Wife Said "Little Project"

[DuluthMN]

My wife takes the kids to the Minnesota State Fair and Valley Fair Every Year. Just as she was leaving she ask me if I could do a small project. I actually finished the project 30 minutes ahead of the recommended 8 hour time frame.

In my wifes defense, she assumed it would be a small project because in her exact words "the box didn't look that big"!

 

[Rando]

O yea thats small. Good job, did you have a helper with ya

 

[DuluthMN]

O yea thats small. Good job, did you have a helper with ya

No HELPER. This was one of the first big projects that I have ever really done. What really made it simple was the pre-build work that I did. I took a heavy duty white fold out table and layed out all the required tools and took inventory of everything before I started. I went step by step and took my time.

I WISH MY GARAGE CAME WITH INSTRUCTIONS!

 

[Rando]

are you going to add sand

 

[swharris]

I had that almost exact configuration for my kids. With 3 on the swings at a time, that 2x4 A frame is no where near stiff enough. You'll want to brace it some if the kids are 5 and up. The forces multiple swingers produce will make that thing wiggle like a bowl full of Jello. I was constantly tightening up the joints. Many captive nuts would just rip out over time.

If I get another one I'm making it out of 3" tubing cemented into the ground. That way I can use it ;-)

 

[66HertzClone]

I think I have you beat, when my wife heard they wanted $2500 to assemble it she said we would do it ourselves. When I saw the two pallets piled high with 19 boxes, I told her I would have paid for assembly.

 

[PaulR]

Nice units. I built ours about 3 years ago, BJ's Wholesale (northeast) similiar to the ones pic'd above. Some of the wood was kinda crappy/fading right out of the box. I re-stained it with Cabot Deck Stain this year, good as new. What are you all using for ground material? I've been eyeballing the rubber mulch but it's $$$.

 

[66HertzClone]

We used the rubber mulch, it was expensive, get the green color if you decide to get them. We started with the black ones in a smaller play area, when we added this unit we bought the green color, they stay much cooler than the others. The wood of this unit is encased in plastic so it should last a long time without any maintenance.

 

[agoogol]

My neighbors had one similiar, their kids got big enough they didn't use it anymore. She said if you can take it it's yours. So dissambled each panel, labeled and cariied each back to my house acrioss the street and reassembled. Only needed help from my wife once to carry the roof section as I kept it in one large piece. That was a lot of work too, but $2000 free IMO.

 

[Homoudont]

I built pretty much that exact same swing set for a single mother this weekend. But I did it in the scorching hot Louisiana sun. Not sure why my wife volunteered me to do these types of things. I think like your wife, she assumed it was a small project. Over two days I think it took me 9-10 hours. And just like you I laid everything out and took my time.

I sure hope this kid likes it because I spent a lot of time building this for him.

 

[katit]

No kidding. My wife been talking about it. And every place I read about it - says PITA

 

[Homoudont]

Well not only is it a PITA.. but I felt the one I got was cheap. It used cedar lumber which just isn't very strong. And of course their expensive.

 

[WHIPOLDS]

My wife went to a yard sale and bought this huge playset for $25.00 for my Grandson.. Then she came home and told me I had to move it and what a good deal she got! I took the swing apart and backed my dump truck under the porch part. Using a winch I pulled it into the truck removing the base as I slid it back. Reversed the process when we got it home. The thing new sold for over $3000.00. A coat of stain and it looked like new.

 

[F3RR3T]

i like the conveyor belt you built it on . I have 2 3000ft spools of conveyor belt i got from Georgia pacific.

 

[srmofo]

you guys need to get a battery powered impact. Im sure that would have cut some time. And its a damn good excuse to buy another tool. Just tell the wife, you're not spending $300, you're saving $2200 on the install.

I use mine all the time around the house, actually more than I have ever used it on a vehicle

 

[mopar4wd]

My wife bought a heavy duty one on ebay used (has 2x6 for decking and supports) Had to drive almost 2 hours there and back to get it. But considering how well it was built and the fact that all I had to do was unbolt the swing, slides, and rockwall and tip the whole thing on to a trailer, It worked out well. Once I got it home pushed the trailer in the back yard tipped it up bolted everything together restained it ready to go.

 

[swedevil]

I built pretty much that exact same swing set for a single mother this weekend. But I did it in the scorching hot Louisiana sun. Not sure why my wife volunteered me to do these types of things. I think like your wife, she assumed it was a small project. Over two days I think it took me 9-10 hours. And just like you I laid everything out and took my time.

I sure hope this kid likes it because I spent a lot of time building this for him.

and the sun wasn't playing this weekend. We cleared some land by hand for 7 hours in Central Louisiana!

