Playground Equipment Planning

When building a playground there are a number of requirements that come in to play which can impact the budget as well as the length between the selection and the installation of your new playground. While every budget is almost always limited, expectations from other members of your organization and the community are not. Finding a balance between what everyone wants and what you can afford can be challenging.

How do you get the most value for your money when purchasing a new playground?

We’ve provided some tips to help you optimize your budget while getting the playground you truly want on the schedule and timeline that you need.

Create a Plan

If you are building a playground from scratch, consider that different structures and activities will be required for children aged 2-5 years versus children who are aged 5-12 years. There are an assortment of structures available for children depending on age and ability, and it is recommended that you provide separate structures by age group to optimize safety. However, some playground designs are built to be appropriate for a full range of ages from 2-12 years and can work well for a mixed play environment.

Also consider other activities which offer independent play opportunities such as sand or water play structures. You can augment your existing play structures with affordable stand-alone slides or swings, or offer updated climbing structures that extend the play benefit of your space. And remember that the average playground is updated once every 3-5 years and additional independent play activities can be added annually to affordably build more fun into your park.

Five questions you should be asking yourself in the playground planning process are:

1. How many children will be using your park weekly?
2. What are the ages and abilities of children who will access your playground?
3. Which play activities do you wish to provide children?
4. Which safety features are needed to prevent injuries (including signage)?
5. Will you need waste and recycling receptacles to provide a clean space for outdoor play?

One-Stop Shopping

When evaluating different types of playground structures, you may find that more than one manufacturer has the pieces you like. For instance, if sourcing more than one structure, you may be tempted to purchase a slide or swing set from a different manufacturer than the one you have chosen for your primary play structure. It definitely pays to shop around, but when it comes to purchasing, try to buy from only one distributor or manufacturer to avoid paying increased freight and shipping fees. You can also avoid delayed installation due to delivery dates that vary between manufacturers. Save time and money and order from one distributor wherever possible.

To Theme or Not to Theme

While themes can be charming, they can also become quickly outdated and increase the price of your playground exponentially. Looking for pieces that exactly match your playground theme limits your options and the opportunity to comparison shop for better prices on play structures. Consider that a balanced playground can have a few pieces that are themed to punctuate the overall aesthetic without eliminating fun structures that do not “match.” Many playground structures offer custom coloring that can be ordered to match an existing theme as well.

Take Advantage of Sales

Frequently playground manufacturers will provide sales events that can substantially reduce the cost of a playground structure by as much as 50% off retail. Remain flexible in your plan and expectations to be able to take advantage of a more limited selection of models at a tremendous savings. Sale priced playgrounds are frequently overstocked items that can be incorporated into your park while freeing up additional budget for independent play structures, or even better quality safety surfacing for your project.

As your SRP Playground dealer, we can help you navigate the process of researching, budgeting, ordering, installing, and maintaining your equipment. With access to thousands of playground equipment products, we can help you design and install your playground to meet your requirements

Free Design & Consult: At the very least, we’d like to let you know that you’re eligible for a free site visit and consultation, and will receive a complete estimate along with plan drawings and a 3-D colored rendering of what your new playground will look like.

Create a Wishlist: If you haven’t had a chance to visit our website, www.e-menities.com, you’ll see that you have access to over thousands of recreational equipment products. Want to get some ideas together that you can share, or save to review later? If you don’t see it on the shopping cart, we we also work with several other vendors and can likely source the item for your project.

Current Sales: Now is also a great time to look at current sales on our website, which will save you thousands of dollars.
Maximizing your Budget-
Our end goal is to offer the most value-conscious playground for your budget.

Budgeting for Your Playground:

• Total cost: $20,000
• Playground equipment: $13,000
• Installation: $3500
• Surfacing: $1500
• Shipping/Taxes/Site Prep: $2000
  Do you need a full-service installation, or are you able to take care of the initial site work that’s required to make your site playground-ready?

How to Save Thousands on Your Playground

• Demolition of the existing playground
• Site preparation
• Landscaping
• Drainage work
• Adding playground timbers and your own mulch
• We can take care of all of this, but often it makes the most sense to source out locally.

