Swing Set for a Sloped backyard
Live in NE Ohio - Have a very active 2.5 year old boy. I really would like to have a swing set in the backyard for him to play on. I would like this swing set: Gorilla Playsets Five Star II Space Saver Cedar Swing Set ( https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/gorilla-playsets-five-star-ii-space-saver-cedar-swing-set-hbwu1020.html?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=Social ). Dimensions roughly 120'' x 158''. (plus need an extra 3-6 feet around the perimeter). Was hoping to have wood mulch chips or rubber mulch chips.
The problem is my entire backyard is sloped. I have a 50 foot deep backyard - the 1st 20 feet is non-easement; The last 30 feet is drainage easement. I went out and measured the swing set and the best area for it is in the area marked in red (see photos);
What is the best way to level out the area for the playground?
Would a landscaper excavate/dig (so area closest to the house is same as the area near the rocks) or add/create retaining wall)? Would the latter have erosion/not be as safe? If retaining wall, how much/tall of a drop off between where it ends and the rest of the yard? I don’t want a huge drop off.
How can they reassure the slope of the yard isn’t altered so a) water doesn’t pool in the level area below the playset; b) water drains properly in general in our backyard, away from the house, no pooling, etc.
Comments (16)
mindshift
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoYour swing set takes up 10' x 13'2". Add 3' to those measurements and the play area becomes 13' x 16'2". In order to minimize the step down or step up to this area, it would obviously be better to have the longer edge parallel the drainage easement. This play area will need to be bounded by a retaining wall at the top and sides. A boundary along all sides would keep whatever mulch used in the play area from escaping.
The yard slopes around 6°. That is 1.27" of rise for every foot of run, meaning 13' removed from the slope would create a drop off of 16.5" at the top. This single excavation with the step (or jump) down on the top half would require fewer retaining wall blocks (or timber, if that feels safer) and less perforated drain pipe and gravel fill. The perforated pipe must extend along one side to empty near the drainage easement. All of the excavated soil would be removed to another area of the yard or off site.
Alternatively, one could excavate the soil from the top half of the area and use it to fill in the lower half of the area. This would require more materials to contain soil and deal with drainage, but would create less of a step up or down to the play area. Below are side view pictures of the construction.
kbear_15 thanked mindshiftRelated Discussions
Landscaping steep bowl shaped slope-backyard
Comments (32)taterville, Things are coming along very nicely. I bet when you were in school you were one of those students that always did your homework; I never did mine. lol Most of your measurements worked fine, but something went wrong with the measurement of point A. That's my fault, not yours; my instructions were not adequate for the task. As we go along, there will be times when you need to mark a place on the ground in a semi-permanent way. Any number of things can be used; stakes, tent pegs, or nails with a ribbon attached. Now let me revisit the location of point A. You will need to place a marker at point A that is at the bottom toe of the slope about mid way in the curved transition between the relative straight line of the toe running behind your house and the straight line of the toe running along the side of your house. Begin at point A and measure along a line parallel to the back of your house to a point that aligns with the back of your house, shown in my graphic as point B. Earlier you gave that distance as 4ft 11 inches. That may have been correct, but because we may now be starting from a new location for A, you will need to repeat this measurement. Now go back to point A and measure parallel to the side of your house to a point that aligns with the back corner of your house shown as point C. Think of the box defined by the the three points and the back corner of your house as a rectangle. It is the width and length of this rectangle we seek. You did not give a distance from point E to F and I assume that the slope is just too long and slick to make the measurement. That's OK, there are other ways to find the location of point F. I'll prepare some instructions on how to go about it. You are getting close to providing the data needed to produce a base map defining the terrain you have. It wont have the precision of that of a professional, but is certainly suitable for planning purposes. The precision can be improved as needed. Taking what can be used from your photos, the survey, and the measurements requested by yardvaark and myself, I have made a drawing. Contours shown are at 1 ft intervals. Scale, small squares equal 2ft. I will add to and make corrections as additional data comes in. Below is a thumbnail. The full sized drawing Is in the optional link. I would invite everyone to use any of the graphics I provide to convey your ideas for the site. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreHelp! sloped backyard...cannot figure it out!
