Backyard Discovery Monterey Swing Set

I researched play sets for a while before I decided on which one to buy for my 20 month old grandson. Then I shopped around to get the best price, which was by far at Sam’s Club. There was great communication from the trucking company letting us know when it would arrive and when it did, the 3 boxes were perfectly intact with no damage. My husband and I spent three hours one evening inventorying all of the bags of screws, nuts, bolts, wooden pieces etc. There were a little over 3 pages of parts, and there was not one piece missing. On the end of each wooden piece, there is a small black identifying letter to match to the inventory sheet, such as M4 or K12. We took the time to put each of the same piece in different piles, then placed a piece of blue painter’s tape on the pile with the number of each written in black marker. This made it easier to find each one when needed. We constructed each major component in the garage (the slide, the roof, the climbing wall, the ladder, etc) carried those pieces out to the yard and put them all together. The instructions were perfect! Very easy to read and straight forward. If there are any pieces missing or boards damaged, the company will send a free replacement with free shipping up to 30 days after delivery. I have a couple of boards with splits in them so I will be asking for new ones. Overall we are very happy with our new purchase....almost as much as little Owen! I substituted one of the swings for his current baby swing, he is so small that he still needs to be strapped in. One ore thing, I added a couple of imbellishments, which are easily found online...a ship’s wheel, a dinner bell and some flags. He just loves it all!

We absolutely love this set! Very well made! My 2 year old loves it! Although my husband is extremely handy when reading it would take 20-24 hours for 2 skilled people... We opted to pay the $400 for installation. This guy showed up and did it in 5 hours (he does them all the time) he recommended we stain it in fall and to make sure to fill out warranty card cause this company stands by product! Extremely happy all around!

I blame the builder for any reviewer claiming this play set wiggles. I hired a pro to assemble and it's extremely stable. Doesn't move at all which was a concern of mine and I'm very satisfied. Another concern was the quality of the wood. Out of all the pieces only one had a knot that chipped. I removed the chipped piece and sanded it down. I plan on getting some wood putty to fill it in and paint or stain. In the mean time I colored the sanded section with a crayon and you can't see it at all. Overall I love this play set and I highly recommend it.

As expected. The wood is good quality and the set seems sturdy. We had it professionally installed and were so glad we did. What would have taken us several days took them about five hours. If you opt for professional installation, do be prepared to wait a while. It took about two weeks to have the set delivered, and then about 3 weeks for the installers to have time in their schedules to come install it. This might be different in different areas or other times of the year, but the website is vague about exactly how much time there is between when you order it and when it gets set up. We were warned that this type of cedar is NOT bug-resistant. You should spray it with a solution of cedar oil and soapy water to keep wood-boring bugs from destroying it. You’ll also want to seal it with deck sealer to keep the wood in good condition. Neither of these things made us regret getting the set, but it may be useful to know.

We have really enjoyed this play set. HOWEVER, we paid extra for the installers. They completed the build in about 5-6 hours...GREAT. Unfortunately, my dad was the one there at our home when they completed the project. Once we got home, we noticed that there were several splits in the wood where they did not re-drill holes so that the screws went in better. The bench is also pretty wobbly. Other than that, great playset...will definitely need stained soon after purchase, though.

4 stars because we haven't had any extended experience with the quality. As I look back, I had no troubles with the fitment. I took my time, organized the parts and pieces, worked alone as much as possible, some things will require a second person. Specifically the slide is a two person, lots of patience task. I assemble the skeletal frame loosely, then used a speed square before tightening all the bolts. From there, everything went together well. Much better than I anticipated. There are a LOT of screws and bolts. Sort them out, keep them in their bags so you can identify them. Pay attention to the predrilled hole alignment. It tells you in the directions, but it may not be readily apparent. The screws will occasionally spin out in the wood. When I saw this happening, I dipped the tips of the screws in wood glue before inserting to help with the hold. When compared to comparable sets from other locations, I think you get a good value.

We purchased this and finally got it together a few weeks ago. It is still fairly new, so we havent battle tested it too much yet. There are...a ton of parts, directions, and hardware. You definitely want 2, and I recommend 3-4 guys to help. I gave it a 4/5 only because it is not the most structurally strong set. The wood is definitely not really thick and I wouldnt push the weight limit. Everything else is great, and my daughter loves it! We are happy with the purchase and would recommend it.

It's a nice play set that I'm sure my kids will have fun with for years to come. I am a little upset with a couple things... 1. Shipping - I bought online and Sam's used Estes to ship the product. Estes shipped it with a full size 18 wheeler into my dead end neighborhood. They told me to make sure someone was home when the item was shipped. That was the only requirement. My wife was at home but the Estes driver called me to tell me I needed to come use my pickup truck to bring the package from the end of my road to my home because he didn't want to bring the 18 wheeler down the street. I told him that wasn't possible because I was working and then he said he would back down the street but was only required to drop the package at the end of my driveway. Customer service was not a priority to Estes. I felt if I bought an item and asked for it to be shipped, the arrangements should be taken care of. 2. Missing items - I was missing some bolts required for assembly. I called the manufacturer and they said they would send the missing bolts, but were unable to provide a timeframe for how long it would take to receive them. 3. Clear coating - During that same phone call, the manufacturer advised to be sure I put a clear coat sealant on the wood or the warranty would not be upheld by the manufacturer. Personally, I feel that if I spent that much on buying a product such as this, it should already be sent to me with a sealant on it. It is an outdoor wood product that a purchaser is believing will last for years and years. As for the kids, I truly do believe they will love it for a long time. The process and quality wasn't what I expected for the price. It's not a terrible product, but not a great one either. While putting it together I kept thinking, I could have built one with higher quality wood by myself at a cheaper price.

I bought this a few weeks ago. Building it was pretty easy. There were a couple of parts where the instructions were a little hard to understand. Onto the swing set: when I opened the boxes I was a shocked that the slide was in pieces. It wasn’t a solid plastic slide! The wood is extremely soft and will splinter very easily. I’m worried about the kids getting splinters. It looks really cute but I don’t think it will last very long. I feel like it’s a lot of money for not very good quality.

We had this professionally installed. During installation few of the boards had cracks. When installation was done, the set looked pretty good. BUT THE ACTUAL TROUBLE STARTED when kids started playing on it. 1. Swing: Each time my five year old swings, whole set wiggles. It looks like something is gonna break. Its really scary to watch. Note: Set is anchored and my son is just 40lbs. 2. Slide: Its really too wavy: Each time a kid slide, it will be a thud sound. This makes me to run outside and check on kids. 3. Bench: Its not at all stable. Its all ready to break anytime. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone