soon to be delivered swing set, want to prep area. what is the best material for the perimeter? timbers, pvc?
by
Roy
+7
25' x 15' area. considering 4" pvc, but have looked at R x R ties and 6 x 6 landscape timbers.
10 answers
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I strongly encourage you to use treated timbers vs RR ties. RR ties can contain toxic chemicals, the treated timbers will not. PVC will become brittle over time if you use above ground, risking splintering when broken and possible gauging body parts.
360 Sod (Donna Dixson)
on Mar 24, 2012
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Thanks for the answers, but I'm still hoping for more ideas.
Roy
on Mar 24, 2012
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treated wood for the perimeter, sand for the surface. Make sure rainwater has somewhere to go....put drain holes in the edge of the perimeter
Walter Reeves
on Mar 25, 2012
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What are you planning to use as "fill" inside the perimeter? Sand, wood chips, the recycled fancy rubber stuff?
KMS Woodworks
on Mar 25, 2012
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We used a composite railroad tie for a client. Many of these composite ties are made of lots of recycled plastic bottles, along with some other items. The only downside is that if you think a railroad tie is heavy, these things are very heavy. We usually pick up heavy stones and blocks, but I remember these being very heavy to carry into a backyard. Looking up some specs, they appear to weigh around 240 pounds each. Here is a photo of the playground area we designed into this small backyard. You can see the timbers sunken in the ground, but still enough to keep the mulch inside the play area.
Southern Trillium LLC
on Mar 25, 2012
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I like this idea. We have almost the same swingset at our home.
Faye S
on Mar 26, 2012
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When we designed this yard, the main purpose was to provide an area for the kids to play. There was the swingset area, then the small grass area. and we designed and installed the paver patio as somewhere for the parents to sit while the kids played. This overhead view is made possible by a much higher deck on the back of the house. So, since sitting on the deck was a good walk to the area, the patio provided a much closer space to the children.
Southern Trillium LLC
on Mar 26, 2012
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Thanks for all your good ideas. I looked for composite timbers/ ties, but could not find any locally. we went with 4x4 pt timbers. we are planning to fill with mulch on top of a weed barrier. as this is Georgia, what would be best to put under that for drainage? the set in the picture is almost the same as we have ordered.
Roy
on Mar 26, 2012
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Roy, we have typically used just a heavy duty contractor grade fabric, and then installed ~3 inches of mulch on top. I don't think that you would have to install any type of gravel sub-base or drainage layer.
Southern Trillium LLC
on Mar 26, 2012
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Oh. Thanks for the tip. We are using a weed block from HD, and when the set is installed we will get a load of mulch from the local bulk supplier. I do have some sand that I can put down under the weed block, but it has been out on a tarp and has some things growing along the edges. We shall see.
Roy
on Mar 27, 2012
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