Trees not up to task? Play sets engage kids

— If you don’t have mature trees or simply don’t want to take on the challenge of building on swaying tree limbs, consider building a child’s playhouse or play set instead of a treehouse.

Play-set kits are available in home stores, and they come with many of the same options as treehouses. Kids can hide out in their own fort above the ground, enjoy a swing set or climb a rock wall.

“A lot of people who live in newer neighborhoods don’t have big trees, so you go for a free-standing structure,” says Josh Hart, owner of Natural State Treehouses. “Play sets give kids something with some height and some visual interest so that you’ve got a play space where it feels like you’re in a tree.”

Building a free-standing play set is much like building a treehouse, Hart says. Play sets should be built to the same standards as treehouses with sturdy support beams, joists and rafters that are properly spaced. Heavy bolts and sanded wood to prevent splinters are also a must.

Before buying a kit or prefabricated structure, look for signs that it was designed with safety in mind. Hart also recommends having free-standing play sets professionally installed. “To be honest, some people just don’t have the skills and don’t know what to look for,” Hart says. “So you’ll see a play set on a hillside that’s not anchored in.”

Posts for play sets should be set in concrete or bolted to a concrete pillar that has metal supports. The latter is Hart’s preferred method. “It gives you more strength than just setting the post in concrete, and it also gives you the flexibility so that, if you move, you can unbolt the structure and take it with you.”

HomeStyle, Pages 44 on 10/29/2011

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