Landscape Timber Playhouse

This is the version I built. It was modified with an extra window
and served as one end of two swingsets extended from opposite ends.
I bolted one end of the crossbars to the top of the cabin and
built legs for the other ends. Then I bought some swings at
Home Depot and hung them up - easy peasy.

I built one of these playhouses for our day care center in Keene.  It passed the licensing inspection for child care centers at the time.  Since then, they've found harmful chemicals in some pressure treated lumber (which this was not), but most landscape timbers use non-toxic treatments these days so if you buy new timbers you should be fine.  You may want to check what they are treated with.  You can often find landscape timbers pretty cheap. I use 65 timbers I got for $2 each untreated.  I build this fortress-like playhouse for our day care center.  It withstood the attentions of up to 25 hyperactive kids at a time for 7 years and may still be standing for all I know.

Keep two things in mind when you build a playhouse, especially if you have homeowner's insurance or are an easy target for a lawsuit.  You need to keep a clear view of the kids at all times, especially when they are inside somewhere they think you aren't watching.  Kids experiment -- 'nuff said.The other important factor is sturdiness.  Children have way more time than we do and for every minute you spend building the thing, they have hours in which to figure out how to dismantle it.  This house is over-engineered and there's no real blind spots in it.  When you go to tear it down, you may have to blast.*

FIG: 1   Lay out the first two timbers

Materials:

• Sixty five eight foot landscape timbers
• Wood filler
• Five 7 foot long half inch all thread rods
• 18 half inch washers and nuts
• Two sheets water resistant marine plywood
• Box 3 inch galvanized screws.
• Forty six inch nails

 

FIG 2   Bolt the rods through the end holes

Tools:

• Sander and coarse sandpaper
• Drill and half inch and ¾ inch drill bits.
• Circular saw  
• Socket set
• Hammer
• Square
• Tape measure

FIG 3  Add the second pair crosswise.

Step 1 - Preparing the timbers

Drill a half inch hole through 36 timbers, 4 inches from the ends in the center of the flat side.  The rest you will leave for the roof and to cut for window and door spacers.

Step 2 -Remove splinters

Sand all logs and fill holes or splintered areas with wood filler. 

Step 3 - Set up the base and rods

Lay two timbers on the ground 6 and a half feet apart to start your stack.  Insert the four 7 foot all thread rods through the end holes and attach nuts and washers to the bottom with the rods sticking up.  

FIG 4  Add a rod for the door as shown.

Step 4 - Thread the upright rods

Lay timbers across the ends of the first two timbers, threading the upright rods through the end holes of the two new timbers. You are going to keep stacking them domino tower fashion so that there will be a gap between each row so you can see into the playhouse from every side.  But don't get carried away yet.  You have to build a floor and a space for a door first.

Step 5 - Set spacing for the door

FIG 5 Lay floor joists

Drill a half inch hole centered vertically, three feet six inches from the end hole along one side as shown in FIG 4.  This makes a gap in the wall for a door.  You will cut the timber on that side three ft 6 in. shorter and drill a hole six inches from the cut end.  This should leave you a three foot wide, wheelchair accessible "door" for entry and egress.   

Step 6 - Set the door rod 

Insert the 5^th long rod for a door frame and bolt it on the bottom.  Don't forget the washer.

Step 7 - Lay the floor

FIG 6  Screw floor over joists

Lay 5 undrilled timbers beside each other spaced evenly between the two timbers that make the second row to make floor joists. Toenail the joist in place and cover with plywood to make the inside playhouse floor. This will protect little toes from splinters you'd get with a timber floor and you can put a thick coat of paint over it to make it even smoother and safer and more water resistant. Screw the plywood into the joists and the floor will be very solid and help keep the playhouse framework from shifting around as the kids climb on it.

Step 8 - Cut spacers
Cut a timber for the third row that's 3'6" shorter and drill a hole six inches from the cut end through the flatter side of the short timber.  Cut several spacer logs that are six to ten inches long with a hole drilled in the center. 

