Hi,
My husband and I are buying our first house soon and we've got a large yard. We want to buy a playground, one of the nice wood ones. We went to Crown of Minnesota and priced them. We didn't choose many of the large things, the big upgrades, the major attachments and it was still over $4000. We aren't able to afford that, so we looked at the Rainbow system, and they are just as pricey. Then we went to Menard's to look at the do-it-yourself options; the price was great, but we didn't think their quality was a good so we didn't think they were as safe. Someone suggested we look online & we found one on E-Bay and bid, but we were outbid. Does anyone out there have a playground system that they are done with and considering selling or have any suggestions on where to find one that doesn't cost a fortune? Thanks!
Check Craig's List. We found a Rainbow one on there for $100.00 and we had to haul it, but . . .
Have you tried any of the Costco or Sam's club operations? I know that Costco has one (it is a rainbow or rainbow-ish system) with a ton of added features for about $1400. At this price, it might even make getting a Costco membership ($50) worthwhile. My sister and brother-in-law went this way a couple of years back. And, while you have to do the install, the savings were well worth it for them. They -- and my niece and nephew -- LOVE their play system.
Good luck
I bought one at Menards & you are right the quality isn't very good. I saw some at Sams Club that looked really nice.
Check out Costco. They currently have a play system, and I believe it was in the ballpark of $800 to $1000. It is very sturdy quality and has all the bells and whistles (a deep twisty slide, playhouse/treehouse, swings, climbers etc.) It was comparable to a Rainbow, but I think a little more classy in that with the exception of the yellow slide, the set would blend nicely in any backyard without being an eyesore.
Also, Toys R Us has several systems to pick from. They're on par with what you'd find at Menard's. I'm not sure about Menard's prices, but TRU's stuff ranged from as low as $300 (including the wood parts not just the plans like many hardware do it yourself kits come) and as high as $1000. Home Depot and Lowes also carry their own versions of the same.
Good luck!
Craig List can be a great option for swingsets for little or no money. We have a very nice set that we bought at Home Depot and put together. It was much nicer than what they had at Menards. The pieces were all pre-stained and had wraps for the extra 4 x 4 posts that weren't in the kit. There were some great options and we were able to customize it to fit our needs. We've had it three years and it gets a lot of use from our three kids and the rest of the neighborhood kids. It is still as good as new. Next season I may need to restain the ladder, but other than that it has held up great. Certainly as good as my neighbor's Rainbow system. The two tower kit with three swing stations, a slide, climbing wall, periscope and added on cargo net and monkey bars cost about $1900. My husband and his father put it together in a weekend. Good luck!
