Windsor II Gym Set

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

Big waste of $ !
We got this set looking to save some money because the big name brand ones where so expensive and my husband is a Mechanic and very handy so we thought he could put it together well and it would last. Well it was AWFUL to put together and less the 3 yrs later is is all falling apart. All the bolts and spliting the wood and the Hose part is a tipping foward. Total waste of $ and now we will go out and spend the $ on a good set that will last!

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

Our playset lost its color in less than a year from wear[...]. For the price I expected more... The pieces were not labeled, so hours later spent searching through 5 boxes to find parts. Also I do not like the 3 piece slide design. Not very strong or durable for when my kids get older. May go to Lowes and buy a 1 piece.

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

Love the look it's sturdy; kids love it!!

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

My 3 year twin boys love this playset. They had a blast on the slide and the glider. [...]

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

Excellent product - well designed; sturdy; nice appearance. The kids loved it. I had it staked at all corners with 36" rebar. Last night, 4 weeks after I put it together, a small funnel cloud tossed it 100 feet and smashed it to pieces. A tornado in CT... what are the odds? By no means is this a reflection on the product. I'm just venting. I came here to print out some info for the insurance claim. I'd like to get the same one.

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

The product is pretty nice. If you purchase this, and I recommend you do, take the nessecary time to prepare prior to building. My friend, Terry, purchased a similar model and had a very hard time constructing it with the help of several skilled craftsmen, home construction oriented professionals and his family members. I think he said it took them 4 days and that he would hire professionals if he ever did it again in the future...but he's an idiot.

I spent 4 hours labeling wood and bagging hardware for each phase of construction. Then my dad, brother, and I knocked out 70% of the build in 7 hours. Then my pregnant wife finished out the project in 5 hours the next day.

Terry - Just call my wife next time.

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

We also did a lot of research on gym sets and this was by far the best deal. We had a lot of work to level the area first so gave me time to go through everything. CHECK EVERYTHING before arranging help.After reading all the reviews I opened all the boxes & organized all the wood pieces as best i could on the flattened box cardboard, by width/lenght and rebagged all the hardware into labeled ziplocks (worth doing). Then I called the 800 number and asked about a manual. [...] Printed one in library (60 pages) and reorganised all the wood pieces by type from the manual. LABEL EACH PIECE (pencil/sticker) this one step is the most important for ease of assembly.The manual is very good, clear instructions. A couple of parts for rockwall were wrong so ordered them (I received the wrong manual and wrong parts again, so 5 calls/2 weeks for correct 2 items, give yourself time to get all this)Then arrange for your help (1-2 people will really speed up this process altho can be done alone/2 people). I got everything laid out for the page (bottom of each page lists everything needed for that step - wood and hardware) and let the guys work away. Kept 2 pages ahead while watching kids and kept them moving. Less than 2 days in total.Preparation is key for this set and youll love it. The slide as mentioned is flimsy, its joined in middle and my 5 yr old refuses to go down it after one go (very adventurous) but son loves it. We added a cargo net under the opening at the monkey bars to the bottom of the monkey bar so it acts as a "hammock" (just in case!) and footholds while monkeying and also is an easier way to access that area for my 3 yr old.We love this set, and intend on adding steering wheel/telescope/window box (extra wood left over). Once winterized should last for years. Worth buying and saving your $$!

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

My girls LOVE this playset, the swings, the monkey bars, the rock wall, and teh picnic table. However, the slide is less than ideal. My girls are small(2 & 4) and they cannot go down the slide, they stick to it. I read in another review that WD-40 helped, but it didn't help us. Overall, this set is great, but I would ask for a different slide!

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

It took my husband (a man who didn't own a screw gun until a little over a year ago) and myself (8 months pregnant), just about 40 hours to build this set, with our kids interrupting us pretty frequently. We had no additional helpers and my husband did a good portion of it on his own without me. We spent one half day sorting and labeling. We went through the list of wood parts, located them, making sure everything was there, and labeled using little square stickers that I had written the part #'s on. We stacked them in our shed with the labels easily viewable. At the bottom of each page in the instruction booklet it tells you which pieces of wood and hardware you'll be using in that phase. So, each time we were starting a new phase, we pulled the wood and hardware from the shed that we would be working with....kept everything neat and tidy and our workspace clear with only what was necessary out.This made a HUGE difference! There were some instances where predrilled holes didn't line up right or hardware ran into each other, but nothing that we couldn't work around using a little common sense. We wouldn't say the assembly was difficult, just time consuming. The instructions are great though! One exception only...when assembling the roof, the instructions have you do it in a nearly impossible way...when you get to that point, flip it over, makes it sooo much easier.Anyway, we had researched several other sets at several different places, [...] To get all of the activities, features, and space that we got on this model, it would have cost us close to 3 times the money. This set is just as sturdy and just as nice looking for way less money and a little more aggravation....so we have no regrets in our decision to go this way. A few things: For parents of young children, we boarded up the back opening where the monkey bars are. Our kids are too young for monkey bars and so we screwed in a piece of plywood to cover the opening and I painted it with blackboard paint. They really enjoy having a chalkboard in their "tree house". Also, I think we may be replacing the slide with a one piece slide from our local do it yourself store. Hard to explain why, there's nothing wrong with it safety wise, but it just doesn't cut it for us.My 3 year old daughter and 17 month old son have a GREAT time on this structure and we have a great time watching them enjoy what we built for them. Their smiles make the whole experience more than worth it!

Comments about Adventure Playsets Windsor II Gym Set:

I'll have to admit I was concerned at first when I read the reviews. Weve installed many of these backyard playsets, but not a winsor 2. All the reviews I read were basicly horror stories of endless labor hours and missing parts. I was pleasently suprised ,aside from some lag bolts hitting some through bolts, that was really the only problems we had. There were a few instructions that we had to read over a few times that really left you guessing on placement of a few parts. Not a major problem , but more of an aggrevation when you have to take something loose again. We had a total of 5 1/2 hours. Far less than what I read about.In fact this was alittle easier than some of the lower priced units.
Here are a few hints to make this a much easier process:
First and most importantly. Take a pencil and label each piece. This may take a hour, but will save you much more than that in time. After you label, group all the pieces in to the order that they will be assembled.
Take one of the boxes and flattin it out. Lay all the hardware (keep it in the bags because it is labeled) on the box. This was you see all the parts and your not hunting down something.
It helps if you have 3 people. 1 will lay out and label the pieces while the other 2 will assist each other in building the unit. As the person is finished layout out and grouping the parts.(this will keep the other to busy) He then can start building the smaller pieces, such as rock walls or swings, ladders.
To help save some time use impact drills with the correct hex bits. usually 1/2 socket will do.
You have to have a game plan before you start. If you just start opening up boxes and rushing through the steps you'll have a nightmare on your hands.
You dont have to be an carpenter or jobsite foreman ,not even a engineer to build this like a pro. A little common sense and some planning will make this an enjoyable experience for all involved.