FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
A: Just send us an email from our Contact Us page, or call Evelyn at (828) 298-5868. Tell us a little bit about what you’re looking for, and whatever questions or ideas you have so far. Whether you know exactly what you want or you’d like to create a concept together, we’d love to hear from you!
A: Our specialty is full playground designs, and our availability for smaller projects depends on our workload at the moment. We may be able to schedule in a simple swings or slides, just ask us when you send an email from our Contact Us page.
A: Yes! This is our specialty and we excel at re-creating details from your house or church in an evocative and fanciful way!
A: There’s a space at least 6′ away from all the components (and a lot more for swings!) This is the playground’s use zone . Everywhere inside the use zone all safety guidelines highly recommend installing a safety surfacing. This surfacing is intended to absorb impact, specifically head impact, from a fall from the equipment. Products are evaluated as to their capacity to absorb this impact and they must be installed at the depths noted to maintain that capability.
Products include Engineered Wood Fiber (or EWF) playground mulch at 9″ deep compacted and shredded rubber mulch at 6″ deep There are other unitary surfaces like Poured in Place and artificial turf with infill that are often used on public playgrounds.
A: The cost varies quite a bit . Our fully customized backyard playgrounds typically start at about $20,000. If you ask us to build just a swing beam and a deck with a slide, it could be half that. Our crew is very specialized for the complex carpentry, complicated installations, and detailed designs that are typical in our custom work.
Our backyard playgrounds can last for decades, through several generations, with a little maintenance from time to time. We know of 20+ year old playgrounds in Asheville. They last because we build them to the highest level of craftsmanship possible, and with great attention to detail.
A: Yes! We have built playgrounds with ramp systems for wheelchair accessibility and we include ADA compliant stairs and components on all our public use playgrounds, when needed. We approach design with an inclusive focus and enjoy coming up with new and creative ways for all kids to have fun.
A: This means a very resilient surface that will absorb head impact when a child falls off the equipment. It may be engineered wood fiber (EWF) playground mulch, rubber playground mulch, rubber mats, or artificial turf with a cushioning layer.
A: We sure can! We install Engineered Wood Fiber (mulch designed specifically for playgrounds), and rubber mulch. Both require a border to contain the mulch. EWF looks great with our wood designs, and is the most economical option up front. Shredded rubber mulch is the second most costly, and artificial turf or rubber Poured in Place cost considerably more. All types are best installed over a stone base for drainage and support, though this is not an absolute requirement for Engineered Wood Fiber.
It’s important to decide early on what kind of surfacing you’ll want to use. We want to install the playground components (like slides especially) at the correct elevation for the finished surface height.
A: Natural play areas have grown in popularity, and with good reason. Natural playgrounds move away from rigid, play specific components and move towards imaginative and free-form play spaces. We create an organic feel in the design using locust logs for posts, swing beams and handrails, and use of connecting hex decks (think bee honeycombs!) And we include tunnels, hills, climbing nets, ground based locust log climbing structures, embankment slides, climbing boulders, and play forts, cabins, stages, and mazes.
We do not do grading or land form work, we leave that up to landscaping experts. We offer guidance and make recommendations aligned with best safety practices.
A: Of course, we ‘play well with others.’ We have experience and very much enjoy collaborating with Landscape Architects and Designers. We also have experience with General Contractors building new parks that include our playgrounds, and with new developments being built.
A: We install to states that are within about day’s drive from Asheville, NC (about 500 miles). We have built playgrounds from Texas to the North Carolina coast, and Kentucky to northern Florida.
A: We don’t update playgrounds that we did not build.
We can order parts for you, and we typically have swings on hand here at the shop. But honestly, we can’t beat the prices online so we may not be your best option if you are exclusively buying parts.
A: Our specialty is playgrounds and we don’t build other types of structures as standalone projects. We really cannot be cost competitive with specialists for those projects.
A: This means a very resilient surface that will absorb head impact when a child falls off the equipment. It may be engineered wood fiber (EWF) playground mulch, rubber playground mulch, rubber mats, or artificial turf with a cushioning layer.
A: We have a design/built/install business (with insurance to match!) So we don’t ship parts or kits. We also don’t paint since the lumber is pressure treated and needs a waiting period to dry out.