Swing sets are a fun thing for children and parents also get time for themselves when their children are busy playing on a swing set. In every park there will be a swing for children to play. It is the most common thing which can be found in any playground or a park. There are various types of swing sets. The most common type of swing sets applicable to toddlers are the plastic ones. They are very safe and reliable for the end users. Parents who are planning to buy a good swing set for their toddler should go for a plastic one. The only problem with the plastic swing set is that it will not last for very long. Hence some people shift to the other type of swing set which is known as the wooden swings. These swing sets are made of wood and adds a scenic beauty to your backyard when you place them. The best part about a wooden swing set is that it is easily customizable according to your child. You cannot customize other swing sets as you can do with the wooden ones. The durability of a wooden swing set is also very high but nowadays people prefer to build their own swing set rather than buying it.
Preparing before getting started
Before diving into building your own swing set, you need to what makes a great swing set and what the accomplished final product should like. There is nothing more discouraging to spend days, money and effort building a swing set only to see that it’s not getting used because of a couple of construction mistakes that could have been prevented. While you don’t need to hire an architect to make you a blueprint beforehand, it’s good to have something drawn on paper that you can refer to whenever you get stuck. Downloading off the internet a swing set plan is the easiest and cheapest way of ensuring your success. Unless you are an experienced carpenter, do not rely on intuition alone.
The durability of the swing set is the most crucial factor you need to pay attention to during the planning stage. While other aspects can be fixed down the road or you can live with them as minor inconveniences, you cannot risk the safety of your kids and it’s paramount for you to choose durability over aesthetics, spaciousness or other qualities. Even if it will not win any design awards, a robust swing set will give you the peace of mind to sleep easily at night knowing that your kids are safe while on the playground.
Steps on building a swing set
Building your own swing set in the backyard of your house is something special and the best thing is that you do not have to take your children to a park for having a swing. Your child can play in a swing at the backyard of your house. The techniques of building a swing are quite easy. Nowadays due to availability of tools in the market building a swing set has become very easy. The first requirement for building a swing set is huge space because it will be approximately 10 feet in height and 10 feet in width. Hence you need a big garden or something like that in your house. Certain things are needed to be bought from the store beforehand. Materials that are needed include cement and tools such as hammer and nails are must. Stakes, galvanized eye bolts and washers has to be there to tighten the swings. After all the tools are bought you should start digging the ground for the metal posts. The holes should be at least 1feet in diameter and 1feet deep. Then you should make the cement which will be used to harden the posts with the ground. Once the posts are ready you should start assembling the swing sets.
The swing sets are the vital part of a swing and attaching it with the metal frame is also very crucial. This is because if the attachment is not proper then your child might get injured badly. The swing sets are made of wooden blocks and these blocks had to be fixed to chains. Four holes should be drilled on the four corners of each wooden block. Then one part of the chain should be attached to the wooden block with washers and nails. The other end of the chains will be attached with brackets to the metal frame. The brackets should be made up of galvanized iron so that they are strong and tight. The chains should also be very strong so that it can hold the weight of any person. There are certain precautions which you should take before allowing your child to play on the swing set. A swing set can be a very beautiful piece of outdoor furniture when it stands proudly on the backyard of your house. Children really like to have fun with them and hence it is one of the most popular outdoor activities for them.
So glad I’ve found this – awesome guide Erin!