Comments (26)I'm doing some second-guessing here, but it seems that you must get stormwater from the back yard to the front. Since the former french drain is non-functional, I'm wondering if you can change it to a slot-covered trough drain that collects water at the critical places and then directs it via underground pipe to an outlet somewhere toward the front yard... ?? Since you won't be hiring a hydraulic engineer, I would lean toward keeping it oversized... thinking about those big storms and the fact that drains tend to collect "stuff" and become clogged. 4" pipe is too small. 6" or a pair of them would be better. (If you can figure a way to keep it above ground, even better.) The exact details of how you constructed it would depend much on how the plan shapes up and what else you're constructing. Being as it's your own yard and your doing it on the cheap, you might even consider constructing a removable slotted grate made of treated wood. It wouldn't last like other materials, but you could get a few years out of it. In regards to planting on the hill, I'd be in favor of getting rid of all grass, thinking it's not fun to maintain, creating instead a solid small flowering tree canopy that would be limbed up with a high ceiling. Below it, a single, solid groundcover. Trees that come to mind would be redbud or saucer magnolia, with a preference for the former. 5 trees in a double staggered row (3 at back, 2 at front would do it.) A super cheap groundcover would be virginia creeper as you can find it everywhere and start your own cuttings. It's pest free and grows about 12" tall. You'd be able to incorporate other plants at edges, once some shade is up and running, and in the sunny areas....See MoreBackyard lawn and slope help.
Comments (9)Are you inland in SoCal or in the foggy zone near the coast? If you are inland the only grasses that will work with the dog are bermuda and St Augustine. If you are nearer to the coast you can add Kentucky bluegrass to the short list. These grasses may thin out under the dog but they will grow back. Fescue types will die under the dog and will not grow back. Hybrid bermudas and St Augustine must be sodded. Common bermuda and KBG can be seeded. Zoysia is a special category. It will wear out quickly under the dog but will come back...eventually...about 3 years after the dog dies. The retaining wall may have large pieces of organic material like tree trunks or whatever they could find to fill the volume they needed. As that decomposes it creates voids that will eventually settle and create the choppy surface you see. Filling in the contours of the choppy area requires some labor. You'll need topsoil or sand, water, and a drag. A drag can be made from a 6x6 foot piece of chain link with some weights on it and a rope to pull it. First if there are high areas you want to bring down, you might have to do some digging. For the holes, pour the topsoil on until you think it's level. Then drag the drag to smooth out the area. When you think it is perfectly smooth, water it lightly so it doesn't wash away but for at least 30 minutes to saturate all the new soil. It will settle some. Let the soil dry and repeat the process with more topsoil in the holes, drag, and water. When you are satisfied that it is perfectly contoured as you want it and the soil will not settle anymore, then you are ready to seed or sod. Another alternative for the dog is to fill the area with several inches of mulch. There won't be any grass but the mulch is easy on the dog's feet, absorbs urine immediately, and is pretty easy to keep out of the house. Still another alternative is Dutch white clover. The only problem with that is the white flowers attract bees....See Morelarge slope behind pool in our backyard
Comments (27)Thanks for your appreciation for my approach, s8us89ds, and I like the the points you have made about opportunities to create habitat and ecosystems. (Disclosure: I am a restoration ecologist, by profession, and this is what I do, even at home: create habitat.) I've observed that birds, in particular, find my yard more a more useful and better place to hang out than elsewhere in the neighborhood, which is a 1970s tract development with lots generally in the 1/5- to 1/3- acre range. This is a big plus, aesthetically, for me, along with the visual pleasure of the tapestry of chaparral plants. The other great advantage to taking this approach, as you point out, is that it is inexpensive and can pretty much be done by anyone who can dig a minimal planting hole in unimproved soil (what you want when planting natives) while standing on a steep slope. Blanchette, a bit of advice, with reference to "craning in" large oaks or olives. Planting a relatively modest-sized tree and letting it establish from a younger age invariably works out better, in my experience, than the instant (but generally short-lived) gratification of installing a large tree. Beyond the eye-popping expense of buying and installing mega-trees, there are often major, years-long problems with establishment that need to be skillfully managed when using such trees. Fine if you are up to doing that, but often a disappointment. Case in point: about 10 years ago, a neighbor a few houses up my street had a very large olive tree (was at least the 300-gallon size) installed (using a crane, etc.) in his front yard about the same time I planted a gallon-sized olive in my back yard. His tree has developed significant root problems and it has lost two-thirds of its canopy; the tree is, at best, barely surviving and unhealthy -- not to mention disfigured because of major branches having to be amputated. The olive tree I planted is now larger than his (in fact, is currently about the same size he started with) and quite healthy. I personally won't plant anything larger than a gallon-sized plant and consider 5-gallon the upper limit....See Morenickel_kg
3 years agokbear_15
3 years agoThank you for everyone's thoughts and insights. I like Yardvaark's idea - my husband actually mentioned this to me in passing & I forgot to include in the post. You guys are right - we probably don't want that large size of a permanent change to the backyard - and given how costly it would be as well.