Use the spacers as shown to serve as cross members around the edges of the window and door frames as you build upward. It should take about 7 more short timbers just like the first one to frame the door.  Because the door is next to a side wall, the spacer will form part of the corner of the structure and doesn't require a separate threaded rod. Just slide the spacers down over the rod on every other row between the end logs. Remember you're leaving gaps between the rows for a reason - you want to be able to see the kids while they are inside the playhouse.

Step 9 - Start the stack and set window rods

Criss-cross the ends of the timbers back and forth by threading them over the vertical rods as shownt.  You can see where we use two shorter rods and spacers to cut and frame for a window along the back side opposite the door.  In the illustration you can see how the door is framed. The picture shows the spacers on the right side of the door in line with the wall.  I placed them perpendicular to the front wall to give it a more log cabin look. For the window, just build up adding spacers till you run out of rod, bolt it off top and bottom. Make it tight, cut off the excess rod and then use full length logs the rest of the way up.  

Step 10 - Finish stack and add roof

Finish criss-crossing the logs till you get almost to the top of the corner rods.  For the last row, lay a solid layer of logs between the top two cross members until you have a solid roof. I didn't use plywood to cover the roof. You could, if you want or you could even add a pitched roof.  I found the flat roof fine. The playhouse is not designed to shelter anyone during a rain storm.  It's made for boys to climb on, conduct epic battles from and for girls to play house.  Screw or nail the roof logs in place to keep the kids from pulling them off and dropping on each others' heads.

Step 11 -  Install roof and recess bolt heads
Complete the roof installation  by bolting a final  two timbers across the solid row of roof timbers as shown at the right. Once it's all bolted together, cut off any excess threaded rod to prevent injuries to the kids (they will climb on the roof).  I inset holes in the top of the keeper timbers where the rod holes are.  I used a paddle bit wider than the bolt head and cut a recess for the bolts, then screwed the bolts in tight and cut off the rod.  That way the bolt is out of the way and doesn't protrude where it can catch feet or hands.

Step 12
If you'd like to make a table or a bench inside, you can lay a couple of extra logs side by side in the space between two ranks of cross members. Push them in and pound them up against the wall to create a ledge one or two logs wide running the width of the cabin. It will reduce the inside floor space somewhat, but will give the kids a sitting place and a place for pretend cooking or workshopping.

Take Note:

• Use landscape timbers that have been manufactured in the past decade. Toxic chemicals were used to pressure treat some older landscape lumber. Since the turn of the century, manufacturers have used non-toxic chemicals in treating them for durability and insect resistance.  
• If you use untreated timbers, spray them with a good, non-toxic water seal every two or three years to protect the timbers from rot.
• Surround the cabin with a 4 inch deep layer of pea gravel or sand. Pea gravel is actually better than sand at cushioning a fall. It's looser and displaces more easily when something falls on it. Also, pea gravel doesn't compact like sand into a hard surface.
• Keep the gravel smooth or the kids will wear it down in spots and reduce the fall protection. 

© 2013 by Tom King

* Turns out I was able to dismantle this in about half an hour and rebuilt it in a new location in about a half hour. 

Turf Grasses for Your Play Areas

(c) 2011 by Tom King

Introduction

Kids are tough on lawns. They tend to beat down paths, compact the earth and generally make it difficult for grass to maintain healthy growth. A variety of grass species lend themselves to children's play areas. Properly cared for, these deep rooting grass types provide a soft impact surface that reduces fall impacts. Watered, fertilized and mowed as recommended for the species, these grasses resist damage and bounce back after wear and tear. Periodic overseeding also helps thicken playground grass.

Bahiagrass
Bahiagrass is a dark green turfgrass that prefers moist acidic soils. It prefers full sun or light shade and lots of warm weather. It turns brown in cold weather. One disadvantage is it's three to four week germination period.

Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass grows quickly, sprouting in just four to twelve days. It's blades are fine and thick and grow best in moist, acidic soils. Bermudagrass prefers full sun and doesn't do well in shade. It's often use for ball fields in warm southern climates.

