playground
This family home had been recently renovated and the yard was not yet landscaped, making it an ideal spot to create a children’s playground.
Carrie and Steve Gregg wanted somewhere their kids, two-year-old Lily and baby Harper, will use for years.
They chose a multifunctional play set that includes a slippery dip, ball pit, climbing wall and more, so the kids will never run out of options when it comes to playtime.
Several pairs of hands were needed to assemble the play set, before the footings were excavated and the structure was secured with concrete.
A crushed-rock substrate was created to level the ground, then rubber crumb was laid over the top to provide a soft-fall surface.

Setting the surface

For the surface, we used Pour In Place rubber crumb compound, which is available in a range of colours from red to black.
It comes in boxes, with each one covering an area up to 1.5sqm, and it is easily laid DIY.
Pour in Place can be applied over concrete or just about any other stable surface. The only tools you’ll need are a float and a utility knife, as everything else is in the box.
This backyard was very sandy, so we added a 50mm layer of fine roadbase in a loose free-form shape to create a stable substrate.
We screeded the new substrate level, then spread a 15mm layer of Pour in Place over the top.

Choosing the play set

The Windsor play set is from Swing Slide Climb, who offer a variety of great options for kids.
This model has everything from a swing and a climbing wall, to a sand/ball pit and a slippery dip, and is suitable for kids aged up to 12 years old.
Ensure you have a number of people to help you assemble your play set, as they have many parts.

Check out the April 2016 issue of Handyman for the step-by-step instructions to build this play set.