Local landscapers can remove, dispose of, and level an area to make it “dig ready”. We can instruct on what’s required, and allow them to do the work, potentially, more economically. However, our installation teams can also add minor landscaping such as sod, plantings, after the new equipment has been installed.

Community Built Playground
If you’ve got a committed organization that will remain dedicated to completing the installation, we also offer “community build” option, which includes one of our Certified Playground Installers (also, a CPSI), supervising and directing your team throughout the construction process. This requires dedication on your part to include a minimum group of at least 10 people, but the bonding and camaraderie is worth the weekend’s obligation. As well, given the budget, you’ll save a couple thousand dollars.

Timelines- How Long Does This Playground Take To Build?

Here are a few of the considerations you should keep in mind when setting your milestones. There is a work flow to the complete process.

• Initial research: 1 week
• Design Consultant site visit & appointment: same week
• Proposal Delivery: 1-2 weeks
• Modifications to proposal? Will extend time
• Order Equipment: finalize your color choices and components & mail deposit check 3-4 days
• Fabrication: 3-5 weeks depending on seasonal surges
• Permitting (if required- is concurrent w/fabrication time): this is a 2-phase process- engineered drawings (4 weeks) + permit application & approval (2 weeks): 6 weeks
• Shipping/Site Preparation: 1-3 days
• Installation of equipment: 2-5 days typically
• Installation of surfacing (rubber/synthetic grass): 1-3 days
• The above applies to our custom modular structure. We have Quick-ship items, including many that can ship in 72 hours.

Permitting? Am I required to permit my new playground?

That depends on your local building requirements. In Florida, for example, if it’s concreted in the ground, then yes. We’ll help you navigate through the permitting process, handle all of the paperwork, and keep you assured, that your new playground will meet the local building requirements.

Some of the other components that you might be adding, such as a shade structure, or a shelter, may also require permitting. Regardless, we’ll get through the process together.

If you’re looking for a “non-permanent” option, we can provide that, too.
Playground Surfacing
You have several options for playground surfacing. Each of these options has several advantages and disadvantages you’ll want to discuss with your representative.

These surfacing options fall into 2 broad categories:

• Loose-fill material- Loose-fill material can be loose rubber nuggets, engineered wood fiber, sand, or pea gravel. To meet accessibility requirements, and based on the reliability and consistency of its fall protection, we recommend engineered wood fiber. Loose-fill materials like engineered wood fiber are more affordable than unitary surfaces, at first. However, the long term maintenance and need to replenish can quickly offset the benefit of lower upfront costs.
• Unitary surfacing- Unitary surfacing applies to pour-in-place rubber surfacing (either EPDM or Bonded Rubber), synthetic grass, or tiles. We are fans of both EPDM and Synthetic Grass, which both have advantages to be discussed in more detail with your representative. Although more expensive upfront, unitary surfacing, like EPDM pour-in-place surfacing, adds color and play appeal to the overall play environment. Additionally, you’ll have a wheelchair accessible surface with a superior finish.

Playground Shade

What are the benefits to shading your playground? A protective shade cover can reduce the ambient heat of your playground by up to 20 degrees, providing a comfortable environment for small hands and bodies to play on.

Our fabric does not retain heat & allows the air to circulate through the material. The darker colored fabrics have the highest blockage of UV rays (up to 97%), and also show less dirt than lighter colors.

In addition to the obvious benefits of keeping the equipment cooler you also have the protection of your paint and plastics from UV degradation.

All paint & plastics are subject to UV degradation, regardless of the manufacturer, however,

• SRP Playland integrated a zinc-lok primer into our powder-coating and is an industry exclusive.
• Coupled with up to 3 mils of super durable powder-coating for both red & yellow
• SRP Playland offers an exceptional powder coat paint application. Despite the zinc-lok primer and high quality pigments, red & yellow paint have the highest degree of fading when exposed to sun.

Shade Options for Your Playground

1. Integrated shade into the playstructure
2. Shade canopy, or sail covering the playground
3. Shaded seating areas for viewers
4. Cantilever shade or umbrellas that offer a large shade footprint with minimal posts

Shade Features:

Most all of our shade options features a quick-release mechanism for removing and storing the fabric in the off-season, or during inclement weather.

