Ask A Carpenter: Tips For Building A Kids' Play Area In Baltimore
Karen Franklin
Ridge Cabinet
4636 Ridge Road
Mount Airy, Md. 21771
(410) 875-2211
www.ridgecabinet.com
Karen Franklin's company, Ridge Cabinet, has been in business for more than 32 years and is family owned. The company supplies a variety of products including playsets, sheds, gazebos and barns. She says that when building children's play structures it is important to think about things like safety, cost and durability.
Materials
Ridge Cabinet uses quality materials, including pressure treated Southern yellow pine and vinyl for their play structures. It is important when choosing materials to choose those that are durable, long lasting and warp resistant. Materials that weather well are best when building structures that will remain outdoors. When chains are used on play sets, such as those used to attach swings, covering the chains with rubber coating can help prevent accidental injury. For more information on the wood that Ridge Cabinet uses, visit its supplier site.
Related: Staying Safe In The Summer Sun
Choosing The Right Play Structure
When first thinking of a design for an outdoor play area, there are a number of factors that go into choosing the right one. Age, interest and allotted space are just a few. With regards to age it helps to customize your play set so that your children can enjoy it to the full extent. Ridge Cabinet offers a variety of custom features, including bucket swings for infants and ladders and slides of varying heights. Are you looking for a simple swing set or do you want something more involved like a play house? You can build a play structure to accommodate any space. A creative structure like a pirate ship or Victorian play house may be a fit. Choosing a style that suits your individual child's interests will provide an even more exciting play area.
Price
Price is something we have to consider regarding any major home improvement or building project. Estimates on swing sets and play structures can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on materials and size. When deciding on a budget for an outdoor play area try to come up with something that is not only reasonable from a monetary perspective, but also something that your child will not outgrow too quickly, ensuring that it will get many years of use.
Best Time To Install
There is no wrong time to install an outdoor play area for your children. Children should be encouraged to play outdoors as often as possible. However, the spring and summer months are a great time to get started because the good weather makes installing the structure — in addition to playing on it — a little more appealing. Get outside with your kids today!
Jillian Amodio is an author, writer and public speaker.There is nothing she enjoys more than being a stay-at-home mom. In addition to having recently published her first novel, Jillian also writes for her local Pasadena newspaper and on Examiner.com.
