Three years ago I built a simple A-frame swing set for my son. Two years ago I added a small climbing wall. This year I added a slide platform!

I wrote this post as a starting point for other people wanting to do the same. I don’t claim to have done everything correctly or in the best way. Feel free to change and adapt to suit your needs.

Dimensions

• Platform is 5’x8′ and raised 5′ off the ground.
• Roof is 6’x12′ and raised 7′ off the platform in the front, 6′ in the back.
  • If I redid this, I’d probably go 8’x12′ for the roof.

Materials

• Wood
  • I went with all pressure treated since it is going to be exposed to the weather.
  • 4x4x12 – 4
  • 2x6x8 – 4
  • 2x6x10 – 3
  • 2x4x8 – 5
  • 2x4x10 – 3
  • 2x4x12 – 4
  • 1x4x8 – 6
  • Deck boards (5/4″ x 6″ x 8′) – 13
• Roof panels
  • SunTuf 26″x12′ polycarbonate panels, green
  • 3 packs of mounting strips (more if you are going wider)
  • 50 screws
• Swing set bracket replacement for one side
  • The original A-frame swing set had two angled leg brackets. For adding on a slide platform, one of the sets of legs needs to be perpendicular to the ground, so you need a 90deg bracket. Eastern Jungle Gym was out of them, so I found a less expensive alternative.
• Concrete 4×4 post holders – 2
  • 2 instead of 4 because with the 5×8′ platform, there is no room for the concrete holders on the swing set side. They aren’t really needed on that side because there is a lot of structural support from the swing set itself.
• Fasteners
  • 3″ exterior deck screws
  • 4″ exterior structural lag screws
• Accessories
  • Slide
    • You can get any slide you want as long as it is a 5′ platform mount. Check Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. I bought one new because I couldn’t find a used one that was in passable condition.
  • Pirate ship wheel
    • Warning: This thing clicks when spun. I didn’t know that when I bought it. You can break the clips inside to make it stop, but I didn’t do that because Charlie likes the clicking.
  • Handles
  • Bucket + pulley + rope
    • I saw this on a playset at my aunt and uncle’s house, and Charlie loved it.
    • I don’t have specific links, but I went to the local TSC and bought some rope, a pulley that fit the size of the rope, a screw hook to hang it on, and a heavy duty feed bucket that won’t crack when dropped from 8ft up with rocks in it.

Assembly

n.b. I didn’t go into extreme detail on all the steps, cuts, lengths, etc. I added photos and basic dimensions, so you can definitely figure it out. I didn’t work from plans either.

1. Replace the A-frame bracket on the side you want to put the platform on.
   • This is a bit tricky because you have to hold it up while you replace it. I unscrewed the 4×4 legs and the bracket, then stood on a trestle ladder and held the swing set up while Amanda pulled out the legs. Then I slid the old bracket off, slid on the new one, and Amanda put the legs back in. Then I put the screws back in.
2. Attach the first 2x6x8 on the perpendicular swing set legs, top 5′ off the ground and level with the ground. Use the structural lags.

3. Level and attach the two 4x4x12s.
4. Set out the two outside concrete post holders, add the 4x4x12s, and clamp fit the 2×6 (cut to a 5ft length) to the other posts. Make sure everything is level in both directions, and make sure the outside length of everything is 8ftx5ft, not the inside length.
5. Add the 2x6x8 outside beam.

6. Add the inside floor joists, also from a 2x6x10 cut in half.

7. Add the 8ft deck boards on top. Make sure you screw them down to every joist, or they will warp. Notch the corner ones to fit around the posts.

8. Add the ladder. I made mine 30in wide, and there is a full deck board gap in-between the rungs. Cut an angle in the 2x4s at the top so they lay flat. Attach a stake on the side so it doesn’t bounce when kids climb up.

9. Climb up and add the railings. I know my spacing isn’t even, but that is to allow lifting things up into the platform, and also to discourage climbing them. They are just a bit too high for Charlie to scale, but making them even would have been climbable. Leave the appropriate spacing for the slide!

10. Add the slide.

11. Add the bucket, handles, and other accessories.

12. Add the roof.
    • Attach the 5 supports to the posts. They need to be long enough for a rafter to sit on the outside, so 63″ long total, with an inch and a half hanging off each side. I put mine 7ft high in the front, 6ft high in the back (so a 1ft drop over 8ft, which is a 1.5:12 pitch.) I wanted Amanda and me to be able to stand in there comfortably.
    • Add the 12ft rafters, two on the outside and two in the inside equally spaced.
    • Cut the rest of the post off flush with the rafters.
    • Add the purlins, with the roof mounting strips attached before you put them up. Make sure they are aligned correctly or you won’t be able to put the roof panels on.
    • Add the roof panels! You have to screw them in from the top, so plan accordingly. The first two panels are easy. You can stand on a trestle ladder on the platform. The third will require a regular tall ladder and preferably someone to hold it.

Done!

Charlie has been enjoying it every single day. He loves it. We’ve also had three family picnics up on the platform for dinner since it has been up and that has been the best.

Ideas for the future:

• I could see us enclosing the far side and making the entire thing a climbing wall when Charlie is bigger.
• Staining the whole thing to protect it longer and make it look better.
• Maybe a rope or chain ladder instead of the wooden ladder?