 

[66HertzClone]

you guys need to get a battery powered impact. Im sure that would have cut some time. And its a damn good excuse to buy another tool. Just tell the wife, you're not spending $300, you're saving $2200 on the install.

I use mine all the time around the house, actually more than I have ever used it on a vehicle

Had the impact gun before I started, you're right it helped a lot. I opened very box and separated all the hardware into samll containers by size and type. Sure made it easy when I needed a bolt and the wife could grab what I needed without having to fish thru a bag for several minutes.

For us the biggest pain was the curling slide assembly. They were packed so that when they arrived they were almost flat. I had to get a few long 3 or 4" fully thread bolts to get some parts together. We installed a long bolt skipped a few holes stuck another in, skipped a few more and then snugged them up to draw the flanges close enough to use the correct short bolts supplied. Replaced the long ones with short and then on the the other side of the tube. Connecting the sections together was almost as bad, flanges weren't flat so lining up holes was not easy especially when holding it 8 feet off the ground.

 

[DuluthMN]

Had the impact gun before I started, you're right it helped a lot. I opened very box and separated all the hardware into samll containers by size and type. Sure made it easy when I needed a bolt and the wife could grab what I needed without having to fish thru a bag for several minutes.

For us the biggest pain was the curling slide assembly. They were packed so that when they arrived they were almost flat. I had to get a few long 3 or 4" fully thread bolts to get some parts together. We installed a long bolt skipped a few holes stuck another in, skipped a few more and then snugged them up to draw the flanges close enough to use the correct short bolts supplied. Replaced the long ones with short and then on the the other side of the tube. Connecting the sections together was almost as bad, flanges weren't flat so lining up holes was not easy especially when holding it 8 feet off the ground.

This is great, my biggest pain was the slide assembly. And I too have the newest dewalt impact and had I not had it then it would have easily been a 13 hour job!

 

[Vette60]

Fun stuff...put a kit like that we got at Costco together.

Same deal as many here - saw the cost of install was almost the same as the cost of the product, so it became a DIY job...

Did ours over two weekends...been up for now it's 2nd season and will probably need a re-stain next summer...

3 swings, slide and multi-level "fort" with picnic table and sandbox underneath...

Your absolutely dead on with the impact driver / drill. Made a world of difference.

R.

 

[drmoonshine]

What a great father you are. I hope your kids appreciated the new backyard. I'm probably going to have to build one of these some day for my kids and It's sounds like their really simple when you plan accordingly. I'm thinking of using that rubber mulch over sand because of the messiness of sand.

 

[DuluthMN]

What a great father you are. I hope your kids appreciated the new backyard. I'm probably going to have to build one of these some day for my kids and It's sounds like their really simple when you plan accordingly. I'm thinking of using that rubber mulch over sand because of the messiness of sand.

Welcome drmoonshire,

I was considering the rubber mulch too, but just remember that one day you will have to get rid of it.

 

[boiler7904]

After less than 4 years of marriage, I've come to the conclusion that whenever my wife says "we" need to tackle a "little" project, we = me and I have a lot of manual labor ahead of me. Her part of "we" is coming up with the idea. Details and execution are up to me.

Case in point was out patio build two summers ago. I spent 5 hours with a sledge breaking out the old concrete. She helped load the wheel barrow to take debris to the dumpster in the driveway but the next 7 weeks of nights and weekends were all me until the last night when furniture and potted plants needed to be arranged.

"We" are completely rebuilding our master bedroom walk in closet. Her part of the project is complete. It's up to me to make it happen when I get home in a few days from almost 8 months on the road for work.

 

[z28toz06]

Most women have no idea what ANY project takes. they watch a 1/2 hour show on diy and think: that looks easy.

 

[lupinsea]

We have an awesome play structrue . . . at our local park.

Look'n good everyone.

Most women have no idea what ANY project takes. they watch a 1/2 hour show on diy and think: that looks easy.

Tell me about it. My wife had no idea the scope of the shed project I was working on even though I showed her drawings and renderings. It sort of dawned on her when I ordered the third concrete truck delivery for the foundation.

An our kitchen refresh: putting down a new cork click floor, repainting cabinet, updating counter tops, etc. . . . 3 months. She thought maybe a couple weeks, 3 at the most. Ha.

Those 1/2 hour DIY shows can be interesting at times they boy, do they gloss over the time involved with the various projects.

 

[jocool1585]

Tell me about it. My wife had no idea the scope of the shed project I was working on even though I showed her drawings and renderings. It sort of dawned on her when I ordered the third concrete truck delivery for the foundation.

Those 1/2 hour DIY shows can be interesting at times they boy, do they gloss over the time involved with the various projects.

In her defense, you are building the fort knox of sheds in your backyard!