(It’s Andy again!) If you tuned in last week for the first part of our playground tutorial, you probably already have your tower complete, right? Maybe you even closed in the walls, painted them and added indoor plumbing?

You’ll be happy to hear the swing portion of the playset is much easier to build than the tower. (Kelly will tell you they’re both about the same level of difficulty, if your job is standing in the air conditioner sipping coffee observing your husband make progress outside.)

Remember, our goal is to make something that kind of resembles this:

The first step is to make the a-frame legs out of the 4x4s. You have two options for this step: the super-manly DIY version, and the probably-smarter-definitely-easier store-bought version. (I recommend the latter, unless you’re crazy, or on a strict timeline, like I was.)

Option 1: Probably-smarter-definitely-easier store-bought version

Grab a Swing-N-Slide Frame Bracket and/or EZ Frame Brace from those links or your local home improvement store. Attach the legs of the a-frame using the brace like this:

Option 2: Super-manly DIY Version

You can notch out the 4×4’s on the top so that the 4×6 will sit between them, resting on top of the notch.  I used my miter saw to make most of the cut and then finished it with a hand saw.

This method is much more difficult but it’s free.  I absolutely recommend option 1, but followed option 2 because our local store didn’t have any of the brackets in stock and I wanted to have the playset done in two days. Plus I like to flex my DIY muscles unnecessarily sometimes. You know, because our to-do list isn’t long enough already.

The next step is to join the a-frame legs together with a 2×4 board, that long horizontal guy you see below.

At this point I made a mistake and mounted the 4×6 beam prematurely.  I realized afterward that I should have laid it out and drilled the holes for the swings before putting it up. I drilled all of the holes with a long 5/16″ drill bit,  then drilled a second larger hole about an inch deep to recess the nut.

You definitely need a partner or two (or super powers) to put the 4×6 beam on top of the tower, then stand up and position the a-frame.

(Luckily we had family visiting from out of town, so I recruited my brother and brother-in-law to use their precious vacation time for this purpose. What’s family for, right?  Couldn’t have done it without them. Here’s a shot of the three of us – from left to right: brother Jeremy, brother-in-law Troy and me, showing Weston the ropes after it was finished.)

But back to work – first we put one end of the beam up on top of the tower and one of us held it in place while the other two lifted the a-frame and set the 4×6 in place.  Once it was standing, I used galvanized framing brackets (which cost a couple dollars at your local harware store) to hold the 4×6 in place.

Then I cut and added two 2x4s to help secure the 4×6 beam and laid a small piece of 2×2 on top to hold it all together.  All of these together hold at long beam in place so it stays nice and snug.

Now we made sure the a-frame was plumb, then bolted it to the 4×6.  I also installed another small piece of 2×4 for some extra support.

Then, just add your swings and other accessories using the holes you drilled and the hardware that comes with the swings.

I know, I know. It needs a roof (and indoor plumbing?) . We shopped around and finally found a great, affordable roof option which I haven’t installed yet. It also needs a quick coat of stain or sealer. There will be a part 3 to this series when I get the roof installed, and I’ll show you our little trick to make it even more toddler-friendly.

What do you think? Have you guys attempted any outdoor projects in the middle of summer? I’d love to hear about it!

UPDATE: We added the roof and made some upgrades to the tower! Check out Part 3 and Part 4!