I had been pricing the playhouse kits for years and just couldn't believe how expensive they were. So I went to Lowe's and priced out lumber and hardware to build my own little deck with a slide. Still expensive. That same day I went to Deseret Industries, a secondhand thrift store, and saw a sturdy bunk bed made of the same 2X6 lumber I had just priced! I played Tetris with the different parts of the bunk bed and figured I had enough lumber for a good deck frame WITH railing....for $20! AND it already had metal support brackets. So I bought some cement and treated 4X4 posts and went to work - disassembling the bed and then building my deck.
So, at this point, I was still aiming for a simple deck with a slide. I had grown up watching my Dad build houses for a living and already knew my way around a construction site. I also helped my Dad build the house I live in so I have many of my own tools......a must!
Once my posts were set (the digging about did me in!) and framed I nailed in 3 floor joists and realized I was going to have to invest in a lot of 2x4s to make a 6' by 6' deck. But I figured I had the railing already and gone to so much work that I'd just fork out the $80 for the lumber. So I was off to Lowe's again.
**TIP**Pathfinders are deceptively large and can be packed to the roof. If you try this out PLEASE make sure nothing is aiming toward the windshield in the event of a sudden stop...ya, it was a close call.
**TIP** PACE YOURSELF. I got so gung ho my poor family ate mac n cheese and Top Ramen for 3 days!
HINDSIGHT I wish I had prepared the ground properly. Take the time to level it out and clear the weeds. Consider your end product and the possibility of adding on to it.
