Design Your Playhouse Swing Set: A Quick Guide

Playhouses are a fantastic addition to any swing set! They add a whole new play element of their own, but how do you get the most out of a playhouse swing set set? You know you want to design the biggest, baddest playhouse swing set for your kids, but how do you go about it? What are things to think about?

If you are looking for the ultimate guide, check out this blog post. Today, we are just hitting the high notes! 

Know your Land

If you have a bit of slope and you are planning on getting a larger playhouse swing set, then we suggest getting the land graded. We can handle slopes up to 12’’ over 20’ by digging in and blocking up the set. Large playhouses require more flat land than the average swing set, so if you have any concerns with your yard, please contact our swing set design team. 

Another essential factor when looking at your land is making sure we have enough space to get the set in. Playhouses are large and heavy; stairs, steep hills, low hanging obstacles present challenges. To install your playhouse, our team will need an open path 2’’ wider than your playhouse to get the set in, so look out for things like large AC units or narrow gates.

If there are no good paths to the site, we can always take down a fence panel or build on-site; however, those options involve additional fees.

Choose your Playhouse

When a playhouse is the focal point of your swing set, the first thing you need to decide is how big you want to go. Our playhouses range from 4’x6’ all the way up to 8’x8’. All sizes have 5’ tall walls; the bigger the playhouse, the higher the roof peaks. 

For a lot of people, throwing out measurements means nothing. If you want top-down drone pictures of our playhouses, visit this blog post here. These images will help you visualize how much space each playhouse offers.

Choose your Tower

After you determine the size of your playhouse, the next step is to place it on a tower. We typically use a tower size that gives you a 2’ front balcony for smaller playhouses, while the larger playhouses have a 3’ front balcony.

For example, you could place a 6’x’6 playhouse on top of a 6’x8’ tower and have a 2’ wide front balcony. Or you could place that same playhouse on an 8’x11’ tower and have a 5’ front balcony and 2’ wide wrap-around balcony. 

More balcony space means more places for play, and wrap-around balconies provide extra places to attach slides, climbers, and other fun accessories. Check out the Mansion for an excellent example of a wrap-around balcony, and look at the Palace to see a 3’ front balcony.

Choose your Height

Now that you have the playhouse and tower sorted, you need to determine how high you want your tower to soar. The standard height is 5,’ but we can go up to 7’ tall. 

Generally speaking, being taller is better for older kids or keeping the set interesting as the children age. Using things like high swing beams, tube slides, and tall climbers prolongs the life of the playset. However, if you have a young family and intend to have more children, a 5’ height is excellent for keeping the swing set little person friendly.

Choose your Fun Items

Now that you have everything sorted, it is time to start adding swing beams, climbers, slides, etc. The great thing about our playhouse walls is that we can connect any slide to any place in the playhouse.

Tube and super spiral slides can come out of the playhouse walls, and because you are attaching to the walls, you can use taller slides than your deck height. For example, if you chose a 5’ deck height, you can do a 7’ tall slide, allowing you to use the faster, taller slides without raising the tower height.

Swing beams can come off the right or left side of the balcony but always must be attached to a main 4’x4’ post. The exception to this rule is that you can run a high beam out the back of a playhouse, which will be framed in the center of the wall. 

Always keep the traffic paths in mind when placing your other fun items. When the children come off the swings, do they need to run past a slide to get to a climber? Does placing this ladder next to the super spiral slide make the exit too tight. If you need a little extra help, our swing set design team will gladly help guide you through the tricky parts. 

That about does it. Designing a large playhouse swing set can be fun, but it can also be confusing. Chat, email, message, or call in if you have any questions. We would love to help you out!

King Swings crafts modern playhouses with heirloom quality. Each playhouse is made to order by our Amish craftsmen, and then our crews deliver and install it in your backyard. We use premium-quality materials and deliver an unmatched customer experience. Bring the playground home with King Swings.