Slides:
There are all types of slides you can choose from. Straight, curved, wavy, spiral, enclosed, exposed, commercial, residential, static, sectional and not to mention the differing sizes. They all bring you down, but the more complex the design, the higher the prices go. For most people, a single, static slide is ideal. Check the platform height of your playhouse before making that purchase.Note that 6' slides are more rare than 5' and 7' slides.
If your deck height is between 5.5' and 6.6', a five foot slide could be used if you make a little platform for it to rest on at the bottom. If you surround this area with mulch, it shouldn't really be a problem. A true 6' slide is usually 2-3x more expensive than a 5' slide.
Also note that true 6' and 7' deck height slides costs twice to three times that of a 5' decking height slide. Here are the types most people would buy:
Straight Slides:
3' Deck Slide (Needs a 6" step up from deck height)
4' Deck Slide
5' Deck Slide
6' Deck Slide (Needs a 6" step up at the bottom)
6' Deck Slide (A true 6' slide)
7' Deck Slide
If you need something even larger and don't really want to pay for a commercial grade over-sized gutter can get a sectional slide kit that you would purchase lumber for and build yourself.
The next biggest option is to install a spiral slide. The kind used for a home playhouse is a bit underwhelming compared to the one at school, but it's yours, or rather, your kid's own personal spiral slide. There's something to be said for that.
Spiral Slides:
5' Deck Closed Spiral Slide
7' Deck Open Spiral Slide
7' Deck Closed Spiral Slide
In addition, if you have a platform that's between 4-5, you also can get a curved slide just to shake things up a bit.
That's pretty much it for residential slide options. Some of the manufactures give you the options for differing colors and the smaller options can come in differing bumpiness levels, but that's it. All metal slides and towering single piece units are mostly relics from another time and will cost you your first born if you do decide that's the way to go.
Climbing Equipment
Enough about the stuff that just goes down, how about the accessories that actually bring you up in life? Don't worry, there are plenty of backyard accessories that do exactly that. One of the cheapest and easiest to install is that classic cargo net. There are several iterations of this play-set staple listed below.
Cargo Nets:
8' x 2.5' Cargo Net
Larger Cargo Nets
Very similar to the cargo net is the is the time-honored rope ladder. Where as the former is used more as an auxiliary entrance to one's playhouse or tree house, the rope ladder functions more as the main
ingress to the play fort. There are countless verities of this type of accessory from size, quality and style. Here are some of the main economical options.
Rope Ladders:
6' High Rope Ladder
8' - 12' High, Premium Rope ladders
Many of the playhouses featured on this website include some sort of rock climbing wall. Really anything can be used for kids to get their hands and feet something to push off of, but for a bit more streamlined look, climbing rocks can be used. Heck, you can even skip all the effortless stuff and go straight for a climbing rope.
For some of your elevated play-set plans, monkey bars can be mounted underneath the joists for even more climbing and interactive play.
Swings
If your idea of fun is to move around with no intention of actually going somewhere, a couple of backyard swings meets the ticket! And good news, there is a different cup of tea for every nuanced swing appetite. Here are some of the options.
Swing Options:
Standard Vinyl Swing
Spider Swings
Tire swing
Toddler Swing
Single Rope Swing
Double Rope Swing
Don't forget to pick up some of the smaller things you might forget like swing hangers.
Rope
Many of the plans featured on this website don't use wooden balusters or 2x4s for railings, but rather rope that runs
through 4x4 posts. Though you can buy many types of standard rope from your local hardware store, the larger diameter types will need to be purchased online.
Synthetic manila rope is a durable option, but is more expensive per foot. It's main advantage is that it lasts much longer outdoors in the elements as compared to natural manila.
1 1/8" Synthetic Manila Rope | Heavy Duty
1/2" - 2" Natural Manila Rope | Economical
Miscellaneous Accessories
So far, we covered most of the big named accessories most people buy for their child's playhouse. But there are many small and large items that are a category of their own that shouldn't be skipped. Guaranteed that there's one thing you'll want to add.
Pink Kitchen Set
Playhouse Curtains
24” Pirate Ship Wheel
Dinner Bell
Wireless Doorbell
Safety Handles
Small Mail Box
Tough Kid Digger
Jolly Roger Flag
Flag Poles
The best flag poles are used as a fire pole. Many of the designs on this website use flag poles as a fast escape from a 2nd story platform.
Be aware that super cheap poles not only won't hold up to having a person slide down them often, they also may have small flanges and other objects sticking out that make sliding down them very inconvenient. A single piece flag pole is most ideal, although the most expensive. Sectional poles are cheaper, but won't hold up as long and have seams that you'll feel on the way down.
Flag Pole Options:
20' Aluminum In-Ground Pole Kit - No Flag
18' Bronze Steel Flagpole - No Flag
20' One Piece Aluminum Flagpole
25' Aluminum Flagpole Kit
