Robin Hoods Fort 1 Swing in classic colors

A few weeks ago we installed our classic Robin Hoods Fort with 3' long bridge over 1 swing. It fits beautifully into a small backyards. This installation is almost complete: Jeff will return the following day to remove the bracing (which keeps the bridge level while the concrete footings set overnight).







Barbara's Artist Sketch in the color palette chosen by the client is an exact match.









The Robin Hood's fort offers plenty of challenging play activities: hand-woven rope net ladder, turbo tube slide, rock climbing wall, firepole and swing underneath the bridge.












The outside colors are cool and natural while the inside colors "pop"! This fort has one of Barbara's favorite play accessories: drop leaf table (under the shuttered window) & drop seat.









To check out our many different Robin Hoods Forts click here.

Synopsis of Rugged Ruckus Big Fort

Here's a peek at one of Barbara's latest projects, from start to finish:

Barbara started with a design sketch that combined rustic tree stumps & limbs with rugged construction to create a rough & tumble outdoor play structure.

Early on in the process, Barbara & Jeff went on site to choose logs to be cut into stump steps and limbs to be used as "pickets" for the railings.

Next, Barbara & Jeff did their traditional "stick-out", making sure the structure would fit within the boundaries of the play area.

Once the final design was approved, construction started. The exterior was stained with a "natural wash" so that the structure would blend into the surroundings.

The interior, however, really POPS with Wild Orange walls, Russet floor, Parakeet doors and shutters with Parsley trims and Red Earth Drop Leaf Table & 2 drop seats. Oh, and the ceiling is Cape Cod Blue!

Barbara and Jeff spent lots of time checking out the play structure during the detailing process and, inspired by Rugged Ruckus, took time out to create a little ruckus themselves...






Meanwhile, out on the dock were lots of tree limbs and branches. Marco is lead on selecting,

cutting, grinding to shape and then...

attaching the sturdy branches to complete the railings.
Each opening is tested with the white "Safety Probe". If it goes through, then the opening is too large and too dangerous for young children.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle but Marco likes doing it and he's good at it! Almost done and proud of his work.

Install was scheduled to start in a week so the guys were hurrying to finish the Public Use Play Structure in Lafayette. Plus Jeff and Aubrey had to break away to deliver the Garden Potpourri playhouse to the Coyote Point Museum for auction that evening. We were stretched thin!

Once again, everything went great and we finished in time. The play structure is a huge success with parents and kids. We love the natural look and the fun log climb. Hope you do too:

Pasadena Playhouse

I thought it would be nice to take a few minutes and share a custom play structure installation we finished over a year ago. When I came across these photos, it made me smile!

We had a great installation in Pasadena. Meet the crew:

James getting ready to install the coil climber; Marco on the Glider swing; Will laughing in front of the table/chairs set; Jose Luis on top of the Rope Net Ladder; Frenchy in the sandbox tower, and Javier, who just finished tung-oiling!

Perfect weather, tons of work, lots of Corona at night.  And the trip back home was fun too!

Public Use Play Structure: Day 4 on site

Big Day on site: the crawl tunnel tube is added in between Clubhouse #1 and Clubhouse #2! They will keep it wrapped in plastic sheeting until everything else on site is done, but this fun play element is in place and just waiting for kids to crawl through it.













Next the guys move over to the Slide Transfer Platform and add the railings and the roof. Almost ready for the Tube Slide.














Then a day full of drilling in the hot sun...


















More to come tomorrow

Public Use Play Structure: Day 3 on site

Barbara and crew are back on site at the Contra Costa Jewish Day School playground where they are installing a public use, fully enclosed, ADA Handicap Accessible play structure custom designed to run above the playground on top of existing 8' high concrete planters (as shown in Barbara's Artist Sketch):











By mid-morning of Day 3, all 3 clubhouses have been erected and bolted to the floor frames and 2 of the 3 roofs have been added. Jose and Armando are working on adding the angled "step down" platform on the left side of the structure. This is where the kids will exit to the playground area below via a long tube slide.









The 3rd roof goes up while Jeff, below, uses the epoxy gun as the final step in securing the 4 redwood support posts to the concrete.












Next step is to raise the front and back 12' long railings for the straight bridge:










Tomorrow: the crawl tube tunnel!

Public Use Play Structure: Day 2 on site

Day 2 the crew continues with the installation of Contra Costa Jewish Day School's play structure:
Now that the ledgers have been installed (see Day 1) the guys bring in the clubhouse floor framing, bolting the frames to the ledgers.









Next, they add stairs and angled Ship's Ladder ramp on the right side of the playground. This combined stair/ramp system will provide access to the "soon to be" play structure up on top of the concrete planters. The stairs, like the clubhouse floor framing, were pre-built at our shop to exact measurements, fitting to the curve of the wall.

The 12' high redwood frame in front of the stairs will become the "ball wall", to be brought in at the end of the project.



Next, the crew adds the series of 3 Clubhouses to the top of the concrete planters, bolting everything to the previously installed floor frames.

At this point, the structure is really starting to take shape: stairs up to angled ramp, then up to Clubhouse #1. Lots still to be done.



One last addition at end of the day: the guys bring up the roof frames and attach them to the top of the Clubhouses.