KidKraft Appleton Wooden Swing Set, (Amazon Exclusive)

We bought this for our grandbabies, age 1 and 2, along with the pictured baby swings. The install was not difficult, just time consuming. Although we broke it up into 2 evenings and a Saturday morning. So with 2 people it took about 5 hours start to finish to assemble and secure. We have it in a full shade area but will be putting an additional seal on it this fall when the weather is slightly cooler. There were a few spots on the boards that were starting to split or were chipped on the end. But nothing that effected installation or use and once together it was not visible. We are very happy with this and our grandbabies love it.

Got this on sale for $350, which seemed like a great deal. It's been 3 months since I put it all together and so far, it's holding up great.Playset is on the smaller side - don't expect something from a public park, but it's perfect for toddlers and small kids, any under 4'6" and 80 pounds (it's rated for 110 pounds but kids that big are probably on their smart phones instead). Any playset that is bigger will likely cost way more ($1,500+), so this is a great deal all things considered.My set came with all the necessary pieces, nothing broken. Cedar wood is of good quality and smells nice. Cedar is considered a softwood, but these planks seem sturdy enough. Still, be careful when you drill in screws or bolts The wood appears treated in some way as the water beads off, but I'll see how it holds up this winter (I live in Southern California so I'm more worried about sun damage - I'll likely need to stain/seal before each summer).It took me and a friend about 7 hours to assemble it all - we spent an hour organizing and about 6 to build, with a long lunch in the middle that involved a lot of beer (not recommended). Required tools - socket wrench with 5/16 and 1/2 drives along with a power drill. You'll need a Phillips drive bit and the hardware provided include a Robertson drive bit - definitely use it over anything you may already have. Most of the holes are pre-drilled and I encountered only one piece that seemed to be pre-drilled incorrectly (fortunately, I have a power drill).Other tips - you need a flat surface. Sort out ahead of time the wood pieces by number group and the hardware size (bolts, screws, washers, nuts) together by size so they're easy to grab - this is what took so long to organize as we figured out some of the hardware could be set up in advance (bolts paired with their washers and nuts, etc). Don't tighten anything until the end so you can maneuver all the pieces into place, especially when you manhandle the swing portion to the main station.Finally, take your time reading the instructions - they can be a bit confusing and if you look at it wrong, you may mix things up (I actually mirrored the whole set on accident, but that actually worked out to be a better fit for my backyard).I modified my version in order to support installing a pirate ship wheel (basically, there are some horizontal supports you can screw on from the outside of the "fort" rather than inside) and left the back space open, taking out the chalk wall and putting a rope ladder instead.All in all, considering how little it cost, I am happy about this and so is my son, so that's all that counts.

If you have trouble with ikea furniture you will not be able to put this together yourself. I did this myself and it took about 8 hours. I used about 1000 dollars worth of tools to make this easier. If all you have is hand tools it will just take longer, a lot longer. Make sure you have saw horses. Make sure you are on level ground like concrete. It assembles in 2 sections the swing and the fort. I was able to build it on my concrete patio and then move it all myself. USE A SQUARE. If you don't it will come out looking like junk. Read the directions. The way they show things can be hard to see some times, and there are things that get partially attached and secured later. The directions tell you everything. When they say be gentle on the wood they mean it. It is a very soft wood that splits easy. The wood is stained so thats nice. If you have hard soil, when you get the staking part you will probably want to use a metal rod to make a pre hole for the stake, otherwise you will split the stake. The assembly will take TIME. The warranty they have is really nice.This is a nice first fort and swing. It feels sturdy enough for small children. No way an adult should ever climb on this. The swings seem fine for an adult so you can swing with your kid, though you are not going to be going high.My 4 year old loves it!

Previous reviews also mentioned that assembly could be difficult. I finally figured out a system to assemble which decreased assembly time. Laying out all parts orderly is a must. Reading instructions at least three times while preforming assembly helps. Also looking ahead three or four pages helped to orientate position of some boards greatly helped. This is note a quick assembly so be prepared to take your time. Also worth mentioning is that stakes proved to anchor it down will not work if you have solid hard ground. The stakes are wooden and split when I tried to drive in with a sledge hammer. Purchased anchor hardware from local hardware store made of medal stakes, wire rope and anchor bolts ($50). I have been in the automotive maintenance field for over 30 years so putting together wood made kits is not my 1st choice. However, for the price, it has hard to pass up. Took approximately 10-12 hours for me to assembly. I had on tools needed to assembly. You will need a set of extra hands on some of the assembly. Finish product looks great and was kid and mom approved.