Step 7: Final Thoughts
Once the clubhouse, ladder, and slide are finished, there's just a few more things to do.
Inspection:
Take a look around the finished project for any fasteners or anything else the pokes out, is rough, or pointy. I made this so that all the zip-ties would face out and away from where children would play.
All screws used on the project were always in the back and bottom of the materials. The screws that held the ladder to the box were actually INSIDE the tubes. Any exposed screw-heads were covered by other cardboard.
Structural Integrity:
Make sure everything feels nice and solid. If there is anywhere that the two boxes, ladder, or slide don't fit together well, add another zip-tie, screw, or whatever is needed to make it solid. Cardboard is even stronger with multiple layers or folded into triangles.
Now, before anyone comments about cardboard not being strong enough to hold a child safely, please note:
The structure will also be inspected if it ends up getting soaked in a rainstorm. Since the entire project was made from nothing but recycling and scrap materials, if it only lasted until the next rain-storm, that would be fine by me as well.
Attend your children:
Lastly, don't leave your children unattended. That's a good rule of thumb whether you are at the local park, the lake, or your own backyard.
Give the Cardboard Clubhouse a good trial run with your child. See that the doors are the right size. If you need another hand-hold at the top of the ladder, or another window somewhere, just add it! It's as easy as cutting another hole!
So, that's it. Good clean family fun! Mom and Dad can play with Princess and Sport in the backyard in this creative and inexpensive clubhouse.
Take care, and have fun!
For more up-cycled, eco-friendly, and affordable backyard projects, check out our blog at: http://ecoprojecteer.net/
Inspection:
Take a look around the finished project for any fasteners or anything else the pokes out, is rough, or pointy. I made this so that all the zip-ties would face out and away from where children would play.
All screws used on the project were always in the back and bottom of the materials. The screws that held the ladder to the box were actually INSIDE the tubes. Any exposed screw-heads were covered by other cardboard.
Structural Integrity:
Make sure everything feels nice and solid. If there is anywhere that the two boxes, ladder, or slide don't fit together well, add another zip-tie, screw, or whatever is needed to make it solid. Cardboard is even stronger with multiple layers or folded into triangles.
Now, before anyone comments about cardboard not being strong enough to hold a child safely, please note:
- The cardboard used originally held a 2000 lb. container, which could be stacked two high.
- I climbed up the ladder, sat in the upstairs, and went down the slide. If all that can hold my 180 lbs, I think it will hold a 30 lb. child just fine!
The structure will also be inspected if it ends up getting soaked in a rainstorm. Since the entire project was made from nothing but recycling and scrap materials, if it only lasted until the next rain-storm, that would be fine by me as well.
Attend your children:
Lastly, don't leave your children unattended. That's a good rule of thumb whether you are at the local park, the lake, or your own backyard.
Give the Cardboard Clubhouse a good trial run with your child. See that the doors are the right size. If you need another hand-hold at the top of the ladder, or another window somewhere, just add it! It's as easy as cutting another hole!
So, that's it. Good clean family fun! Mom and Dad can play with Princess and Sport in the backyard in this creative and inexpensive clubhouse.
Take care, and have fun!
For more up-cycled, eco-friendly, and affordable backyard projects, check out our blog at: http://ecoprojecteer.net/
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