Swing Sets: More May NOT = Better

Posted April 24th, 2009 by tina

As parents, we all want to create a warm and supportive environment for our children. We feel responsible for helping them grow healthy and happy with good nutrition, exercise and lots of opportunities to grow academically and emotionally.

Swing sets are a great investment for families, when you have a yard. Your children can get lots of healthy exercise outdoors and you’ll get some peace and quiet inside (I remember those days). In this article I bring together experience from 3 different roles involving swing sets - as a parent of 2 boys, as a certified elementary school teacher and more recently, as the owner of My Handyman.

Swing Set Problem, Challenge and Recommendations

There are numerous problems involved with the purchase and installation of swing sets. Often parents see them at one of the box stores, or online. The price looks reasonable so they go ahead and buy one on impulse, as that is the American way. Rarely do parents consider the following:

Where will I put the swing set and what is required to prepare the site?
Who will install the swing set and how much time or cost will be involved?
What are the best materials for safety and low maintenance?
What parts of the swing set are most popular with children ages 3 to 10?

Let’s start with Wikipedia’s definition: “A swing is a hanging seat, usually found in a playground for children … Modern playgrounds often have recreational equipment such as the see-saw, merry-go-round, swing set, slide, jungle gym … many of which help children develop physical coordination, strength, and flexibility, as well as providing recreation and enjoyment.”

Wikipedia defines playgrounds where “the social skills children develop become lifelong skill sets that are carried forward into their adulthood. Independent research concludes that playgrounds are among the most important environments for children outside the home. Most forms of play are essential for healthy development, but free, spontaneous play—the kind that occurs on playgrounds—is the most beneficial type of play.”

The most important elements of a swing set are:

A space where children feel ownership
A place where children can play spontaneously without set rules
An environment where children can interact with their peers to develop social skills

What is NOT important in the swing set you purchase, is the size or the design. Just think back to when your children were 2, and they played more with the boxes and wrapping paper than the gifts they received. Children enjoy and grow more when using their imagination, and this doesn’t require fancy structures or complicated forts with roofs that resemble a house.

When you buy a swing set, buy according to your budget. Whether you pick an inexpensive metal swing set, or a complicated wooden play space, your children will benefit equally. As the owner of My Handyman, I get many inquiries as to the cost to install swing sets. They aren’t fun as most parents buy a complicated set with more than 1,000 parts and get upset that our install time costs more than the swing set. To help you find a swing set that fits your budget, I analyzed 2 different swing sets to demonstrate that inexpensive swing sets aren’t inexpensive, as most of the manufacturing process will occur at your home.

Mt Ranier from Adventure Playsets (sold at Sam’s Club) like most box stores, is manufactured in China and has more than 1,000 parts to assemble
2 Ring Adventure by Kid’s Creation (sold online) is manufactured in the US, and most of the parts like the floor and ladder, come pre-assembled

The real story here is when you add together labor(handyman) and product costs, Kid’s Creation (right column) is less expensive even though the product costs more. This comes from a simpler design (railings instead of walls, canvas roof) and many of the components (floor, ladder, railing sections, etc) come pre-assembled reducing the hours needed to assemble the swing set.

To help you estimate more accurately, the install hours for swing sets use the table below. The preferred calculation is total number of parts (wood and hardware). For example, the Mt Ranier swing set should take between 22 and 26 hours (versus manufacturer stating 6 to 12 hrs, and omitting “times 2 people”). After My Handyman installed Leisure Time’s Cambridge set (right column) in 42 hours, we called the manufacturer. They admitted actual install times were “closer to 48 hours” after telling us 12 to 24 hours, and omitting “times 2 people”. For home owners not skilled at using a drill, they should add 20% extra time to get a more realistic estimate, or 26 to 32 hours for Mt Ranier.

Important Note: These install times do not include the 2 to 4 hours necessary to sort out the 1,000s of pieces prior to the install. The Cambridge had 32 different types of hardware, shipped in 18 plastic bags requiring the different sizes to be separated. Site prep may also require more time. To learn more about swing sets, you can read these articles starting with Tips for Buying a Swing Set (series).

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