Bluegrass
Blue grass has fine blades and grows as a thick turf. It prefers well-drained dry and acidic soil. Bluegrass grows better in cool northern climates in full sun and isn't suitable for hot climates or shady playgrounds. It can take from six to 30 days to germinate after planted.

Common Kentucky Bluegrass
New plantings of common Kentucky bluegrass take two to four weeks to sprout. Dark green with fine blades that grow thickly. Kentucky bluegrass prefers cooler climates, good soil drainage and acidic soil. While useful for open play areas, this variety doesn't do well in shade.

Improved Kentucky Bluegrass
Like common Kentucky bluegrass, the improved variety germinates in two to four weeks and prefers well drained, but moist acidic soil. This variety grows in full sun or light shade in the cool climates preferred by the bluegrasses.

Blue Gammagrass
A gray-green color, blue gammagrass has hairy characteristics like bahiagrass, but prefers dry alkaline soils, full sun and cool weather like bluegrass varieties. Best used for ball fields and open sunny play spaces. Blue gammagrass takes 15 to 30 days to sprout after planted.

Buffalograss
Buffalograss is another cool weather, temperate climate variety turfgrass. Gray-green fine and hairy, buffalo grass turns brown in hot weather. Again, this variety works for open play areas, but not in shady spots. Buffalograss takes longer to germinate, not sprouting for 25 to 35 days from planting.

Improved Bermudagrass
Fine and thick like regular varieties of bermudagrass, improved bermudagrass germinates in 10 to 20 days. It has a medium green color and prefers dry, acidic soil. Like all bermudagrass, it requires full sun and a warm climate and doesn't work well for shady play areas.

Creeping Bentgrass
Creeping bentgrass sprouts in just 7 to 14 days in well-drained, acidic soil. Bentgrass can handle either full sun or light shade, but grows best in cooler climates.

Red Fescue
Red or Creeping Red Fescue is a dark green, fine and thick turfgrass. It prefers well-drained dry and acidic soil. It sprouts in 10 days to three weeks. Fescue like cooler climates but does grow in full sun, light or full shade and works well in shaded play areas.

Tall Fescue
Tall fescue grows quickly, germinating in 10 to 14 days. Dark green, the tall variety of fescue grows thick and coarse, preferring well-drained acidic soil. Fescue prefers full sun, but will grow in light shade. Tall fescue is particularly tough due to it's naturally deep root system and resists wear and tear if cut taller when mowed,

Annual Ryegrass
Annual ryegrass is a coarse green rapidly growing grass that works well for winter overseeding. It germinates in just three to seven days. It prefers moist, acidic soils, full sunlight or light shade and cool climates. In cool climates ryegrass can be overseeded in spring and summer.

Turf-Type Perennial Ryegrass
Turf-type perennial ryegrass is a finer thickly growing grass. It prefers moist, but well-drained acidic soils. It also prefers cooler climates and grows well in full sun or light shade and germinates in three to seven days, making it a good species to use for overseeding anemic lawns.

Wheat Grass
Wheat grass is a hairy blue green grass that prefers dry and alkaline soil. It needs full sun and prefers a cool climate. Wheat grass sprouts in 14 to 30 days and makes a good field grass in dry cool climates.

Zoysiagrass
Zoysiagrass is a more recently developed grass species. Dark green to gray green in color, zoysiagrass is tough, resilient and adaptable to full sun, light or full shade and handles warmer climates. It prefers well-drained, acidic soils and is one of the better fine, thick playground turfgrass.

