from falling off.  A roof will go on top, a ramp providing access to the platform on the far side, a little bench underneath and a gate to get to the bench.

I moved the platform joist up an inch on the side with the ladder because Garner couldn't get a grip to climb up.  There was no handhold when the joist was even to the platform.

You can also see the angled cuts and the countersunk bolts, adding a bit of polish and also safety to the project.

Here, you can see the lip of the joist poking up about an inch.

I think I'm on to something here.  Maybe it's not the Taj Mahal, but some might draw parallels between me and Frank Lloyd Wright.  (In architecture, I mean, not the womanizing. Not that.)