We built a super classy DIY swing set! Yay! This was a one-nap (Our toddler takes 3-4 hour long naps) project and we are obsessed! This DIY swing set went surprisingly smoother than I thought so if you are considering it, I would say go for it.
We built this swing because our backyard was practically begging for it and also because our neighborhood park does not have any swings! Swings are our daughter’s favorite part of parks! We had to drive at least 15 minutes to find any and that didn’t seem right! So, we came up with a solution.
DIY Swing Set Supplies
The supply list for this DIY swing set is pretty short, but it ain’t cheap! The lumber is the most expensive part of this project because as you know, lumber prices are still very high. Three 6×6 posts cost us about $170 in 2022. Then you need all your hardware, swings, and concrete bags. The exact items we used are linked below. Some of the links below are Amazon Affiliate Links. As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn a commision from qualify purchases (THANK YOU for helping me keep this blog running and ad-free).
- (1) 6x6x8 Pressure treated posts
- (2) 6x6x10 Pressure treated posts
- (2) 6×6 L-brackets
- 3.5″ Galvanized structural screws
- Hex head washers
- Swingset (we bought this pack of two and I would highly recommend waiting for them to come back in stock! Great quality and SO cute!)
- Swing mounting hardware
- No-mix concrete bags, 125 lbs per post (more if you dig deeper/bigger holes)
- Gravel (we used free gravel from our street but you can buy bags, you don’t need much)
- Post hole digger (to save you time!)
- Level
The total cost for this project ended up being over $350. We love that it is not a giant piece of playground equipment, and that we can change out the swings down the road to a bench swing or something more “adult” if we want. BUT I have to say, our swings are ADORABLE and super comfortable! Love a good Amazon find! The toddler bucket seat is definitely more for a toddler. A baby would need a pillow or something because it is large!
Easy DIY Swing Set Instructions
Alright unfortunately I have pretty much zero photos of us assembling the DIY swing set. We worked during nap time as quickly as possible so Emme didn’t wake up to anything dangerous. I can detail the order we took to build this though. I have also linked the two youtube videos we watched that inspired us! The videos use 12′ posts, which we thought was way overkill for kids swings or one adult bench so we did 8′ and 10′ posts and it still seems plenty huge to us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73jTIxSdFec
Pick your location
We chose the most level spot in our yard so that we didn’t have to do too much math when digging our post holes. We wanted to be able to dig them the same depth and call it a day.
Dig holes
We rented a post hole digger from our base outdoor rec for $5 to save us time. It worked great! We laid our top post down and marked right in front of the ends so Edgar knew where to dig. It took him not even an hour to dig holes over 2 feet deep and 10″ wide. 2 feet is as shallow as I would go. We actually wish we had gone all the way to 3 feet just to make it super secure for the long-term. When he finished digging and we checked that the depths were the same, I ran to our street and shoveled up some gravel to put in the bottom for drainage. (They are re-paving this summer so there is a lot!). Then we checked measurements again and evened them out. I put a very small layer of gravel, maybe an inch or two.
Place posts and check angles/level
Next Ed lifted our posts in. We took the top post and butted it up to the back of the upright posts to make sure the angles were correct, and then started leveling them. Then that became tricky, so we decided we may as well get the top post on before we went any further. If you do this, don’t be like us. Attach your swing hardware first. that top post is heavy as hell and you will not want to lift it over your head twice. Measure out your swing distances and get that hardware on there before your lift your top post so you aren’t doing it on a ladder looking upside down, lol. We measured the center of the post, then put 18″ in the center, and 16″ for each swing. Worked perfectly!
Leveling
Leveling ended up being easier than we thought. With our top board resting on top (a little scary, be careful and do not do this around children please) we started carefully adjusting the placement of the posts by pushing and pulling, a few fist knocks here and there, until it looked level and flush. We ended up with about a quarter of an inch overhang on either side because of where the posts landed when they went in the hole and we decided not to try and correct it since we were able to get everything level and flush that way.
Attach L-brackets
We attached the L-brackets before pouring concrete so nothing would move/fall apart. We pre-drilled holes and then attached it all pretty quickly. With those attached, we rechecked level and then added supports with scrap wood before pouring concrete.
*I have gotten lots of questions about why we only put the L-bracket on one side and how it’s holding up. When you buy these, you will see how beefy they are and how long those bolts are. We were concerned about the wood splitting if we tried to do another set on the other side, but do think it would be beneficial to add a flat (not L-shaped) bracket just to keep the top wood beam from warping as it is exposed to the elements.
Pour Concrete
This part was sooo satisfying because I let Edgar do it AND because we got no-mix concrete so I didn’t have to clean ANYTHING! You pour the water up to 1/3 of your hole, then dump in the concrete mix! It is amazing. Make sure that is what you buy, lol. It sets in about 30 minutes but we found the posts still wiggled a tiny bit until almost 48hrs after being poured. Now they seem solid. We hung the swings the day after pouring.
Finishing touches/Extra thoughts
We still want to sand and stain this project, so I’ll update when we do! In the meantime we are also considering what lighting we can add to it. We have thought about this solar powered flood light or mounted solar powered lanterns because we already have sme solar powered patio lights we loved out there.
In terms of things we would change, we think we could have dug the posts even deeper and made the holes wider, but it seems sturdy right now. So if you can take the time to do that, I recommend it.
*I have gotten lots of questions about why we only put the L-bracket on one side and how it’s holding up. When you buy these, you will see how beefy they are and how long those bolts are. We were concerned about the wood splitting if we tried to do another set on the other side, but do think it would be beneficial to add a flat (not L-shaped) bracket just to keep the top wood beam from warping as it is exposed to the elements. Otherwise, the set has held up great over the last two years and is still used regularly!
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