References:

Accurate Building: Lawn Care Guide
Yardener: Choosing Lawngrass Seed
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents: Grass As a Play Area Surface
Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Managing Turfgrass Under Drought Conditions
Utah State University Extension: Basic Turfgrass Care

Homemade Backyard Swings

(c) 2011 by Tom King

I love swings despite my checkered history with them.  When I was in elementary school and weighed not much more than a mid-sized cannonball, I took to launching myself for distance from the formidable steel and wood swingset on the Keene Public School playground. I was small then and fearless and could outdistance anybody in my classroom, even the older kids.  I was already developing theories about trajectory and experimenting with an early release strategy that propelled my skinny self out to distances that outstripped my opponents by five to ten feet.  I had discovered, just as military scientist and engineer, Niccolo Tartaglia, had  during the Rennaisance, that the optimum angle of initial takeoff was 45 degrees. Therefore if I parted company with the swing halfway to the apex of the swing's arc, I could add significant distance to my jump.

I was light and the grass in front of the swing was thick and deep, so I managed not to break anything. The swing's seats were solid wooden two by sixes, which, though capable of giving you a broken nose or concussion, were really easy to jump out of. Sadly, insurers these days require us to use those rubber, butt-hugging flexi-seats on the grounds that they won't knock children unconscious who walk in front of them. I believe this leads to children being less careful about what they walk in front of, but I do understand the safety people's concerns. 

That said, here's how to make a nice two seater swing.  Make it a little wider and give yourself about five feet of clearance between the swing and the posts and you can play a nifty game with the kids called "Cut the Butter".  (I'll describe how that's played sometime in a later post, in case you missed it growing up).

First thing you need to do is dig two holes about 15 feet apart with a post hole digger. The holes should be at least three feet deep. Site the holes so that there are no obstructions within 15 feet of the swings in all directions.  I like to have a good 20 feet in case you get a jumper...


Dig the bottom of the hole wider than the top. Do this by angling the attack of the post hole digger so that you cut out a bell shaped bottom for each hole as shown in the drawing to the left.






Insert the posts in the holes. Turn them so they are squared with one another. The posts should be six by six posts and 10 to 12 feet long or longer depending on how tall you want your swings. Buy pressure treated posts. You want this swing to last a long time and be safe for the kids to use. Always over-engineer where playground equipment is concerned.

Lift the posts and pour pea gravel around the base - about 2 inches below the bottom of the post so each sits on top of a layer of gravel and then another 4 inches around the base as shown at the left.

Mix up concrete in a wheelbarrow. Depending on how deep and wide you dug the post hole you could need two or three bags of concrete mix. The more you use, the more stable your post will be. Fill the hole to about 4 to 6 inches below ground level.






Allow the whole thing to sit for at least 24 hours for the concrete to thoroughly cure. Fill the rest of the hole with dirt and pack it down tightly.








Clamp a 2 by 8 inch pressure treated board to one side of the two support posts as shown on the right. Get a couple of large Vice Grips (TM) clamps.  You'll be so glad you have them. They are well worth buying just for this project. Another way to do it is to hold them in place with a nail on either end till you drill the bolt holes.

Clamp or nail a second 2 by 8 on the opposite side of the upright so the posts are sandwiched between the ends of cross members. The longer the 2 by 8's the more clearance you can give the swings to the sides. Kids WILL try swinging around in circles, so the more you can do to keep them from wrapping themselves around a pole the better. 

Drill 5/8 inch holes through the ends of the cross-members and the posts. Insert a ten inch long 5/8 inch carriage bolt and flat washer through the holes and bolt them in place with a flat washer, lock washer and nut.

Cut four 8 inch long pieces of six by six post. Tap them into place between the cross members and clamp or nail them in place.  You will attach the eye bolts through the blocks for the swing chains.  Each pair of blocks should be two and a half feet apart for the swings. Center the blocks for the two swings between the posts with 3 feet of clearance between them.

You can also use a three foot long 6 by 6 instead of two shorter ones. It makes it easier to place the support bolts and vertical eyes through the blocks without drilling them too close to each other. For an even sturdier solution run a 6x6 the length of the gap between the cross members. That sucker ain't goin' nowhere. Space the long carriage bolts between the vertical eye-bolts for the swing. Costs a little more with that much lumber up top, but then, peace of mind always costs a bit more!

