Are you ready to give your kids a backyard play place that is more than just swings and a slide?
Teach them to be climbers, give them the gift of strength and fearlessness with a play set that doubles as a climbing wall!
In this article we give you a two for one. No, we’re not just talking about the backyard climbing wall that comes with two activities (rock climbing and climbing cargo rope), but actually two DIY projects you can follow to make your own!
First, we cover a tutorial that’s more for people who like to follow instructions step by step.
This one comes with a tools, materials and cut lists, along with diagrams and photos of everything you need to know to take on this project and build your own set.
The second tutorial is more for you visual types who like to watch how someone builds something, then take off on your own and figure out an inspired approach within your own head and pencil.
There’s no right or wrong here. We just thought it’d be great to provide two very excellent DIY projects on what turns out to be the same result – an A-frame climbing kit for your kids!
The first tutorial comes to us from Garret over at his blog Mincing Thoughts.
Garret decided to put his skills to the test to build his kids a climbing structure that was a rock wall on one side and a cargo net on the other.
He wanted it to be convertible so it could be put away in the wintertime, but still strong enough to hold the weight of four kiddos climbing all over it.
Garret really paid attention to what he was doing along the way so he could easily share his little masterpiece with the world.
For example, check out this awesome materials list. Looking it over, you know exactly what you’re getting into as well as what to load your cart up with when you visit your favorite big box hardware store:
Garret also took and shared detailed photos of every step of the process so we can make one of our own that we know actually works.
I don’t know about you, but having nitty gritty details for a project like this (if you’re not a seasoned builder), is a life-saver.
And trust me, you don’t want your kids pressuring you when you’re trying to get this done right?
Here is the finished structure from the climbing side. As you can see, it’s perfect for kids probably starting at the age of 4 or 5, all the way up to middle school age.
It’s sturdy, yet portable design should last for many years especially if you take care of it and protect it against the elements.
And here’s the structure from the cargo net side.
If you have two kids, this is perfect if they both want to be on this at the same time. One can be negotiating the rock wall, while the other is working their way up and around the cargo net.
Of course playing under it and treating it like a little hide-away or tent area is an optional, added bonus to this structure!
Also it seems easy enough to mow around if you set it in your grass area, doesn’t it?
Head over to Mincing Thoughts to see the full build and of course take peek at the highly detailed set of instructions. Great stuff!
As promised, we’re sharing a second tutorial on building an A-frame rock and climbing structure for your back yard.
This one is presented to the world by YellowDogs World on YouTube. True to the medium, this is one video tutorial that shows every single step on how to build one of these things.
While a basic materials list is also provided, there are no measurements or cut lists to follow.
This is pure inspiration baby – simply watch and enjoy someone with building experience put this together in their garage.
This one seems a lot bigger than Garret’s, but not by much. 7ft vs 6ft to be exact.
To me, for younger kids, 6ft would be a better height. Also, as you’ll see in the video the larger you go, the heaver it is to heave around when you want to move it or store it away during the cold or snowy months.
Needless to say, this one seems to spare no expense when it comes to the quality of materials, namely the wood and stain treatment.
Now, it’s time for you to decide which one you might like best. Ask your kids, and the answer will be “which ever one is quickest to build!”