Backyard Discovery Skyfort II Cedar Swing Set/PlaySet

I searched and searched and searched for the perfect play set for our 2-year-old daughters birthday. I looked at a wide variety of brands, and styles. After comparing the features of the Skyfort II to the features of various other brands at the same price level, it was clear this set gave us the biggest bang for our buck! The set took about 26 hours of my time, and about 18 hours of my dad's. We mostly worked on it after we both got home from work during the week. We did spend about 8 hours on Sunday together working on it. The set is solid, shipping is quick, and assembly is... well assembly is not as easy as opening a banana. It takes time, it takes patience, and it takes a keen set of skills to ensure you have everything in its place. Here are my tips: 1.) Open each box separately. Inventory each piece as you take it out of the box against the packing list in each box. Be advised that the packing list in the most updated piece of information, versus the online manual or manual that comes with it. 2.) LABEL EACH BOARD WITH MASKING TAPE AND WRITE THE LETTER/# ON THE MASKING TAPE!! Yes, the wood is labeled. Is it super tiny and sometimes difficult to read, yes! By putting masking tape on the wood with larger letters/numbers, you will be able to see the boards easier when assembling. Furthermore, I suggest taping together like boards, i.e. M25 may have two boards, so tape them together. Put all the boards in alpha/numeric order. 3.) Go through the book, and group all the hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, lug screws, washers, "L" brackets, etc) together per each step. I suggest either putting them in ziplock baggies, or Tupperware. Just be sure to label each bag/container with what step is in that container. I promise you, it will take you a long while to do the above step and this one, but can assure you that in the long run, you will save massive amounts of time and stress! 4.) PAY VERY VERY VERY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHICH WAY A BOARD IS TO BE LAID OUT! There are a ton of pilot holes, and it is crucial to the structural integrity and ease of putting the set together. I strongly encourage that you always look a step or two ahead to ensure you have put a board in the correct position. Always assume that certain holes, go a certain way. 5.) Have at least two batteries if you are using a 12v cordless drill. Having two drills can be beneficial as well. 6.) It seems weird building all the attachments at the start. Trust me, it is so nice once you have the fort together to just be able to attach the slide, ladder, rock wall, etc. 7.) When using T-Nut "BG", always hand start the bolt into the T-Nut. This will help in not having you push the T-Nut all the way through and ruin the T-Nut. Just get the bold started into the T-Nut and then use your power drill, being sure to go slowly. 8.) We built the entire crow's nest, and then attached it. Was it heavier to lift? You bet, but a lot easier and safer than trying to attach pieces to the crows nest 9 foot off the ground! 9.) I leveled the ground that the fort was to be placed on, and put 7 19"x19" pavers perfectly level on the ground. I had the pavers so it created a "U" with the open part facing the front. The dimensions were 61" wide, by 81" deep. It ensures you have a level surface to build the fort and be able to square everything off of your main fort. 10.) Speaking of squaring, SQUARE AND LEVEL EACH AND EVERY PIECE YOU ATTACH. It is very frustrating if you just guess on some pieces, and then end up having to loosen them to square it up each time. 11.) Have some short 1x4 pieces handy. Then read the manual and find out what gap distances you will need. Create gap measure pieces out of a random 1x4, 2x4, etc. It is much easier than trying to use a tape measure or something else. The amounts are random (2 - 11/16" for example). 12.) When putting the screws into the slide all along the side, be sure to go exactly straight so you don't have a rogue screw go through the slide. 13.) I had my dad help me for about 80% of the project. There were two nights he did not help. While I assume one person could get the entire set done, it is SO MUCH EASIER when you have two people. 14.) Don't throw out the French and Spanish versions of the manuals. You can use them to help you look a step or two ahead for pictures. 15.) Ignore that a PFH 2" screw is labeled as a "CK" for example. Just worry about the style and sizes. Don't waste your time labeling the hardware like you did the wood. I seriously recommend doing each step into one bag, etc. 16.) Have fun putting it together. It is a great time to bond with whomever you are building it with! Once it is completed, you will love it, and your child(ren) will too!

I bought this a few weeks ago and received it in a little over a week, ahead of the estimated delivery time by over ten days. We started unpacking everything (four big boxes) last week and then built this thing over the weekend. It took every bit of sixteen hours for two able-bodied adults to assemble, but it was not that difficult overall considering its finished size. The "chalet" in the top is big enough for me to stand in and I'm 6' 5" (2m) tall! The set is amazingly solid and looks incredibly impressive when coming around the corner to my back yard. The kids (three of them, ages three to seven) were busting at the seams to play on it today after school and play they did! This could easily keep six or more children occupied, which is great because we have lots of friends and family who also have multiple kids. Incredibly satisfied with this purchase. Easily buildable by adults if you have a good drill, necessary bits and some rudimentary framing knowledge (i.e. the 6-8-10 rule) to keep it square. Top it off with a level and shovel to get the landscape right and this is a project whose investment will pay off over and over for years to come! Buy it, build it and you too will stand back amazed at the most awesome kid's play set ever...I want to be a kid again!