Drill a half inch hole through the cross-members and the wooden support blocks.  Offset the holes a half inch from center to allow room for the eyebolt to pass.  Bolt the blocks in place. If you haven't nailed the block into place, drive a pair of nails through the cross-member into the post opposite the side the carriage bolt is on.



Drill a half inch hole vertically through chain support blocks. Offset the hole an inch from the carriage bolt through the chain support blocks. Push each ten inch long, half inch carriage bolt through a flat washer and through the vertical holes in the blocks and screw a half inch screw-on threaded eye bolt onto the end of the carriage bolts. 

Hang the swing assemblies on the eye bolts.  You can buy swing seats with chains at big box stores, discount houses and home improvement stores.  They come complete with chains and hooks and can be hung right out of the package.

You are ready to go.  Simply add kids.

P.S.:  I forgot to include a materials list. This bad boy will look nice and last nearly forever, but the materials can add up.  I scrounged a lot of my timbers.  I used some long scrap timbers I found from a demolition project on an old building. I got them cheap and they gave us a rustic look. I had to sand the splinters away and seal with a heavy clearcoat because it was on a children's playground, but it looked good and still saved me money.  Anyway, here's the list -

MATERIALS:

2 treated timbers, 6 by 6 inches by 12 feet
Pea gravel
5 bags concrete mix
2 treated boards, 2 by 8 by 16 feet You can use
4 pieces of treated timber, 6 by 6 inches by 8 inch or two three foot long six by sixes
1 Box 16d nails
6 Carriage bolts, 5/8 by 10 inches long
12 flat washers, 5/8
6 nuts, 5/8
4 Screw-on half inch threaded eyes with half inch carriage bolts, 10 inches long
2 Swing, chain and hook assemblies

TOOLS:
 
Post hole diggers
Wheelbarrow, shovel and water hose
Circular Saw
Large Vice- Grip (tm) C-clamps
Drill and bits
Hammer

COST:

When I built this thing, I over-engineered the heck out of it because it was going up on a day care center playground. That makes it more expensive, but also longer lasting and sturdier. My license rep was skeptical that I could pass safety inspection with a homemade wooden swing, but I did. I recessed all the bolt heads for added safety. You can do that with a paddle bit to avoid people catching themselves on the bolt heads, but for this swing, the bolt heads are out of reach so unless you want to do it for aesthetic purposes, it really isn't necessary. My license rep was impressed anyway.

The swing chains and seats can be purchased complete. You can get the cheap ones at Wal-Mart for not very much and just hang them when you've finished building your swing - easy peasy. If you want the heavy rubber belted industrial strength swing seats, you can order those on-line from a playground supply company and they do get pricey.  If you want to go traditional, you can cut a seat out of a 2 by 6 or 2 by 8, bolt U-bolts into the ends and hang it from chains with "S" hooks.  Just bend the U-bolts in the center to make a sharp "V" shape so the seat doesn't slip and dump the rider.

Caution: I like the wood seats, but with kids around you have to be very careful with them. Wooden seats can whack the little ones in the heads and cause concussions, lost teeth, black eyes and all manner of head trauma. I waited till mine got older before I put in a wooden seat. I went to wood mainly because their mama loves to swing and doesn't like the rubber sling seats (too constricting). I would never put wooden swing seats on a playground where kids are unsupervised or only minimally watched.

With scrounged material I spent about $100 building this one back in 1987.  With careful shopping you should be able to do it for a little more than twice that nowadays if you shop carefully.  The big cost will be the six by sixes.  You can do it with 4 by 4 uprights, but they will tend to flex more and can work themselves loose in the ground, so you'd best dig a larger base hole and put in more concrete if you use smaller timbers. I stuck with the larger timbers because my family are very large Texans and we like to swing high!

With costs for building materials skyrocketing, the best way to figure the costs for this is to carry the materials list down to Lowes and check prices. Also check old downtown building demolition projects. They sometimes tear out big old solid beams that have been cured indoors for ages. If you know someone involved in the project, they might give them to you for a good price. You can treat recycled beams yourself with outdoor wood treatment and spray on water seal. If you have time, you might want to hold off on your project a few months till you find the right wood for the project. I love aged wood anyway and for outdoor garden projects, it can really give you a stunning effect.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your project. It's worth the effort and cost, I promise.

