The Family that Plays Together Stays Together
When you think back
to your childhood, what kinds of memories do you conjure
up? The day your father chased after the ice cream
truck so you could get that special treat you wanted
so badly? Or maybe the Christmas morning when you
opened up the present you didn’t think you’d
get, but turns out “Santa” had come through
for you.
Numerous studies have shown
that the strongest childhood memories are those associated
with family. It only makes sense because, after all,
your mother, father, sisters and brothers are the
people you spent the most time with while you were
growing up.
“My fondest memory from
my childhood is playing with my sisters at the big
playground we had in our neighborhood. I can remember
climbing on the monkey bars for hours, and challenging
the girls to see who could swing the highest,”
says Karl Jessen, founder and owner of Detailed Play
Systems, a New Jersey-based playground equipment company.
When his own boys were four
and one-and-a-half, he decided they too needed a playground.
“Instead of going out and buying one already
prefabricated, I decided I’d build it myself.
Not only to save money without sacrificing quality,
but to get my kids directly involved so they’d
have a sense of pride and ownership.”
Jessen’s older son participated
wholeheartedly in the planning process, letting his
dad know what kinds of activities he wanted to have
-- a spiral slide, tunnels, and a fort. When it came
time to build, Jessen’s younger son also pitched
in, bringing him the parts or plastic accessories
that he was able to carry safely.
“It was a great bonding
experience for me and the boys,” says Jessen.
“They saw me come home with a pile of lumber
and hardware, and make their dream come true with
my own hands.”
Once the project was done, the
Jessen’s backyard turned into the destination
of choice for all the neighborhood kids, and their
parents too. He decided to go into the playground
building business after realizing he had stumbled
onto a niche that needed to be filled.
Detailed Play Systems provides
its customers with complete kits including the Detailed
Plans needed to build their playground, the hardware,
swings, slides, and accessories. The wood is not included,
but each kit contains a Lumber Purchase Guide that
shows exactly what wood needs to be purchased to build
each configuration. Kits from Detailed Play Systems
range from $169 for a basic Jungle Fort Builder Kit
to $900 and up for the works -- a dual fort plus swing
set combination.
The company’s most popular
kit, the Jungle Fort Swing Set kit, sells for $499.
It features a large 6 foot by 6 foot fort with sandbox
beneath complete with inclined step ladder, gangplank
ramp, a slide and attached 3-position swing set. Accessories
such as periscopes, telescopes, steering wheels, sandbox
covers, and specialty swings -- full bucket or flat
swings -- can be added on to kits or purchased individually
and used to upgrade an existing backyard playground.
“It’s a special
thing when kids and their parents are able to have
the same objective. This is a project-oriented activity
where everyone is a winner,” says Jessen. “The
parents get the savings and the satisfaction of building
their child’s dream backyard. The kids and their
friends get a playground they can use and enjoy for
years to come.”
If you decide to build a playground
yourself, Jessen says you can count on the project
taking about a weekend to complete. He estimates about
8 hours for the wood processing, which includes cutting
the wood to size and drilling the holes for the bolts,
and another 8 hours for assembly.
“Depending on how large
or small your chosen playground configuration is,
your tool setup, and how much help you have, it may
take more or less time,” he says. Only basic
skills -- measuring, cutting straight lines, and drilling
holes -- are required. “Many of our customers
-- having had no prior wood working experience --
have built their own playground for about half the
cost thanks to our Detailed Plans that make it easy.”
Detailed Play Systems is based
in New Jersey, but does most of its business online
and through catalogs.
