Playset?

[UNIT]

In the market to buy a playset and wondering if anyone has any insight on the matter. Is it an issue of you get what you pay for as I plan on having it for a number of years with three kids that will give it a workout. I have looked at a variety ranging from inexpensive (Big Box stores) to very expensive (Rainbow) and want to make sure I am getting something that will last and will be safe and durable. What do you think?

Anyone with any insight would be greatly appreciated

UNIT

[RainyEye]

I built my 3 granddaughters a playset 2 years ago that was purchased from Menards, the brand is Playstar, not cheap,but definitely cheaper than Rainbow. It's very sturdy and comes with very good directions and many options.

[crothmeier]

my 4 year old came home with a rainbow playset catalog last night after shopping with mom, claiming that she absolutely needed one. i told her that the one she wanted was almost as much as a house! she replied that i sell the house and get a playset... i almost fell over laughing.

I guess the metal swingset with slide and teeter totter just cant run with the rainbow systems anymore! ! haha

[tcwin]

I also purchased a playset kit from Menards a few years back for my son. It took my wife and I a week to put together (working nights after work) and has been very durable and received a lot of use. The one thing about the Menards kit is you decide the quality of lumber that goes into it. We went with the best quality wood they had - picked through the piles of lumber and took the best they had.

[LovenLifeGuy]

I just finished putting together a playset from menards. I have a small yard so I had to go small and they seemed to have the best setup for that size. It seems to be pretty heavy duty. It took my father and I 8 hrs to put it together, Not to bad! Daughter loves it!

[IFallsRon]

I bought a plan/parts kit from Menards and modified it to fit my spot. I would have finished it on a Saturday if it hadn't rained.

We had it about 10 years and still looked great when we sent it off to a new home. I probably had $400 in lumber, parts, swings and the slide. We sold it for enough to buy a Wii.

If you build your own, I'd suggest making a stairs up to the tower rather than a ladder. That makes it easier and safer for little ones to get into the tower.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I bought a plan/parts kit from Menards and modified it to fit my spot. I would have finished it on a Saturday if it hadn't rained.

We had it about 10 years and still looked great when we sent it off to a new home. I probably had $400 in lumber, parts, swings and the slide. We sold it for enough to buy a Wii.

If you build your own, I'd suggest making a stairs up to the tower rather than a ladder. That makes it easier and safer for little ones to get into the tower.

We did the Menards one as well, but instead of a ladder to get up to the tower, we went to Home Depot as they had a fake rock wall to climb up as well.

Just because these plans show specific items in specific places, doesn't mean you can't get a slide, rock climbing wall, rope ladder, etc., from a different vendor / source and mix and match.

[jwhjr]

I put in a Menards one about 5 yrs ago as well. As stated, you can pick the quality of the lumber etc. and can customize it from the plans. So far it has gotten plenty of use and is holding up well.

[paceman]

Yes another vote for menards kits/lumber. I think I spent around 400 bucks for everything a few years ago. Our kids and have the neighborhood uses it daily. Looks great, sturdy, should last for many years.....

[Fazerfish]

I searched c...list for about a month and was able to buy one for $50, put a new cover on it, new slide off c..list and a home-made climbing wall, just buying the cleats and throwing together the rest. Very cheap and simple. The guy that sold it to me even helped me take it apart.

There are a lot of free ones or very cheap ones out there people are getting rid of. Just takes a liitle searching and patience to wait til you find what you want.

But I guess if you have the money to spend, Menards is the way to go.

[chasineyes]

Menards for me. I' not sure about anyone else, but they really don't use it as much as you would think after the first year. NOt to mention when they reach 5,6 they get into soccer, t-ball, basketball etcetc.etc... I would never fathom spending 5000$ on a playset. (A family can take a lot of nice vacations for that kind of money)

[Eckie]

I started out with a used Menards brand, bought privately from Clist, recently sold it and am in the process of finishing construction on a Rainbow set.

Quality of the Rainbow is so much better than my other -- built better and even more important -- built safer. Handrails, wider steps, real 2x6 decking. This thing is solid from top to bottom. And, it's built in Brookings, SD. Not China.

If interested, do a search thru Costco or Sams -- they offer a more inexpensive way to get the best one out there.