We used Creative Playthings too. Slide, fireman's pole and tire swingnunderneath the house/top of slide. We just had grass underneath and it was fine - no injuries.

To have it last longer get the monkey bars - they use more as they get older. We didn't get rid of ours until youngest was 12, so I figure we got our money's worth!

Anonymous wrote:Considering our small, floor model, discounted, creativeplaythings set was over $3000 10 years ago, I can’t imagine what a fully custom one costs. But we got the set we wanted (big fort, short swing arm) for our smallish backyard.

I think you got fleeced. First of all, they call everything a “floor model sale” to make you think you are getting a “deal” - ours was called a floor model too but was clearly new in box. We figured it out when our neighbor bought the same “floor model” we did the same weekend. We paid $2k for the second largest unit, with monkey bars and mats for the swings and slide in 2014. They don’t do fully custom, but you pick the base (what kind of treehouse/playhouse thing you want) and then which direction you want the swings/slide to come out, etc.

Thanks! We are prepared to shell out if we can find something we love.

Considering our small, floor model, discounted, creativeplaythings set was over $3000 10 years ago, I can’t imagine what a fully custom one costs. But we got the set we wanted (big fort, short swing arm) for our smallish backyard.

I highly recommend a trip to Creative Playthings in Chantilly. Huge showroom kids can play in and the sets come in a variety of sizes and layouts and are semi-customizable. Installation is included in price.

My set is 6 years old and going strong!

My sister had a small backyard. They got a customized set from cedar works:
https://www.cedarworks.com/design

These last and are sturdy, well made. When her kids outgrew it, she gave it to her neighbors. It was dismantled and removed easily.

I’m not sure if they still offer it, but they used to have an optional chin up bar, so exercise equipment for pretty much the whole family.

Make sure you have appropriate mulch or rubberized base. The ground (grass) is harder. Easier for bones to break.

We are moving into our first home with a decent backyard. I would love to get a swingset of some kind for our 5yo twins, but DH worries that it will end up taking up the entire small yard, or be so small that it isn’t any fun for them anyway. Has anyone worked with a carpenter and had them build something to spec?