I have this problem and I do it to myself over and over again. I plan a project and I think, “oh I can have this done in an hour.” Five hours later I am still knee-deep in said project. Anyone else?
Well, one of my big projects for our home this year was getting a playground installed for the kids. You may have read my Backyard Adventures Playground review a few weeks ago. With 7 kids who spend a lot of time playing outside, it was at the top of their wishlist for backyard activities.
We finally settled on a new playground from Backyard Adventures because I was able to customize it to include every single feature my kids wanted (with 7 kids, there were a lot of opinions, needs, and wants!)
Check out how great the finished product looks!
And yes, they have been having a BLAST on this thing! They play on it all the time. I love listening to them use their imaginations while playing out here. I set up a table and chairs with an umbrella out there so I can sit with them sometimes. It’s fabulous!
When I had thought about installing a playground at our house, I always just figured it would be a quick easy job that my husband, Orin, could do on the weekend. I mean, he’s built a deck, assembled our Backyard Discovery pergola, and can do all kinds of other things.
I figured a playground install would take a few hours on a Saturday, no big deal.
Well, let me just tell you, I am SO glad we ended up having Bear Playgrounds install our playground for us (and I know he is too!)! Once again, I totally underestimated the amount of time and energy it would take to assemble a playground structure.
Today I wanted to share a quick review of using Bear Playgrounds to purchase and install a swing set/playground, for anyone currently considering utilizing their services.
About Bear Playgrounds
First, let’s start with a little bit of basic info about Bear Playgrounds. Bear Playgrounds is located in and serves the area of Western Pennsylvania. It’s a family-owned and operated company that helps other families customize a playset to fit their family and their backyard.
They also provide safety surfacing options, trampolines, basketball hoops & outdoor furniture. They are in the business of making backyards FUN for families!
Here are some photo examples of different items and installs you can get from Bear Playgrounds:
Bear Playgrounds Backyard Adventures Swing Set/Playground Assembly Review
The Bear Playgrounds assembly process began with me sending images of the land where we wanted to place our playground. We had a small slope to our land in that section (living in West Virginia means none of our yard is level) and we wanted to be sure the playground would work in that area.
My email communications with Bear Playgrounds were always very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. After sending my photos they were able to quickly confirm that yes, the location we were hoping for would work.
We then set up a time for the assembly to occur, based on my schedule and the weather forecast. To my surprise, they estimated that it would take two days to complete the job (not the mere 5 hours I was thinking).
Installation
The day arrived for installation to begin. I received a text that morning to let me know that my installer, Justin, and his helper were on their way.
It even included a photo of him so I would recognize him when he arrived. I thought that was a great feature!
I expected the team to show up with a big flatbed truck but to my surprise, they were able to fit everything into the back of their work van (which is about the same size as my 12-passenger van that I drive every day with my kids). It was packed FULL!
The first thing Justin and I talked about was the layout of the playground. I didn’t care which direction the playground faced, I just wanted to be sure we could keep the trees we already had in place. I was also hoping to set it up in a way that we could potentially add onto the structure at a later date when our budget allowed.
Justin was really knowledgeable and helpful in figuring out just how to place the structure.
I had designed the look of the playground online. He offered a different suggestion on how we could rearrange the pieces so they were all still a part of the set but it would work better for the slope of the land. I appreciated that he let me make the final decision and I ultimately went with his expertise (and I’m glad I did).
While Orin and I COULD have put in the time, energy, and sweat to build this ourselves over a weekend, we certainly don’t have the experience in setting these things up to best work with the land the way that Justin has.
As an example, look at the photo below. You can see how initially, because of the slope of our land, the structure was not level. However, it’s perfectly level now thanks to adjustments he made for us.
Speaking of that, even for someone with the experience he has AND a helper, the whole process took them 2 days. There is just no way my husband and I would have completed this project on a Saturday. It probably would have taken us at least 2 solid weekends, maybe longer because we would have definitely had interruptions from our kids.
My kids enjoyed watching them work from a distance and Justin didn’t mind (which was nice!).
Also, have you ever tried to put something together that your kids are excited about with them close by? Like any other kids would be, my children were so excited and if they had had to wait 2 weeks while we got it all installed, they would have been very impatient by the end!
Justin and his helper worked hard all day in the brutal June heat while fighting off bugs too. (As a side note, my next project is to figure out how to get rid of all the gnats we have here. They are relentless!)
I am so thankful that this is not another project we tried to tackle on our own. A nice Backyard Adventures playground system is an investment and one that’s worth having assembled right!
I believe Justin told me he’s been installing playgrounds for almost 20 years! And let me tell you, the final result of this build showed that! He was able to very easily level the playground structure on our sloped land and I couldn’t be more pleased with the installation.
We love our new Backyard Adventures playground and for anyone local, I recommend an install from Bear Playgrounds without reservation! They were a fabulous company to work with and I know you’ll love them too! You can stop into their showroom at 186 Brickyard Road, Mars, PA 16046.
Leela
Thursday 17th of August 2023
That looks amazing! I have a couple of big sets we have to put together as soon as we move.
Peggy Nunn
Friday 4th of August 2023
Oh my gosh, they did a good job. I would not attempt that myself even if my husband is probably as handy as yours. That is a HUGE job. It turned out so nicely.