1. Doing what Yardvaark suggests, can I still place the swing set in the same location within the backyard that I originally wanted? (with the slide facing down);
- mindshift - are you able to make a diagram (super helpful by the way!) of what Yardvaark proposed?
I will upload a spec sheet with further details on the swing set showing better dimensions where the swing set actually touches the ground.
PROYardvaark
3 years agoHaha ... what people love to do ... make diagrams of other people's ideas .... not!
In simple, conceptual form, it would be along these lines...
kbear_15 thanked Yardvaarkkbear_15
3 years agoNot sure if this is helpful at this point - but found this - just shows the degree of sloping/grading. Probably does not change the proposed solution.
kbear_15
3 years ago- Yardvaark - wanted to make sure I understand - the "curb" you referred to is the U shaped red lines in the diagram which is essentially a border of wood and the swing set base would sit on top of this wood? I assume the U shaped red line wood border needs to be made level (by digging out a little dirt on the higher side of the yard)?
2. As simple as the proposed solution is (compared to the original idea), my husband & I for various reasons cannot do this ourselves. Do you know what type of contractor I should contact that can do the above and put the playset together at the same time? (don't think it can be done by 2 separate people at different times). (I don't know that landscape companies put together swing sets; landscape? handyman? etc)
3. What material can be placed under the swing set (definitely within the red U shaped lines - rectangular box and general area where the rockwall/ladder/slide touch the ground, behind the slide, etc)? (just thinking of alternatives to grass, having to mow in/around). Would I need anything to "contain" this material and if so, what?
4. I found this product on costco - a rubber border. Can this be used in my project or not a good idea/not applicable?https://www.costco.com/64'-rubberific-timber-playground-borders.product.100047336.html
Thank you!
likewhatyoudo
3 years agoI can’t speak to the site for your playset except the we put ours in the back corner of our yard and landscaped around it to try to make it a feature not a eye sore seven years ago. Our site was unlevel but only by a few inches so it was built level and we moved dirt to the site to somewhat level the ground around the playset. We used rubber mulch under the playset adding a rubber mat under the swings and end of slide because the mulch gets kicked away in high use areas. We outlined our play area with stone block which doubles as a balance beam type of activity for the kids and contains the mulch. LOVE the rubber mulch!! We do get water back there when it rains, the rubber mulch does not float away, in the very back corner where we get more rain we have Pea gravel which the kids absolutely love playing in kind of like a sandbox. My playset gets daily use almost year round. The first picture is seven years ago the second picture was taken this morning we’ve had a lot of rain and everything has grown so it’s kind a hard to get a good picture.
kbear_15
3 years agoThank you Yardvaark for that reminder.
Another question - Would a playset with a more traditional A frame work better for my sloped backyard? Would it involve the same, more or less amount of "work" leveling it out? (how would it be done for this set up)? Would it be more stable? (such as the one below):
This one pictured (Cedar summit by kidkraft) has the following dimensions: overall: 122.4'' x 169.3'' x 119'' (vs the other playset I was looking at is 126'' x 162'').
The A frame dimensions: Deck (L X W) : 47.5” X 36”; Deck Height: 48”; The slide length is 84". Recommended safety zone of 336"L x 312"W. The dimensions of the playset without the swings is 79.3" L x 122.4" W x 119.3" H; The deck height is 48" from the ground; swing beam height of 87" from the ground The playset is anchored by rebar ground stakes which are driven 13”into ground.
PROWashingpole
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agodpakalipse
2 years ago
3onthetree
2 years agokbear_15
2 years ago
Yardvaark