Setting up a playset for the backyard is easily one of the most exciting moments for a family with children, but before you begin the installation or have an installer arrive, you will need to prepare the ground.
So, how do you prepare the ground for a child playset? The most important thing you must do to prepare the ground for the installation of a playset is to make the ground level. A playset cannot be installed on unlevel ground unless it is a special adjustable playset that allows for it.
You might not want to only level the ground, however. For safety reasons, it is recommended that the ground also be covered in a material that helps prevent serious injuries from falls. Continue reading for all the details on how to prepare the ground for your playset and how to make it look nice too!
Related: Can You Put A Playset On A Slope?
Select the Location for the Playset
Flatness
When selecting the location of your playset, it is important to remember that the playset must be installed on level ground. To make ground preparations easier, you might want to put your playset on the flattest part of your yard.
Alternatively, you could pick the location you want and make it level enough for the playset, but this will require more time and effort on your part.
Play Area
In addition, it is recommended that playsets have 6 feet of open area around them on all sides. This means putting a playset 3 feet from a fence or tree is not the best idea.
If your playset has swings, they will require even more than six feet. To determine how much space the swings need, multiply the height of the swing beam by two. That is how much space the swings will need in the front and the back.
This means if the swing beam is 6 feet high, you will need 12 feet of space in front of the swing and 12 feet behind the swing.
Many companies provide guidelines in their owner’s manual that will provide information on how much open space should be around the playset. This will save you sometime calculating it out.
Shade
While your playset should not be directly under a tree or close to any large structure, you might want to put it in an area of your yard that gets shade. It might just be too hot to play on it on a hot summer day, especially if you live in an area where it gets unbearably warm.
Visibility
No matter the age of your children, you will want to be able to sit on your deck or glance out a window and see that they are alright. Choose a location that is visible from your home so that playing on the playset is never an inconvenience.
What You Will Need
Once you have picked the ideal location for your playset, you can get to work on preparing the ground there. Depending on how much leveling the ground needs and how large the play area will be, this job could be done in a day or it could take much longer.
Here is what you will need to complete the job.
- Spade shovel
- Garden rake
- Stakes, at least 4
- Hammer
- String
- Tape Measure
- Level
- Long wooden board
- Wheelbarrow
- Border spade (optional)
- Sod cutter (optional)
- Line Level (optional)
If you are preparing a large amount of ground, you may want to rent a sod cutter to make the job easier. These can be rented from around $100 per day depending on your location. The job can be done with just a shovel. It will just take longer.
Level the Ground
If you are hiring someone to install your playset, you may not need to 100% level the ground. Some installers only require that the ground be level within 3 inches, but you should check with your installer to see just how level you need to make the ground.
Assuming that you need to make the ground as level as possible here is what you will need to do.
Mark Off the Area
Use the hammer and the stakes to mark the corners of the play area.
Connect string to each of these stakes and be sure the string is level. You can use a carpenter’s level, but a line level can be really handy here, and they only cost about $3 a piece.
You want to be sure the string is level because you will be using it to check
if the ground is level.
Remove the Sod
Sod is a term used for the grass in your lawn plus a small layer of dirt beneath it. This will need to be removed in order to level the ground.
If your yard is already level, installers will put a playset up on grass, but it is not the recommended ground covering for around a playset because it does not help prevent serious injuries from a fall. In addition, trimming the grass around a playset can get old quick.
You can remove the sod in the play area with a spade shovel, but a border shovel will serve you better around the edges by providing a straight line.
A sod cutter will do the job in much less time and with much less effort.
To remove the sod with a shovel all you have to do is dig the shovel into the ground about 3 inches. Make sure it is in there by pressing your foot against the top of the blade. Angle the handle down and scoop up the sod.
Load it into a wheelbarrow to be discarded or repurposed.
Move the Dirt
Shovel the dirt from the higher parts of the play area and move it to the lower parts of the play area. Alternatively, you could remove the dirt from the higher parts and discard it.
If you plan to lay a thick layer of mulch or other ground covering material under the playset, you may wish to dig deeper into the ground.
Use a garden rake to smooth out the dirt.
Check If It’s Level
Once the area appears level just by looking at it, it is time to check if it actually level.
First, measure the distance between the string and the ground. This should be consistent all the way around the perimeter of the play area.
Lay a long wooden board flush to the ground in the middle of the play area. Place a level on the board to check to see if the ground is level. Do this all across the play area.
You will likely have to push the dirt around quite a bit more before the ground is level.
Potential Issues
Large rocks: Large rocks that prevent you from leveling an area will have to be removed. This can sometimes add difficulty to your project as you will need to dig the rock out.
Tree roots: If you have trees in your yard, you could run into problems with tree roots. Removing tree roots is not always the best idea. Depending on how far from the tree the roots are and how large the roots are, you could be endangering the tree.
When a tree loses roots, it will cut off nutrients to some of its branches causing the branches to die and fall from the tree. Roots also stabilize trees in strong winds.
If the tree is healthy, cutting a few roots won’t hurt it. It will slow down your ground preparations though.
Utilities: Most utilities are buried 18 to 24 inches beneath the ground. Chances are you don’t have to dig this deep to level your yard. You may want to avoid setting your playset on top of your utilities in case they need to be repaired or upgraded.
Sprinkler systems: If your yard has a sprinkler system, be careful not to damage any pieces of it while leveling the ground and avoid placing the playset where it will get hit regularly with a sprinkler.
