Wood Swingset Playhouse Makeover​

This project is our Wood Swingset Playhouse Makeover​. Oh man, this is one project where it felt like we were trying to shove toothpaste back into the tube. Like, what the heck did I get myself into?  The only reason this happened to get done is because of grace. That, and we just kept moving and more grace. 

But I am so glad that we did not stop! The results are impressive! I’m going to break it down for you to the best of my ability. In case you are crazy enough to try this yourself, I’ll show you how we did it! But first, let me tell you, this was not a quick or easy endeavor. We set a budget of $300 to complete this free Wood Swingset Playhouse Makeover and got to work.

This was one of our very first major DIY projects for our home. I don’t know why I thought hanging a shelf was “home improvement”. For real tho, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. This is probably a good thing because then we might not have ever finished this awesome wood swingset playhouse for our kids! 

You may notice that the yard in each photo is different. That’s because the Before photo is from the previous owner’s yard. YUP. We took that bad boy apart, lugged it across town, and reassembled it in our yard. All with an infant and toddler in toe, in the middle of summer. Crazy, right? Crazy awesome!

This free Wood Swingset Playhouse was found on Facebook.

I had been in the market for a used play set since we redid our backyard. I had made some offers and they had all fallen through. BUT you would not believe it, in God’s perfect timing, we ended up getting it for F R E E ! Some sweet little grandparents were just giving it away! Their grandkids had outgrown it and they were just ready to get it out of their yard. It was my first time getting anything for free from someone I’d met on the internet. But I was like really, really excited about it! That is until we had to actually take it apart, haul it home, and then try to put it back together again.

I’m not even ashamed to tell you that this is what stood for nearly 2 months before we got to the building. And most importantly, my kid did not even care. She still thought it was an awesome new place to enjoy a snack outside.

STEP 1: DISASSEMBLE THE OLD WOOD SWINGSET PLAYHOUSE

Armed with a power drill and a socket wrench set we took apart the playset over the course of about 4 hours. First, we removed the climbing wall, slide, and ladder. Second, we removed the swing frame. After that, we started with removing the roof pieces and worked our way down, trying to keep major pieces intact for easier reassembly later. 

We also set up our camera to record the order of steps but the battery died somewhere in the middle and it just wasn’t a useful tool for us. But thankfully I had made notes on my phone of the order in which we took it apart, so we could work backward to put it back together when we got home. In hindsight though, I should have taken the time to make the notes more detailed. That would have been even more helpful.

Related content: DIY Fur office chair makeover 

I also brought some zip baggies and a sharpie to keep the bolts and screws safe and not be confused with other parts. THIS WAS IMMENSELY HELPFUL. If nothing else, do this. You’ll be glad you did. 

Something else that came in handy was a bolt loosener/penetrating catalyst spray. I figured those screws hadn’t moved in years and would be pretty sticky. We gave all bolts and screws a good spray before we began and it made the whole process move more swiftly!

Step 2: HAUL HOME WOOD SWINGSET PLAYHOUSE AND PREPARE FOR MAKEOVER

You’ll need a way to haul it home! We have a sweet 83′ Dodge Ram that was my husband’s grandfather’s truck. It’s a project truck but it is also so handy to have to help us with all my crazy ideas! Yay

Oh, and you might need some muscles, oh, and some gloves. Splinters are not the deal.

STEP 3: PRESSURE WASH PLAYHOUSE WOOD

Clean that wood! We used an all-purpose cleaner and a rented pressure washer from Home Depot. Just be careful not to get any plants, the cleaning agent definitely killed our tree a bit. (UPDATE: It came back to life!)

STEP 4: SET IT UP AGAIN, KINDA

This is probably the most frustrating part of the whole endeavor. Let’s just think of it as a relationship exercise. It’s going to be an awesome bonding experience! and your kids are going to love it. 

As you can see, I changed up the design a bit. I decided that a picnic table was a waste of valuable play area and I wanted to create a second “house” area. We have 2 little girls, so I imagined putting little shelves up and dragging the toy kitchen out in the summer months! Maybe a rug and some sheer curtains. sigh There it was, make believe magic just waiting to happen. 

Back to reality. He really didn’t like reconfiguring the picnic table for me. But I love the way it turned out. There is now way more space for activities!

STEP 5: PAINT

First, remove all fixtures to be cleaned and repainted. Any metal pieces that cannot be removed should be painted FIRST. We got started and then I realized I couldn’t control the overspray of green entirely and definitely didn’t want green splattered white. So spray paint first if you need to, then paint the wood. 

By using white exterior paint and a paint sprayer we made quick work of painting the entire house in just a couple hours! We started with a brush and it was taking foreeevverrrr. We finally wised up and just bought the cheapest paint sprayer we could find and it worked out just fine!

STEP 6: REATTACH FIXTURES

While my husband used the paint sprayer I was busy working on cleaning and repainting all the fixtures. Anything that was blue or yellow or metal was removed. Then it was time to clean! Let me warn you, it was kinda gross, so wear some gloves. 

I hosed them down, then washed them in hot soapy water, and laid them out to dry. Thankfully the summer sun dried it all rather quickly. When it was dry, I evenly spray-painted 3 coats, for better longevity. Just make sure each coat is dry before painting the next or it could look cakey and possibly peel off. 

I went with a dark green because I thought it looked classic and chic.

Joshua wanted us to paint everything rainbow, you know, for the kids. But I had to use my executive powers to veto that, explaining that it would like more tidy over time to just do one color. You could paint it rainbow if you wanted. But if you want green too, I used Rustoleum spray paint in Deep Forest. We purchased 8 cans and used about 6 and a half cans to spray the fixtures, slide, and swing. I decided to keep the others handy for touchups later, although it has been nearly 3 years and I have yet to touch it up. I probably should.

Here is a link to the paint I used: Rustoleum Deep Forest

#commissionsearned

STEP 7: ENJOY!

Last but definitely NOT Least. Enjoy! Enjoy your kids enjoying your work. I mean, that’s what this was all about right? Enjoying time at home. And maybe about getting some peace from endless questions. OH WAIT! MAMA LOOK hahaha

In the end, I still love this project so much! I love how it looks in our yard and how it looks from the street. (Because it is BIG!) We had to keep telling ourselves we could do this. The results have even me impressed! To be clear, this was not a quick or easy endeavor. I’m just so pleased with how it turned out, on a shoestring budget. Thank God I have a handy husband! Do you have one of those too? Or are you handy yourself? You can do it yourself! Maybe if you happen upon an opportunity to take an old wooden swing set home for free – You’ll take advantage and make it even better than this!

Until Next time!