In my previous post I shared with you the thinking behind the madness in wanting to build the Jungle Gym for my children and all the components that I was going to purchase, anyway the deed is done and I have downloaded the build plans from Detailed Play Systems. This will suppliment the real booklet that will come with the delivery of the hardware, even so this is exactly the same as the booklet but printed off by me. A total of 94 pages in all, giving me a total overview of the scope of the work that I have decided to take on.

The plans actually cover the building of the Jungle Fort, Swingset, Monkey Bars, Sand Box, Ladder, Ramp, Rockwall and Tube Tunnel leaving the plans for the Picnic Table as a seperate item that will eventually come with the table tarp and hardware. Browsing quickly over the plans it is evident that it is well put together and providing that the instructions are followed there should be minimal problems. For me the first thing to do is tally up the amount of lumber that I need in total and buy it all at once so as not to get distracted as I go through the cutting list.

In the materials list it also gives the option to use WPL which is a Wood-Polymer Lumber for the decking areas, I will be using regular lumber just to try and save some cost and also so that I can have everything purchased from Home Depot and Lowes, that way I get to chose the lumber. I will be paying the extra cost to get treated pine where I can and any sizes that are unavailable I will be treating with green preserve then finish with a redwood stain for more appealing aesthetics.

OK, so here is the tally list for all sizes needed to cover all my options. I know there will be left over lumber because the ladder probably will not be built but that extra lumber can always be returned after the build. For this build Douglas Fir is the available choice.

4 x 4 x 10′ Mega Top, Swing Set (8)

4 x 4 x 8′ Monkey Bars (5)

2 x 8 x 12′ Base of Sand Box (2) untreated lumber

2 x 6 x 12′ Jungle Fort, Gangplank Ramp, Picnic Table (13)

2 x 4 x 12′ Jungle Fort, Gangplank Ramp, Rock Wall, Picnic Table (21)

2 x 4 x 10′ Monkey Bars, Swing Set (3)

2 x 4 x 8′ Picnic Table (2)

2 x 2 x 8′ Jungle Fort, Gangplank Ramp (7) untreated lumber

2 x 6 x 12′ Jungle Fort, Gangplank Ramp, Picnic Table (12) untreated lumber instead of WPL

2 x 6 x 10′ Rock Wall (6) untreated lumber instead of WPL

4 x 6 x 12′ Swing Set (1) untreated lumber

As you can see from this extensive list there are a total of 80 pieces to purchase and probably three trips in the Silverado to bring it home!

What you see from the image is the material that was available in the sizes that I needed, pre-treated with ACQ, (Alkaline Copper and Quaternary Ammonium Compounds) in other words it keeps the termites and other wood eating pests from destroying the investment. This was heavy timber, still wet from the vat dipping in the preservative and to bring this batch home took two trips, The one good thing is I remembered the leather gloves, tie-downs and the red flag as the longest lengths stuck way out of the back of the truck. This load was split between Home Depot and Lowes depending on who had the sizes that I needed.

With the sizes that were unavailable pre-treated, untreated lumber was purchased from the closest store with the intention to treat the wood with preserve before the final assembly. This makes for a longer process when building but it will pay dividends at the end, no worries about those little critters eating it for lunch.

Now that I’ve got all the timber, I think, the plans need some serious consideration. I don’t want to be cutting aimlessly to the cutting list before I’ve fully determined where the openings will be for the Slide, Rock Wall, Monkey Bars and Ramp, let alone, that the Swing Set will be on the opposite side to the plan layouts anyway.

Using this plan from the booklet I intend to change the configuration by moving the Swing Set 180° so that is lives on the right. The Ramp and Slide will move around 45° until they face forward but the Slide and Ramp will swap positions, with the Slide being on the right. The Monkey Bars will rotate to the left 180° and the Rock Wall will remain in the same position and I will totally omit the Ladder, seeing the Ramp will be the main point of entrance. With that all being said the cutting list will be virtually the same but I will have to make sure I label it up correctly so as not to get confused. Lastly, plenty of attention will have to be be paid when cutting the timber to length, or as the saying goes, “Check twice, cut once.”