A backyard swing is good for the soul. There have been scientific studies.

Tom

Here's a diagram for how to recess the bolts and nuts to prevent injury to the kids. Once the bolts are tight, cut off any excess even with the top of the nut or bolt head. Use a hacksaw or saws-all with a metal cutting blade to cut off the bolt. Use a file to smooth any jagged edges.

Reader Dave sent me this picture and the following description of his version of this swing.

Hi Tom,
Here's the photo of your swing set design that I built last summer.  I was going for tall, so I used 16' 6x6's for the uprights, and 16' 2x8's for the beam, with three sections of 6x6 sandwiched between.  I would like to have gotten the posts buried a foot deeper, but did the best I could with a manual post hole digger in rocky clay.  There are several hundred pounds of concrete around each base, hopefully compensating some for the depth.  (It moves a small amount while in use, but I can't decide if it's really moving at the base, or whether those uprights are actually long enough to flex a little.)  I didn't have a helper so I bolted the beam together on the ground and used a couple inexpensive block and tackle setups to raise it into position and bolt it in place.  The toughest part was digging those holes and mixing dozens of bags of cement.  I would not look forward to doing that again!

All that being said, it's just a backyard set for my kids, and unless one of those 6x6's snaps, I can't see it coming apart.  I know there are easier ways to do a swing set, but I really like the aesthetics of this one, and the kids love the long swings.  I spaced the chain hangers such that it can be set up multiple ways:  three swings with adequate clearance, two swings with massive clearance, or one big porch swing in the middle if we gear down once the kids are grown. We hope it stands the test of time.  Thanks again for the idea. 

Best regards,

Dave

Author's Note:  I expect Dave's swing will stand for a good long time. I really like the wooden caps he put on top of the uprights. Gives the swing a finished look.  - Tom

M's finished swing and slide combo:

Here (above) is the swingset built by "M" from the outline in this article. He sent me the picture and it is impressive. He added a really neat combination tree house/slide to one end, which also adds more stability to the structure and makes this a kid's paradise. Nice job, my friend and thanks for the picture.  M asked that I not give his name. Probably because people will pester him to build one of these in their backyards.  Way to go Dad. I hope the kids appreciate the work you put into this one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Swaying Problem: 

Jason Hoppert sent me the photo below He used 16 foot 6x6 uprights which made for a taller swing. He used almost a thousand pounds of concrete in the bases, but when he got it all together, he found there was still some sway at the top. The lower half of the uprights don't sway, but the upper half does because of the extra height. The pull of the chains on the top crossbar get extra leverage on the uprights because of the extra height.

This probably won't cause much trouble for lighter weight kids swinging, but for adults it could cause excessive wear and tear on the wood supports. You could either brace the posts with angled supports or bolt a couple of 2x6s to the front and back of each upright to strengthen it. It's totally worth it to give you the extra height. Jason did some strengthening by attaching a crossbar to a nearby tree giving him some extra support. What he needs though, is lateral bracing front and back. If he gets back with me about measures he takes to stiffen the uprights, I'll add the information here.  Meanwhile this looks kinda awesome. I love the height. Jason is also adding lights so it can be used after dark.

Finally, this braced version by Rob Vasta, addresses any back and forth movement you might get if you don't have enough concrete in the ground or you have heavy people swinging. Rob really doesn't want this one to sway when the kids get going good.

 

It really is gratifying that people take this simple design and aren't afraid to run with it. I just love backyard craftsmen. Kids really do have it great these days. All we had were those metal things that tended to come apart and fall over after five or ten years of using them as pirate ships and launching pads.

© 2012 by Tom King

Here's a variation of the backyard swing combined with a tower fort

Canadian's Chris Mailloux's homemade playground
variation of various plans we've done. Thanks Chris!