Hi,

I am constructing a kiddies play fort with swings and monkey bars attached. The main construction is 8ft square and 12ft high. It has wooden posts at each corner 4 1/2in square. Should I set them in cement or straight into the soil? Cement would be more stable but won't the wood rot more quick? I live in New Delhi so we get plenty of rain in July and August but not much for the rest of the year but the garden does get watered regularly.

Thank you

Dave

I would use treated lumber and mount them in crushed gravel, as this will allow moisture to drain away from the posts and is far less prone to frost heaves in the winter. It will also allow for your posts to be much more stable than if they are set in the soil.

Well... this is a timely question. I just finished assembling and installing a playset that I thought would be a "piece of cake". I budgeted one day for it and it took three. Turned out that the instructions were 74 pages long with almost 100 steps. It just about killed me.

I don't recommend using "treated" lumber anywhere on a playset, though. Not only does it contain chemicals (used to be arsenic... don't know what they use now) but it has a tendency to cause more splinters (more than the other options) in little fingers and legs that can cause infections/reactions that the kids don't deserve. Your best bet would be to use either cedar or con-heart redwood. Either one should be S4S (sanded on four sides) and if you have pretty good soil and can get a good, tight bond with metal stakes (the best are the spiral ones like dog chain stakes), you can position the set.. sink the stakes and lag bolt them to the posts without having to make the installation permanent.

Kids can be pretty rough on stuff and you'll be glad if you can replace something rather than start over "underground".

Using Treated Is Your Cheapest Option, Composite Or Redwood Are Some Other Choices But Are Much More Expensive, As Far As Ground Contact There Are Some Treated Post Just For Being Buried Underground.
As Far As Chemicials In The Treated Material This Was True But They Have Changed All That Here In The Last 3 To 4 Years. Treated Wood Is A Silicone Based Treatment, So Your Kids Can Now Eat It. Lol.
The Last One I Built Just Sat On The Ground And I Used The Metal Screw In Stakes To Fasten It To The Ground. One Thing That Will Stableize The Unit Is When You Build The A Frame For The Swing Just Spread The Legs Out A little More Adn That Will Take A lot Of The Rocking Out Of It. Also Using A 4 X 6 To Bolt The Swings To Help A lot.
Hope This Helps , Nichols Trim And Carpentry