Back garden playground

Ayla will be three in July and she wants to spend more and more time outdoors running around which is totally fine with me.

This was on offer recently so we picked it up before really working out where it was going and how...

Looking into it more, I was uncomfortable just building it onto the grass as pictured. It'd immediately turn into a mud bath and wouldn't be that safe if she fell from the top so we decided to build a large wood chip area to house it.

Chose this corner as it was easy to just square off.

Ordered a skip, 3000L of softwood chips and started digging.

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Early doors it was apparent I'd fucked up. Soil was piling up in the skip super quick and we had to dig down to at least 150mm from the base of the structure which was going to be centred.

Taking that level across to the high point meant that one end was nearly 300mm deep.

So I bought some sleepers to build up one of our raised beds to get rid of some of the soil (which is nice quality) in there. Also decided that a long line of sleepers was the best to divide the garden from the chipped area so dug large whole for them.

By the end of Friday, we were here:

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It pissed it down all Saturday so we worked as much as possible but really, it was just impossible to get anything done. The most we managed was getting the level right for the base in the centre, cutting it and fitting it in, with a little concrete to provide stability.

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Sunday started with laying the beam in the trench and concreting in place. It's about 5.2m long so I had use two full length sleepers (2.4m) and cut another in the centre.

Spent ages with the turbo planer to get the joints to fit perfectly, glued and screwed for a nice, seamless fit and left 100mm either side so we could offer it up and cut a perfect length.

Or at least that was the plan until we did offer it up and it was 100mm short at each end. Fuck.
I'd measured the centre bit from the long side of the mitre not the short side. Twat.

I cut a square piece and piece and tacked it on the end with glue and screws. It's been sealed with a few coats of oil which should mean we're ok for a few years.

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Then came the digging. All. The. Soil.

Took the rest of Sunday (with help) to get the rest of the groundwork level and into the skip. I was totally wrecked by the end of Sunday and the skip was totally full.

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Not an easy weekend to be working.

What type of chips did you get and how much did they cost? I just grabbed a few massive bags of the cheapest ones from the garden centre and they're very rough. So wondering about getting some more as a dressing layer.

*as well as two bags of extortionate reptile friendly ones that I miss placed the decimal place on!

By Monday morning, the concrete had set enough to remove the last bit of soil and start building the house. I placed 2x4 treated timber down on top of the base so that we can replace that as needed and keep the playset out of the chips as much as possible.

By the end of the day, the thing was fully built (including kitchen accessories) and we were laying membrane down for the chips.

Work will get in the way this week but hoping to have it all done in the next few evenings.

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A fucking horrible weekend to be working! To rainy one day, too hot the next.
I didn't see one minute of king cunt face though so worth it all in the end.

I bought one jumbo and one bulk bag of chips here. They seem like good quality and delivery was quick.

Does this fall under permitted development?

Cheers. The guys doing our patio did sterling work but had to sack off part of Sat and Mon.

It does. It's just below 3m in height though it's also 2m within the boundary so could potentially be up to 4m high to the top of the pitched roof...

It's also allowed within the covenants of our freehold.

Big fan. Mine will not be anywhere near the scale. Platform will be 3ft off the ground and with a railing. So counting on that and her more advanced age (4 this Saturday) to prevent huge falls. It would be onto grass anyway. Mine does come with the option of a slide down from the platform, but I thought it would be a waste of time/space at only 3ft. If she wants big slide action, the playpark is behind our house.

Weather keeps flipping on the day I have planned to build the thing. Which was supposed to be me first company wellbeing day off where I didn't have childcare or responsibilities.....

Also, ms_com's best mate is visiting from abroad and her partner is excited to help me build it. I hate working with other people. I get very frustrated when they don't telepathically know what I need them to do to help.

Seems to be quite an expensive project - when you factor in time/skip hire etc.
Modern parents these days are very safety conscious with regards to the soft chippings unlike when i used to play in a burn out car in our garden (long story).
Hope she enjoys it before she outgrows it (which they tend to do real quick) :)

Burnt out car? You were lucky

Etc etc

£200 for the skip
£350 for the chips
£unlimited for the chiropractor

Not really that expensive.

It's just a question of how much you love your children.

Jokes aside, this has reminded me to move the spare paving slabs I have near our Playhouse!

It's also made me try and think about how I can make a walk-way / balance beam / gang plank think nearby.

About £1000 worth of love

yup,
broken glass on the seats and i ate snails for my tea

2000L of chips down.

1000L to go.

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Looking properly pro.

"Gary" is currently making their way around the M25 with mine.

Mine's just been delivered. I'll add further updates on https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/376069/ to stop spamming your thread. Bits hidden in and around my shed and the ends of the main supports are soaking in wood preserver.

It's amazing how much you need. They just seem to evaporate.

Yup. Probably 500L short…

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^ outdoor playhouse / 'slide' she's upgrading from in the background...