Hey everyone -
I'm in my 8th month of pregnancy and am looking forward to being home with baby and my little 2 year old. I want them to run around the back yard, but we just moved in last January and it's a mess. I really need some ideas for our decking / landscaping. My husbands handy and install what is presented....any ideas / recommendations for
A) a landscape designer who can draw us a plan
B) websites or leads to help us do our own design?
oh yes, and
C) where to get a great wooden play frame for the little ones
Thanks
Dawn
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When I said "expensive" I meant "expensive".
The least expensive playset, one that you put together yourself, is $1500 on sale. Non sale price for the same set is $2500. That is this year's pricing.
Last fall, there were numerous options in the put-together-yourself group that ranged from about $1200 to $2000 on sale. You definitiely want to consider buying these sets when they're on sale. As far as I know sales happen at the end of the season (October / November) and then again in March. I wish I had bought last November when I first looked at the sets. I'm told that the company re-worked what it would offer in its lower end build-yourself options and simply made some minor changes and added those sets to an upper end category. The other option to look at is buying the set used from the garden centre or toy store that carries it. Selection will be limited, but prices will likely be better.
The Sunray set at Costco was listed at $2000 on the website, but when I called my local store they quoted $1500.
Good luck with your pregnancy! And your playset!
Just out of curiousity when you say 'expensive' is that say more than 1K or less than 1K? I'll have to do that research when I stop work and then make a decision....but you've given some great leads. thanks so much for taking the time to write!
I'm waddling off to Caledon east tomorrow and am going to check out what they offer at their garden centre.
cheers
Dawn
I'm in the beaches - I'll give him a call - I'd booked an appointment with a company I saw in the Style at Home special issue, but he didn't turn up! It seems most companies are only interested if they can do the work as well....
I, too, am in my 8th month. I'm really looking forward to being off this summer with my 3 year old and baby. We moved in last June and haven't done any landscaping yet. I don't think we'll get around to it this year, but I'm looking for a landscape designer as well. I've talked to some of the local nurseries and I'll probably go that route. I want to do as much of the landscaping on my own as I can. I, however, do not have a handy hubby.
I just bought a playset for the kids. My concern is that we live on a corner and we haven't fenced yet - nor will we this summer! Anyway, I bought a set from Rainbow. The website is [url]www.rainbowplay.com[/url]. You can also find Ontario retailers at [url]www.rainbowofontario.com[/url]. Usually the retailers are boutique toy stores or garden centres / nurseries that have some of the sets at their property that you can check out. There is an online catalogue to browse. I'll warn you though - these systems aren't cheap. I waited until now so that I could catch the sales. I wish I had bought last fall since the sales were slightly better and there were more options in their lower end prices. That said, I've heard nothing but good things about these playsets. They're made of redwood and cedar. No rough edges. No safety issues with the wood. They have no nails. All screws are countersunk and capped. Chains are plastic coated and brackets are reinforced. These sets come with a lifetime warranty and people tell me that you can sell them once your kids are done with them (although most kids are still goofing around with them at 10 years old). There is also a lot of variety in options. You can build what you want for your kids and add on as they grow or you can choose one of their options made for smaller yards.
My set is going to be installed later this month and, once up, I'll let you know how it is (I'll admit that I'm not on this website that often though).
If that system is too pricey, try Costco. They have a Sunray brand which doesn't offer as many options, but which is made by Rainbow. Cash and carry at the store is about $400 cheaper than the website price. You have to put the system together and I've heard that it takes even the handiest of men a full weekend. Not to mention that you'll need two strong people to load it into a truck to get it home and unload it.
Other than that, I think the options are Home Depot or Canadian Tire or Toys R Us. I was really surprised at the prices of playsets. They're really expensive - even when you factor in that your kids play on it for years.
I'm not sure where you're located, but Ian McClelland & Associates do fantastic and reasonably priced work in the GTA. [url]http://www.imadesign.ca/[/url] The website doesn't give a lot of examples, but it at least gives you an idea of his style.
[url]www.cedarworks.com[/url]
Otherwise, Home Depot has all the stuff needed to build your own too.
Oh wow! That sounds magic! I'm going to hit the website now!
where to get a great wooden play frame for the little ones
If your hubby is handy, there is an amazing site that a friend told me about. You can design your own play equipment, it tells you what you need and how much wood etc. Both my friend and I are busy designing our boys dream fort, lol. Have fun.
[url]www.cedarworks.com[/url]
Otherwise, Home Depot has all the stuff needed to build your own too.
If you don't know anyone who can recommend someone, try some garden centres or nurseries and see if they can recommend anyone. Also most cities have garden shows right about now and often there are landscape designers there with their portfolios handy.