• Our canopies are typically warranted for 10 years
• Fabric is rated for a Category 1 hurricane (we can engineer for most any local wind rating requirements)

Maintenance- how do you maintain your new playground?

You’ll receive a box of additional hardware, tools, touch-up paint, and a preventative maintenance guide. However, you’ll need to take care of your new playground through frequent inspections.

Despite the certified installation, and tamper-resistant hardware, components could come loose. It pays to have someone routinely inspect the equipment to touch up any exposed steel w/touch up paint, and tighten loose hardware.

We use special hardware that isn’t typically available at a hardware store. As well, you’ll save repair costs and time by catching these items up front rather than closing a section of the playground down until you can have it repaired.

The materials used, plastics, plastisol, and steel, do not prevent dirt, and mildew from building up. A good power washing is a valuable way to keep your playground looking inviting for kids and the public.

Your surfacing will need to be replenished (if it’s loose-fill mulch), or cleaned, sealed and re-coated (if it’s rubber).

We can do both through our maintenance programs that are available through your representative. Regardless of whose equipment you’ve purchased, allow us to maintain it. If you have outdated equipment, we might be able to restore it.

43 Planning questions you must address with your playground planning

1. Are you interested mainly in gross motor activities, such as overhead ladders, monkey bars, climbing apparatuses?
2. Have you considered a music or science oriented section?
3. Are you planning on building this out in a single phase or during multiple phases over a number of years?
4. How is your project being funded?
5. Who are the committee members that are going to be deciding on the components, the building time, the planning and the facilitation?
6. Will your project require permitting?
7. Do you have specific engineering criteria that we need to design this by?
8. What kind of site preparation needs to be done in advance of putting in your new playground?
9. Is the site existing? If so, we will need to do some grading work or drainage work for any additional landscaping in order to prepare the area.
10. What is the access like to the playground area?
11. Do you have an accessible path to the playground that allows your child that might be wheelchair-bound to access the public playground?
12. Are you planning on relocating any existing equipment?
13. Do we need to consider renovating any existing equipment?
14. What’s your project lead time?
15. What kind of timeframe do you have in mind for funding, deciding and building the playground?
16. Have you addressed the drainage?
17. Do we have any additional grading that needs to be done?
18. Do you have salt water near?
19. Have you considered recycled products, which might in addition to being environmentally friendly also help maximize the lifetime of your products, because there are minimum effects of corrosion?
20. Are you looking to maximize an existing space and offer a large amount of components or a small amount of components over a larger area, or are you more concerned about offering a contained area that has more playground components, and allowing your kids to have more open free space to roam?
21. Is the area confined?
22. How many kids do you plan on being in this playground area?
23. Do you have the population distribution based on the age groups and number of kids?
24. Are you looking for more vertical elements that are higher off the ground or lower level activities that span a broader area of the playground?
25. Does the play area need to be wheelchair accessible?
26. What specific request do you have for inclusive design?
27. Have you considered a community build project?
28. Do you have a preference for a solid surfacing, such as rubber or AstroTurf or synthetic turf?
29. Do you have any existing resources that we might be able to utilize, such as access to infill safety surfacing, or containment borders to keep your playground surfacing intact?
30. Do you have labor that can help contribute to the installation?
31. Do you have a preference for activity panels or crawl tubes or an aversion for either one?
32. Is there any equipment that you don’t want included, such as swings or moving components?
33. Do you know of any existing safety standards within the facility that might affect the installation of this project, as far as how close to the building or what kind of equipment we might need to consider?
34. Do you have a purchasing guideline or do you allow for open bid purchasing or procurement opportunities within your bidding network?
35. Are you aware of any building setbacks?
36. Do we have enough room for emergency access vehicles?
37. Is there an accessible route leading up to the play area?
38. Are you aware of the role of the dealer that you’ll be working with, versus the manufacturer?
39. Is aftermarket servicing a concern for you and your organization?
40. Are you aware of the lifetime that you should expect out of a public playground and how that might be a consideration for the representative group or dealer that you are working with?
41. Is your dealer located within short proximity to the manufacturer of your equipment?
42. What’s important with your contractor?
43. Do you need a licensed general contractor to install your equipment?

ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED?

Give us a call: We’re looking forward to hearing more about your project and how we can assist you.  Call today: 1-855-884-8387