Weed Barrier
If you are planning to lay down a layer of ground covering under the playset, you should install a weed barrier before you install the playset.
There are two types of weed barrier sold at most home improvement and gardening stores: fabric and plastic.
Fabric weed barriers are they most popular. They are made of black, synthetic,
mesh fabric. The dark color blocks light from reaching the ground and any weeds
looking to spring up beneath your playset. The mesh design still allows water
to drain away. It is not the longest lasting option.
Plastic sheeting will effectively prevent weeds from growing under your playset, but it does not allow water to drain as easily. On the other hand, it will last far longer than landscape fabric.
Edging the Play Area
After you lay down the weed barrier you can build the playset, or have someone else install it, and you can secure it to the ground if it is required.
Before you lay out the ground covering material, you need to edge in the play area. This will keep the ground covering from sprawling across your lawn, provide a polished look, and make mowing easier.
Any kind of edge you would use for a flower bed will also work with your playset’s play area. Here are some good options.
Landscape Lumber
Landscape lumber is often used to create retaining walls and raised garden beds. If you already have landscape lumber in other places in your yard, using similar pieces around your playset will create a cohesive and attractive look.
To secure the lumber to the ground, you will need 10-inch spikes. Drill a pilot hole into the ends of the wood and every 4 feet. Use a 3-pound sledgehammer to drive the spikes into the pilot holes.
Bricks or Stones
Bricks and stones will not be the least expensive option, but it does make for a polished finished product, especially if your other landscaping uses the same material.
These stones will be durable, but they can be pulled out of the ground and repurposed as playthings with enough effort on the part of your children.
Rubber Curbs or Garden Edging
Rubber garden edging and curbs come in a variety of price points and quality. Some of the options would hold up nicely and look great in a play area, while others would probably deteriorate quickly.
Playground Landscaping Border
This is the kind of edging you might find at a public playground. This stuff might not look fancy or be inexpensive, but it will hold up to your kids’ play and comes in heights that would hold plenty of ground covering.
Ground Covering Options
It is finally time to lay out the ground covering and rake it across the play area. Ground covering serves multiple purposes. Most importantly, the ground coverings I list below will do a better job of preventing a serious injury from a fall than grass.
It also makes your lawn care easier as you do not have to trim any grass around the nooks and crannies of the playset.
And finally, many people enjoy the look of mulch, stone, or sand under their playset. It gives a polished feel to their backyard.
There are several great materials you can use to cover the ground under your playset. You should choose the option that works best for your family.
Recommended Depths for Ground Covering
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), ground cover should be at least nine inches deep, unless it is rubber mulch which only requires 6 inches. While this guideline is meant for playground safety, it holds true for playset safety as well, especially if your playset has platforms that are 5 feet or higher. (Source)
Rubber Mulch
Rubber mulch or shredded mulch offers the best protection from injuries related to falls. Only 6 inches of rubber mulch helps prevent serious injury from falls up to 10 feet.
Rubber mulch does not compress over time. It does not decay, it does not attract insects, and it is not a material that plants like to grow in. Rubber mulch also comes in a variety of colors from neutrals like black and brown to fun primaries like red and blue.
Rubber mulch is the most expensive material, but it does not require maintenance.
Mulch
Mulch is one of the most common materials used beneath playsets. It comes in a variety of tones that can match the rest of your landscaping.
It does compress over time, so if you are going for the 9 inches recommended by the CPSC, you will need to lay out 12 inches. Those 9 inches will help prevent injuries from falls up to 7 feet.
Mulch is typically one of the least expensive options, especially if you can find a reputable bulk seller. You do not want any much that could have old pressure treated wood in it. Old pressure treated wood contains hazardous chemicals.
Sand
Sand is not the most effective at preventing injury as 9 inches of sand only helps prevent injuries from a height of 4 feet, but it does double duty as a ground covering and a play medium. A shovel and a bucket or some excavators will turn the ground covering into a sandbox.
Sand is also generally messier than other ground coverings, but it can be very inexpensive if purchased in bulk.
Pea Gravel
Like sand, pea gravel does not work as well as mulch or rubber mulch at protecting against falls. At a 9-inch depth, pea gravel will help prevent injuries from heights up to 5 feet.
Pea gravel also provides a fun medium for children to play with their diggers and dump trucks, but it also seems to hike a ride in shoes and pant cuff as well, and if you lawn mower hits a pebble in the right way, it will send it flying.
Pea gravel tends to cost slightly more than sand when purchased in bulk, but the price difference is not huge.
Maintenance of Ground Cover
You won’t have much to do to maintain the ground cover around your playset. After a few months of play the material will likely compress. To be sure that you have the appropriate depth, you may have to measure it and top it off.
Rubber mulch tends to resist this kind of compression, but all the other materials settle.
Regular mulch will need to be replaced every 1-2 years as it will decay and essentially turn into compost over time.
You may need to occasionally rake it out as certain areas, like landing spots and the swings, might become stamped down.
If your family loves the swings, you might consider investing in rubber mats for beneath the swings for added safety and to help prevent the ground covering from wearing away and losing its ability to prevent injury.
These rubber mats can be used anywhere you see the ground cover wearing away rapidly. Once you’ve raked out the last of the ground cover, your playset is ready! You can enjoy watching your child play on it knowing that the ground was prepared properly and for maximum safety.