There's No Going Back

Once I saw it I knew there was no going back.  I had gone back to the thrift store in the rare chance they would have another bunk bed so I could complete the railing and....there it was:  a thick sculpted wooden headboard looking about as Piratey as it gets. Instantly my fort transformed in my mind.  It was no longer a deck with a slide - it was Pirate Ship driven by imaginative young scallywags that brave the seas in search for treasure! I'd just put the whole headboard up instead of the last section of railing. Then as I browsed the store everything morphed into Buccaneer essentials: a scope, a steering wheel, a treasure map, a jewel box, an ammo box, a weather gauge etc.  My boys were going to freak!

After a long day of nailing, reinforcing, making a ladder, and adding all the goodies, and one MAJOR farmer's tan later, it was finally time to put up the slide! My little 2 year old, was just itching to try out the slide.  What I thought was ample space between the ladder rungs was barely enough to make him feel safe going up. Ug. I was disappointed but still excited for him to try out the slide.  He looked through the scopes and gave the steering wheel a spin and headed right to the slide. SWOOOSH!  It launched him right on his little behind about 3 feet from the bottom of the slide!  The platform was about a foot too high.......AARRGH.  Even though it was perfect for the 6 yr old and 9 yr old, I was really bummed.

Well, I had already figured out the hard parts. Why not build another little one?  There wasn't any shortage of used bunk beds and I still had leftover screws and decking.  The boys were so busy running around with swords and eye patches I figured I could kick it out in a day or two.  I hope my Thrift store Karma doesn't run out.

HINDSIGHT: Research or preferably BUY the slide BEFORE you build the deck platform.  Know exactly how high it should be.  Also: Ladder rungs need to be much closer than you'd think.  Oh! and I wish I had left more of the 4x4 post ABOVE the deck frame. That would have lowered my deck and also provided more support to the handrail. eeesh, does that make sense?  Post a comment if you want details.

**TIP** Be safety conscious about every part you build.  Try everything yourself. Test weight loads. Reinforce hand rails and build them up to the proper height.  Slides need to be properly mounted and staked. It's your kiddo's safety we're talking about here!

Bunk Beds are every Pirate Fort's Booty!

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.