This is the Sunchaser Playset from Wal-Mart. It cost 427.34 out the door taxes and all. Now I got tired of going up the local McDonald's just so my son could slide down a slide. Not to mention, since my wife is a home maker, Now she has something to help run some of his excess energy out during the day. Now i don't mind paying money for something thats worth paying for. This thing is made of Cedar, The softest, thinest, least usable wood out there. Not to mention, the load bearing points are not even as thick as a standard 2x4 house stud. We assembled the whole fort and I picked it up and carried it from the driveway to the spot its at now! Might have weighed 45lbs.

Assembly..... Well lets just say NOTHING is marked. You only get a picture and measurement of what the board you need looks like. Keep in mind this is sold at Wal-Mart and is meant for the everyday user. The average person can-not read a tape measure. Much less know what 5/8 & 7/8 is on a tape. Took well over 3 hours just labeling and organizing the parts. FAIL!!

Hardware..... It comes in bags that are clearly marked! The only plus side to this whole thing. However, I got many bolts that were not completed. Meaning the Lag bolt was not threaded. Just a peice of metal with a head on it. FAIL!!!

Overall I am very disappointed in what i spent over 400.00 for! IMO only woth tops 225.
So much for made!!! STAMPED Made in CHINA.....
Here are the pics of the during and after install/assembly.



This is the Fort I was Referencing to. This is midway through the build but after i got it finished, I just picked it up and carried a good 200 feet to the place I was putting it! Oh and thats my son on the ladder! Helping Daddy!! Gotta love em!



This is the after assembled and place in its final resting spot! DONE!

I guess since he thinks its the best thing since diaper changes, it was worth the money. Though it just seems to me the the quality we are "Getting" use to is diminishing a very rapid pace. No more China Parts! No more China Parts!

I made some modifications along the way. In the original build, the slide is to come off the left side there. I though it would be alot more stable with the slide coming off the front. So I made the slide come off the front. Plus with the slide off the left side, it made the whole thing take up more space and just looked funny.

Sorry for the long post. Hope you enjoy!

THANKS FOR THE WARNING! I NEED TO BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR MY 3 YR. OLD GRAND SON. MAYBE I WILL BUILD IT FROM SCRATCH AND TRY TO FIND A SLIDE ATTACHMENT. BUT IF I REMEMBER RIGHT I WILL GET FLEECED FOR THAT SLIDE AT LOWES.

The trick is to scan roadsides and yard sales for families whose children have outgrown such things. Sometimes, you can haul them off complete, sometimes you have to partially disassemble. You are probably better off getting a kit made from treated lumber with 4x4's and such. Look for the plastic slides and fancy stuff at community trash pick-ups/recycling...you can easily save a couple hundred bucks. Can't hurt to put an add in Craig's list, too.

Yea we looked around before we bought this system. Though all the ones we found wanted right around the cost of a new one. Plus they were all a good ways away which would have ment multiple trips. it was just more cost efficient and easier on me by buying a new set in a box. I just wish for what i paid for it, it would have been a little more quality involved.