Playground Renovation Update Week 2
I should have titled this post “Playground Renovation August Update” and the week 1 update “Playground Renovation July Update.” Silly me thought it would take us two weeks to renovate the playground. I am always the project optimist. But how about another playground update on the progress we’ve made?! I present to you, the updated structure:
Anyway, we’ve made some serious playground renovation progress, reassessed some parts we weren’t feeling so good about, and we’re on track to paint the structure next week.
To recap our first playground project update, we extended the deck, framed the monkey bars, and replaced the rotten support legs on the swinging side of the structure.
Quick reminder, once this project is done and we are happy with how we built everything, I’ll share full tutorials for each playground modification project. We’re always tweaking things mid-project so I would rather wait to post a tutorial. Today is just an update post. Some might call it a project dear diary.
Building The Ladder
Our first order of business was to build a ladder to the new deck. As much as our kids have enjoyed accessing the playground deck by climbing the slide, it was time to build the ladder.
We built a simple ladder modeled after this Pinterest pin for a bunk bed ladder.
It was a relatively simple build with the most complicated parts being routing out the ladder sides for the ladder steps.
And then getting the angle right to attach the ladder to the playground. It took a little trial and error but we got it somewhat right. The uneven ground meant some minor adjustments using some shims.
The kids have tested out the ladder and have approved.
Finishing The Monkey Bars
Next up was to finish building the monkey bars. Our game plan was to build them using conduit pipe instead of ordering monkey bars that attach to wood framing. You can read all about that and our testing methods (aka playground visitations) to figure out the right size in our first playground update.
Buying conduit pipes in long lengths meant we needed to cut them down to size. We tried a pipe cutter thinking that maybe, just maybe it would work, but no luck. Instead, we used a cordless Milwaukee M18 jig saw with a metal cutting jig saw blade which cut the pipe easily.
Our plan for building the monkey bars was to make the pipes easily removable for painting. The preferred method Colby came up with is to add a board inside the already framed monkey bar structure, drill holes through these boards to fit the ends of the pipes, then cut them in half so there’s a top and a bottom. Like so.
Then we could attach the bottom piece, place the bars in the semi-circle, and then attach the top piece. Voila!
We plan to spray paint the entire playground using a paint sprayer. Since we don’t want to paint the metal parts, making the monkey bars easy to remove means less spray painting prep work. Winning! I loathe the prep work for painting.
The other reason we went with this method was to keep the bars from sliding horizontally. We could easily drill through the entire interior board since the bars would hit the exterior framing of the monkey bars.
The girls have been testing out the monkey bars since the second they went up and they are a big hit. BIG hit! Even our two, almost three-year-old, loves them. Although she requires assistance to make her way across.
As we watched the girls traverse the monkey bars and play on them, we started having safety concerns about the placement of the playground ladder. All we could see was a kid falling from the monkey bars, onto the ladder, and hurting themselves.
So we’ve decided to go back to our original plan (kind of) and move the ladder and deck opening to the back side of the playground. But more on that in a moment.
So THIS right here, this game-time decision to switch up our play, is why I love sharing project diaries.
You can plan a project out, down to the most minor detail, but there is almost always something that comes up that you want to change. Or even something that doesn’t work out quite like you envisioned.
You don’t always see the course correcting these days thanks to social media or getting the Pinterest-perfect image. But it’s there. Even Colby, who works on huge home renovation and building projects for his day job, sees changes happening on the fly.
Building The Sandbox
With the monkey bars done for now, the next building step was adding a sandbox underneath the playground structure.
While I had envisioned using the boards the existing playground boards, a few sections were rotting so we decided to replace them all. So off came all the old boards.
And on went all the new boards. We also added a simple bench along with what we affectionately refer to as a serving window with a bar.
Our youngest, in particular, loves playing in sandboxes and “serving” treats. Her favorite concoctions are currently ice cream and pizza. It’s so cute and we opted to lean into her style of sandbox play and added a serving window and bar just for her.
The Playground Punchlist
So what remains?! In theory, we should be done and moving on to painting this week but we’re taking our time and making a few tweaks to the structure.
Moving The Deck Ladder
Since safety is of the utmost importance and we’re not feeling so good about the location of the deck ladder, we’re going to move it around to the back.
We’re considering making the ladder just a little bit narrower too, to leave room for more railing and baluster space around the side. We’ve noticed the kids don’t need that much room when climbing up the ladder.
I’m also liking the ladder move since it will be right near the playhouse. I saw this amazing Instagram reel of a playground/playhouse garden and it stopped me dead in my tracks. It’s so sweet with a path between the two and lots of blooms. It is stunning.
Can’t you just see a flower garden between the playhouse and the playground? With a path between starting at the playground’s deck ladder and going to the playhouse door?!
Altering The Monkey Bar Ladder
Next up is altering the monkey bar ladder. We didn’t give too much thought to the ladder and it shows. We’ve watched our eldest struggle to climb it over and over.
I see two problems. One, the rungs are too close together. And two, the rungs are taller than they are wide. If we fix these two things, spacing out the rungs more and turning them, maybe installing them between the posts, climbing will be easier.
The addition of some handles will help too. But we’re waiting to add those back on until after we paint.
Addressing Rot Under The Old Deck
I’m not sure how we missed this. Maybe because the rot just looked like a wet spot at first. But one of the main support beams underneath the old part of the deck is seriously rotting. The one on the opposite side, thankfully is not.
It came to our attention when I was leaning on the beam to take a pic and a piece of the framing fell off. Huh. Then I poked a screwdriver into the spot and it sunk right into the rot. Uh-oh.
We’ve proceeded to check every inch of the playground since, poking it with a screwdriver. Thankfully no other issues.
Here’s a shot of all the rot I cleaned out of there.
So what does this mean? We need to replace the beam.
But doing that isn’t so easy. It requires removing all of the old deck boards, taking out the old beam, placing the new one, and then reattaching all the boards. But we can do it! I have the faith!
Other Tasks
After those last few things are done, the next tasks include:
- Painting the structure (I’m thinking white)
- Hanging the swings and accessories
- Finishing and filling the sandbox
- Adding an awning over the old deck
- Accessorizing and giving the structure a few final touches
Total Working Time This Week
And because I’m trying to track how much time we put into projects like this, here’s the log for this past week’s progress.
Monday 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Tuesday 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
So here’s to next week being our last project update and hopefully a reveal shortly after that.
