Building free standing monkey bars
We’ve definitely missed going to the park during COVID. My girls are active, love playing and I love being outside with them! A couple months ago I responded to a ‘free’ ad my wife found to tear down and rebuild a playground set in my small Bay Area backyard. A friend and I did it — and while it takes up half the yard, but they love it and I love sending them outside where it’s safe and entertaining. If anything they like playing underneath the ‘castle’ part the best as we’ve put a table etc under there in the shade.
So recently, my oldest has been talking a lot about how much she missed monkey bars. I was surprised, but the average lowest price for pre-built monkey bars was around $700 even used in my area. I looked at some plans online and knew I didn’t want to dig posts since my backyard is all cement. This whole project cost around $250 total because I opted for pressure-treated 2x6x8’s on the top and had to buy wood treatment, as well as probably more rubber mulch than what was needed. Just the wood and metal braces etc were under $200. I’m not really a handyman type guy but love learning and the only way to get better at something is to try.
I used this plan as inspiration: https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/524810162807215049/
Planning
Supplies:
4: 4x4x8's
8: 2x4x8
2: 2x6x8 for the top support posts
4: simple right angle hangers (not exactly this but same idea)
Equipment:
power screwdriver
hammer and nails
I also had to purchase a pack of 3" wood screws, two easy-grip sanders so my kids could help and wood stain/protector.
Next I wrote down the steps I would take to be sure I’d accounted for the process: (and I’m a product manager by day so view everything in tasks that can be broken down…)
Sand everything
Wood stain (wait at least 2 hours)
Assemble monkey bars
Build side beams with supports and measure width for actual bars
Install brackets, raise monkey bar assembly
Assemble sides of base together
Cut support braces
Attach support braces
Make step(s)
Fill in with rubber mulch
Dimensions
Base: 6'x8'
Height: 6' because I don’t need to make it too big anyway.
Time: I took 3 days probably 2 hours a day (one day for buying the stuff, another for sanding and staining, another for assembling and cutting in the sun). You can probably do it faster I just didn’t have a time crunch.
Beginning
Gathering the materials took about an hour at the hardware store but wasn’t too painful, except it was indeed quite a bit of wood. My daughters were so excited when I let it slip what I was going to build — I have a picture of them sitting next to the supplies in the garage one night before bed talking to each other about what they wanted to do on the monkey bars. But then were disappointed I wouldn’t be able to build it overnight like Santa.
The next day I put them to work sanding all sides of the wood to reduce splinters and prepare the wood for protection from the elements. I did the wood protection application myself one night with the garage door open and it was quite the task with all the wood spread out on dropcloths, but certainly not hard. This was the only task that couldn’t have been done all in one day unless you want wood stain all over yourself!
Building
- First I cut two feet off of all four 4x4 posts as well as two of the 2x4x8’s. I didn’t need a super wide base or for it to take up my entire yard after all. Save everything.
- Then I screwed on the monkey bars onto the 2x6x8’s with a 12 inch gap as recommended. Personally I wish they would have just given us 7 bars to make a uniform 12" all the way across, but I guess they’re designed for a play structure that has a step sticking out or something. My kids don’t care.
3. I nailed the post base brackets into place into an L. attached the extra 2' of 4x on the bottom before screwing that whole L assembly to the 6' 2x4, with the extra 2' facing out to provide lateral support
4. Just to make sure my measuring was right, I put the horizontal ladder assembly in place on the ground to be sure it would be flush when upright. “Measure twice cut once!”
5. Then I used 3 screws on the outside to combine the L with the base 2x4.
6. Now I was able to attach the L brackets on the upright beams for the monkey bar assembly to lay on.
7. Place and secure monkey bars (I used a level and carpenters triangle to ensure the angles were right) and got help from my wife lifting and securing while I screwed them ito place. Note in the picture I’d used screws that didn’t go flush at first — I changed them out afterwards.
8. Finish the base rectangle with the 2x4x8’s and screw in.
9. Place side support beams — I measure angles at about 30 and 60 degree cuts but I’d initially measured 2' off the top wrong so some of my 2' 4x4 bases were shorter or longer. Next time I’ll take my up friends offer to borrow his circular/table saw instead of my jig saw. Anyway, I drilled the support beam into the 4x4 post, 4x6 boards across, as well as the bottom 4x4 at the base.
10. Steps nailed on each side are the 2' remnants of the base 2x4. I’ll probably add a handle for the girls later but they just use the 4x4 and it’s fine.
11. Before I let the girls, I used the monkey bars myself a couple of times and it all supported my weight and movement.
Finishing
I had some paver pad fragments from an earlier shed project so went ahead and bought three more so that the main traversed path across the monkey bars has both that AND mulch on top. (I have a 4 and almost 6 year old, but the four year old is new to monkey bars) and 8 bags of rubber mulch to give 1–1.5 inches of cover all the way around. This almost cost as much as the rest of the materials but my kids safety is important too!
It actually wasn’t planned, but I just put some plastic sheeting above the monkey bars for now so they don’t get too hot. I’ll change this blog post once I get a more permanent cover but wanted to write while I still remembered everything! I originally was hoping to attach a bar for myself for pullups, but felt it was more important to make it something I felt my kids were safe on so now it’s too short for that… I’ll probably hook up something so I can do a modified inverted row on it as it is quite strong and doesn’t wobble.
I enjoyed building it over the course of a week and involving the kids!
