How To Build A Playground With Commercial Playground Equipment?

Answer 1

Planning and building a new playground is an exciting prospect for most communities. Making sure that the process of installing commercial playground equipment on the new playground goes smoothly from start to finish requires planning and a step-by-step checklist.

First, the playground committee needs to decide why the town wants to build a new playground. Calculating an approximate budget, figuring out the target date for the project’s completion and deciding how the committee will determine if the playground project is successful are some of the questions to answer early in the planning phase.

In determining the budget, calculate how many children are expected to use the new facilities and what age ranges are included in the group of children. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that playgrounds have separate spaces for children 2-5 and 5-12 years old. Most playground consultants estimate allotting 40% of the budget for the preschool-age group and 60% of the budget for the school-age group. The fill surface can cost as mush as 50% of the budget. These three figures amount to more than 100% and are given as rough estimates only.

As you are considering what playground equipment to purchase, take into account the topography of your building site. If there is a slope, be sure that the drainage is away from the equipment, not toward it. Site preparation cost will depend on the type of soil, the amount of clearing that needs to be done, how much fill needs to be brought in, if volunteers will prep the site or if a professional company will be hired for that job.

Equipment should be developmentally and age appropriate, provide variety, be durable, easy to assemble and good followup support from the playground equipment company. In addition, consider the materials that the equipment is made of. Metal tends to get extra hot in summer and extra cold in winter. To get the most use out of the playground year-round, buy equipment that is painted with polyester powdercoat paint or soft-grip surfaces. For safety, all equipment should be clamped down.

Choices of fill include sand, pea gravel, wood chips or rubber. A more expensive alternative is to use TuffTurf resilient tiles; these are usually used to create paths for wheelchair accessibility. Poured in rubber is the most expensive surface, but it is also more durable.

The last step is installation. The playground committee can hire a professional crew or hire a professional installer to supervise a group of volunteers from town. Some groups elect to have volunteers prep the site and professional installers put up the equipment.

Being organized and methodical in planning for a new community playground will make the entire process much more pleasurable for the entire town. Once the new playground is installed, do not forget to hold a grand opening party to celebrate all of the hard work of the playground committee and the townspeople.