Swing Set Roofs: Which is best for you?

Introduction

Yes, roofs are not the most exciting topic when designing an epic swing set or playhouse, but they are an essential part of any playground. What sets them apart from each other? Which one is right for your swing set? Let’s find out!

Swing Set Roofs

Let’s start by covering (pun intended) the roofs for our swing sets and cover (pun oh so intended) playhouses last.

There are three roof types:

• Plastic Roof
• Poly roof
• The Pergola

Let’s talk about each swing set roof one at a time.

Plastic Roof

Our plastic roof is rotationally molded in the U.S.A. and comes in two halves that are attached. Stylish with a shingled look on the top and stars underneath, the plastic roof is the best roof for a 4’x4’ tower.

The plastic roof is only available in a 4’x4’ size. It resists fading the best and is very durable. This is the best choice for sets like the New Cubby’s Fort or Captain’s Castle. Both of these come standard with a plastic roof.

The plastic roof can be red, blue, green, black, or gray.

Poly Roof

The poly board roof has the appearance of a traditional swing set roof. The boards are durable, and the design looks nice.

The poly board roof is the only roof that will span towers 6’x6’ and larger. The poly roof is also the standard roof of most of our playhouses, except for the Homestead and New Cottage. The roof is durable and will hold up to the elements well.

The poly roof can be black, gray, blue, red, green, or white.

Pergola

While maybe not technically a roof, the pergola is an option on 4’x4’ and 4’x6’ towers. Traditionally, it is used on the bottom tower of a 4’x8’ double-deck tower as seen on the Captain’s Castle. However, if you really like the pergola and want it as your main roof, you will want to raise it an additional foot to ensure your child has enough head space.

The pergola can be black, red, green, or blue.

Playhouse Roofs

Poly Roof

There are two types of roofs available for our playhouses; the poly roof and the lean-to roof.

The poly board roof is an excellent roof for your playhouse. It looks nice, is durable, and will stand up to the test of time and the elements. The poly roof for the playhouse comes standard with a circular or octagonal window (depending on which we can keep in stock). You can see the roof on the Palace Playhouse.

The poly roof can be black, gray, blue, red, green, or white.

Lean-to Roof

The new lean-to roof is a modern upgrade on our playhouse roofs. It is made from a base layer of poly boards and then sheeting on top of the roof. It is beautiful to the eye and can be seen on the Homestead.

The lean-to roof can be black or white. It comes standard with a horizontal window.

One note about how waterproof our playhouses are: we build these to be an outside play structure, not a waterproof living quarter. That means we don’t caulk around the windows or slide entrances. The poly board roof is considered water resistant but will allow water through. The metal roof, while waterproof, doesn’t guarantee a waterproof playhouse, as you have windows and other points that will allow water to seep in.

Common Roof Questions

“Can I put a roof on a 2’x2′ tower?”

Yes, but the real question is, should you?

A roof on a 2’x2′ tower is very low to the tower, and most adults or tall children will have difficulty standing upright under it. This is the rare place I suggest leaving the roof off. Yes, we could raise the roof an additional foot, but that makes it look a little off-balance. If it is important to you, we can do it, for sure.

“Why do I have to have the raise the roof or have certain items only under the peak?”

Specific access points like the ramp or staircase and fun accessories like solid bridges allow you to stay upright as you enter the tower. If you are a tall child who tries to do this under the roof’s edge, you will smack your head if you don’t duck. That is why we have to attach staircases, ramps, and bridges under the peak of the roofs, not the sides.

We can get around this by raising the roof and an additional foot or two, depending on how tall your children are.

“Can I get a roof to overhang the front of the balcony like on the White Gold Estate?”

Yes, we can work with you to custom design a playhouse size and tower to get you that overhang look. Whenever you have a roof that overhangs the balcony, we must be careful where we attach climbers and access points to avoid what we call “head bonkers.”

If you are unsure what I mean by a roof overhang, check out the White Gold Estate to see it in action.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to our swing set design team. If we didn’t cover (somebody stop me with these puns) something that you have a question about, tell us! We would like to answer your question and add it here!

You can also watch the video below to learn more!