Determine Placement

• To determine the best place to put your outdoor playset, you should look out for a few things. Avoid overhead wires or other obstructions such as underground utitilites lines and septic systems. Call your local utilities to make sure there are no buried lines or drains that may interfere with the anchoring system for the swing set.
  
  

Choose the Playground Equipment

• Pick from outdoor playset kits that are ready to assemble right out of the box or playground kits that just provide the basic hardware and you supply the wood. Decide if you want to build just a basic tower that includes a swing and a slide or if you want something more elaborate that might include a rock wall for climbing, pirate's rope, jungle gym feature or one of many other options available. Keep in mind the age and interests of your children. Choose an outdoor playset from which they can get many years of play.
  
  

Erect the Outdoor Playset

• Set out all the parts for the playground equipment. Take the time to read and understand the instructions.
  
  Prepare the wooden pieces. Some playsets require you to wrap the uprights posts in protective plastic while other playsets come pretreated. If you chose to purchase the wood for the swing set, measure and cut each piece necessary for the construction of the playset.
  
  Assemble the outside frame by connecting the four upright posts with boards at the top and bottom. Put a third row of support boards at the level where you want to place the playset's deck. Assemble all braces correctly or they may not support the wood properly.
  
  Put the decking in place. Space the deck boards so that small pieces of debris and dirt fall through. Finish the deck level with protective guard rail boards. Attach the canopy or shade. Add the swings, slide and other features to the playset to finish it.
  
  

Finishing Touches

• Anchor the playset securely to the ground to prevent tipovers. Put four ground anchors into the ground as close as possible to the playground. Wrap an anchor strap around the base of the playset and through the eye hole of the anchor. Secure the strap and anchor to the base of the playset with a lag screw. Repeat for the other anchors.
  
  Choose a fine mulch, sand or pea gravel to use as a cushion for children playing on the swing set.