So this happened in our yard this weekend! It has actually been about a two month process but it was so worth the effort! I had dreamed of a large play set in our yard from the day we first bought this house. I had no idea it would be THIS large, or this amazing.

Back in August, I found this play set for sale on Craigslist for about 1/10th that it would cost new. It is 12 years old but still in amazing condition.

A couple of weeks later, we rented a UHaul truck and disassembled the set to bring it home. By “we”, I mean my husband, grandpa Dave and our neighbor, Jeff, who has two girls anxious to play as well. DJ helped by carrying many of the smaller pieces to the truck.

The disassembly went well but there were a couple of hiccups. But after a long, hot day of work, the truck was full and the guys declared a victory!

Some of the pieces had been in the ground for so long, they fell apart when we moved them. Typically this would have been a fatal flaw, but the seller had purchased a lifetime warranty and graciously offered to have any damaged pieces replaced. What an incredible opportunity! It took a couple of months to process the claim and receive the new pieces but without them, this set would not have been usable.

In the meantime, we began the LONG process of sanding and staining every single piece of wood. It was a LOT of work but so very worth it as the old, weathered wood began to take on a smooth, new look again. DJ did help with some of the painting but he mostly just enjoyed playing in the yard while mom & dad worked.

Finally, the replacement pieces arrived and the reassembly began. This time we also had the help of neighbor dad, Matt. As the guys started working, the 6 kids were in the neighbor’s yard yelling over the fence, “Can we play on it yet?” Their excitement was tangible in the air, but unfortunately it started raining before it was completed so they had to wait until the next weekend.

Sunday was the day to inaugurate the play set and it was a beautiful, warm October day too. The kids played their hearts out and tested every part of the set. They approved of it all.

We still need to put the roof on. That is the one piece that wasn’t completed in time for assembly but that will come in time. None of this kids minded a missing roof. And I can see many, many years of wonderful play in the yard to come.