Swing-N-Slide assembly
The wood is not in the box. That is the point, and it is why this is the cheapest set you can build.
One owner built a complete custom playset for $318. A comparable set from a big brand runs four or five times that. The catch is that you are now the one buying and cutting the lumber.
Two completely different products with the same name
Swing-N-Slide sell WOOD COMPLETE sets, where all the cedar arrives pre-cut and pre-drilled and you screw it together, and they sell HARDWARE KITS, where you get the brackets, the swings and a set of plans, and the lumber is your problem.
People buy the wrong one. An owner wrote, plainly, that he misunderstood the advertisement and thought it came with the wood, and that only the screws and brackets turned up. Check which one you are buying, because they are not remotely the same project.
If you did mean to buy the hardware kit, though, you have bought the best value playset on this entire directory, and the reviews back it up. One owner listed his costs: $75 for the kit, about $200 for lumber and hardware from a building supply company rather than a big box store, $18 for a rope swing, $25 for climbing rocks, a secondhand slide for nothing, and leftover paint. Total: $318. Another put around $500 into premium pressure-treated lumber for a much bigger set and still came in far below a comparable branded set.
What it actually takes
Owner-reported, and note that the lumber run is its own day.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Pioneer hardware kitIncluding cutting the wood. The small end. | 4 hours | 2 |
| Alpine hardware kitTheir words. Handy people. | 10 hours | 2, both handy |
| Getting the lumberTHREE trips in a Honda Pilot for one owner. Two trips in an SUV for another. | a whole day | 1 to 2 |
| Wood Complete setsPre-cut and pre-drilled. Different job entirely. | a weekend | 2 |
| Cutting the lumberAnd it is where the accuracy of the whole set is decided. | time-consuming | 1 |
Everybody underestimates the lumber run. It is heavy, it does not fit in a car, and it is a day you had not planned for.
What goes wrong, specifically
The screws you need are not in the kit, and not on the list
This is the trap. An owner discovered that the 2.5 inch and 3 inch screws needed to assemble the decking and the frame are not included in the hardware kit, AND are not mentioned on the required-lumber list either. He found out after he had already started cutting the boards. Read that twice, and add them to your list.
Your Home Depot probably does not have the top beam
The plans call for a 4x6x16 swing beam. The same owner found his local store did not readily carry one. The fix, which is in Swing-N-Slide’s own plans, is to laminate two 2x6x16 boards together with screws. He did, and reports it holds up even with two adults swinging on it. But he did not know that before he went to buy the wood, and it is exactly the kind of thing you want to know in the aisle rather than in the driveway.
The lumber will not fit in your car
One owner made three trips in a Honda Pilot and said just getting the wood took him a day. Another warns that with two people and a standard SUV you will need two trips, because of the weight. If you do not have a truck, price up delivery before you price up the lumber. The owner who did three trips said he would consider delivery if he ever did another.
Buy dry wood, and buy it rated for the ground
An owner’s advice: the lumber you use should be absolutely dry. Wet lumber shrinks, twists, and pulls your carefully cut joints out of square months later. And use pressure-treated timber rated for ground contact, because part of this set is going in the ground.
The ground has to be level within three inches
Swing-N-Slide specify it: before assembly, the whole playset area must be cleared and level to within three inches. On a set you have cut yourself, an out-of-level base compounds every small error you made with the saw.
Before you buy a single board
Read the plans all the way through and write your own shopping list from them, rather than trusting the list on the box. Add the deck and frame screws, because they are not on it.
Ring your lumber yard and ask about the 4x6x16 beam. If they do not have it, plan to laminate, and buy accordingly.
Price the delivery. A day of driving back and forth with a car full of wet 4x4s is a day, and it is the least enjoyable day of this project.
Who this is really for
Somebody with a saw, a square, a weekend, and the wish to build something themselves. The reviews are full of them, and they are happy. One took the kit as a baseline and modified the whole thing to his own dimensions. Another added a rock wall his three-year-old asked for. You cannot do that with a KidKraft.
And somebody who wants a genuinely good playset for a third of the money.
If that is not you, buy the Wood Complete version, where all the cedar arrives pre-cut and pre-drilled, or buy a different brand. There is no shame in it, and it is a much cheaper decision to make now than halfway through a stack of lumber.
What an installer does
- Works out the real lumber list from the plans, including the screws that are missing from it.
- Collects the lumber, in a truck, in one trip.
- Cuts every board accurately, which is where the whole set is won or lost.
- Levels the site to within the three inches Swing-N-Slide require.
- Builds and anchors it, including laminating the top beam if your yard cannot supply a 4x6.
- Seals the wood, and clears away the offcuts.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Does a Swing-N-Slide kit come with the wood?
It depends entirely which one you bought. The HARDWARE KITS contain brackets, swings and plans, and no lumber at all. The WOOD COMPLETE sets contain everything, pre-cut and pre-drilled. Owners have bought the first thinking it was the second, so check before you order.
How much does a Swing-N-Slide hardware kit build cost in total?
One owner itemized it: $75 for the kit, around $200 for lumber and hardware from a building supply company, $18 for a rope swing, $25 for climbing rocks, and a secondhand slide for free. Total, $318. A larger set with premium pressure-treated lumber came to around $500 in wood alone. Either way it is a fraction of a comparable branded playset.
What is the catch?
Two things, and both catch people mid-project. The 2.5 and 3 inch screws for the decking and frame are not in the kit and not on the lumber list. And many stores do not carry the 4x6x16 top beam, so you laminate two 2x6x16s instead, which works but which you want to know before you go shopping.
How long does it take?
Four hours for a small Pioneer with two people, and around ten for a larger Alpine with two handy people, including cutting the wood. Then add a day for the lumber run, which takes two or three car trips if you do not have a truck.
What lumber should I use?
Pressure-treated and rated for ground contact, and above all dry. An owner specifically recommends making sure the lumber is absolutely dry, because wet wood shrinks and twists and will pull your joints out of square after the set is built.
Installers.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Swing-N-Slide or PlayCore. Swing-N-Slide is a trademark of its owner, referred to here only to describe the assembly services that independent installers on this directory provide.