Strong Arm of the Lawn

We are that someone reliable and trustworthy to assemble your child's play set. When it comes to the swing set industry, poor communication, unsafe installation, and unprofessional behavior are unfortunately widespread in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina. Shady installers in the form of "handymen" and nationwide installation companies are charging twice the going rate for installation and performing dangerous, unlevel, and unstable installations. It shouldn't be this way when it comes to your child's play set installation.

That's where I step in. With 10 years of experience, an eye for detail, and hundreds of swing set installations under my belt, you can be assured that I will install your child's play equipment as if I was installing for my own children. Whether you've purchased a swing set online, or at a big box store, Strongarm can install it.

Services

Play Set Installation

You buy. I build. I assemble the play sets, swing sets, playhouses, etc., that you purchase online or at a big box store. I build the play set and also remove the large amounts of cardboard and trash that come with equipment. "Leave no trace." Note: Because of the logistics and requirements of proper disposal, I unfortunately cannot haul away most pallets/skids on which play sets are delivered.

Serving: Raleigh, Durham, Wake Forest, Greensboro, Cary, Morrisville, Hillsborough, Burlington, Garner, Holly Springs, Mebane, Efland, and many surrounding areas.

BRANDS THAT I INSTALL

I install and assemble equipment from most of the name brand play set companies. This includes, but is certainly not limited to:

Gorilla (*preferred installer status on the Gorilla website)
Playnation
Cedar Summit
Backyard Discovery
Lifetime
Home Depot
Lowes
The list goes on....

Play Set Relocation

I sometimes move play sets locally from yard to yard. I provide breakdown, transport, and reassembly of the set all in a safe, reliable, and timely manner. I can work around closing dates when you have purchased a new home. Contact me for specifics regarding your particular relocation, but please make sure that you read below.

IMPORTANT NOTES & REQUIREMENTS OF RELOCATING A PRE-OWNED PLAY SET:

The play set, whether it’s yours or one that you are purchasing, absolutely must be in good enough physical condition to survive the move to a new yard or location. The owner or buyer must inspect the play set in person or through detailed photos to check for damage and most importantly, ROT. Many times, rotten wood and rusted-out hardware around the base of the set, as well as in other places, cannot be seen in pictures. Sometimes, what seems like a great deal on a marketplace site, unfortunately turns out to be the seller’s attempt at having the buyer remove an eyesore from their property. I cannot move any play set purchased sight-unseen via the internet. I reserve the right to cancel or postpone the relocation of a play set, if upon arrival finding that the play set is not in good condition.

More than a few times over the years, I have been hired by a family to relocate a used play set, only to find upon arrival that it is not in good enough condition to withstand breakdown, transport, reassembly, and leveling. My policy is this : If I wouldn’t let my own kids play on it, then I won’t put it up for your kids to play on it. If this happens, I more than likely still have to charge the buyer a small fee for the trip and the lost time. So please - know what you are buying, even if it’s free, or a gift from friends or family. In some cases, custom repairs can be made to make the set one that can be safely relocated. This will incur extra fees for time and materials.

Also very important - When buying or receiving a pre-owned play set, please compare the yard that it was in, to the new destination, For example, a set that had great fun-factor in one yard, might not work as well in another yard if the space is too small, and/or too sloped. Please measure both the physical dimensions of the set, as well as the slope and gradient. I reserve the right to cancel or postpone the relocation of a play set, if upon arrival finding that the new yard is not suitable for installation.

Consultation and Advice

With many years of experience assembling play sets in the Triangle area of North Carolina, I am qualified and confident in giving advice to folks. Many times, families need guidance before they even purchase a play set. Consultation and common-sense advice via phone, email, or text is always free of charge and obligation. Onsite consultation can be arranged and sometimes requires a small fee (which can be applied to the installation should you hire me). Some common questions are:

What brands are best?
Is my yard level enough for a play set?
How much space do I really need?
What size play set will my kids enjoy and USE based on their ages?
What kind of ground cover do I put down? Mulch, grass, rubber, etc?
What features best suit my kids?
How do I handle a play set delivered via a freight or trucking company?
What kind of maintenance does my play set require?
How long will my play set last?
Should I purchase a used play set? (see info on this same page regarding moving a play set).
What do I look for when hiring an installer?
How long does installation take? How long SHOULD it take?
We're not planning on living at this location much longer. What do we do if we move?
Why won't other installers CALL ME BACK!?
Much, much more....

Play Set Repair & Safety Inspections

Sometimes you just need some repairs and general maintenance. I do that too, and at a reasonable cost. I can also help decide whether or not your swing set is still safe for the kids to play on. I look for damaged or rotted wood, and check all hardware. And in the unfortunate event that you hired a sub-par installer for the original installation, I can often times step in and "rescue" the play set and it's installation.

Other Services

While play set installation keeps me pretty busy, I also take on other assembly projects such as gazebos, deck and lawn furniture, pre-made sheds and outbuildings. I'll also assemble fitness equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, climbers, etc. If you don't see it listed, just ask!

Tips & Wisdom

The way I see it after a decade of installations. What to know before shopping, buying, and installing.

1) You truly get what you pay for. If a play set has tons of bells and whistles at a relatively “low” price point, then you can bet that their money did not go towards the structural design and materials. Take special consideration of your child's age, activity level, and physical size.

2) You also get what you pay for when hiring an installer. Proper installation can make or break the longevity and fun factor of the play set that you just spent a boatload for, and most installers do mediocre work at best. Don't look for the guys who do it fastest and cheapest. Look for the installer that installs like he would for his own children. Regarding other installers, common complaints from my eventual customers over the years include:

Contacting an installation company and not being called back
Poor communication after initial contact
Overpriced (sometimes double the going rate)
Rude and sometimes intimidating behavior
Improper installation of the play set
Damage to the play set
Trash left behind and/or all over the yard
Lack of follow up

3) The “Do-it-yourself” internet movement of the last five years, has been great for online sales, but generally manufacturers make play set installation sound a lot easier than it is. You can certainly do it yourself, but how much time are you willing to invest to do it properly? Are you willing to give up the entire weekend? Two weekends? That being said, you can often times purchase a set online and have it professionally installed for less than walking into a showroom and paying a luxury car price (Rainbow Play Systems anyone?)

4) In my experience, for many reasons, professional installation equals a happier consumer. Hands down, every single time.

5) Your child’s interest and amount of use when it comes to a play set usually depends way more on the individual child than the features and components of the set. That being said, most people purchase sets that are way too small for their child to stay interested long. Look for a set that includes at least one play deck that is at least 5’ from the ground. If the one and only play deck is 4’ tall, you’ve probably gone too small. There are some great exceptions to this, but your child is growing and becoming more adventurous.

6) Play set maintenance doesn’t need to be daunting or time consuming. The “little bit at a time” approach can work very well if time and weather don’t allow a full-on, all-at-once maintenance assault. Tighten a bolt here, sand a small area there, etc.

7) When contemplating whether or not you should build the play set yourself or hire a professional, remember this - How handy or unhandy you are matters little. A play set is like a huge 1000 piece puzzle. If you have never done one before, you are not as familiar with the scheme and the “language” of the puzzle. It is still very time consuming. Yes, even if you build houses for a living....

8) There are a ton of play set manufacturers out there that sell online. There are a few really good ones. There are a lot of bad ones. If I had to pick just one based on quality, fun-factor, safety, tolerance of uneven yards, and price point, I would have to say Gorilla / Playnation. I’ve put enough of these play sets together to know. I am not an affiliate, I’ve simply constructed many different makes and models. Cedar Summit and Lifetime are also high on my list.

9) When deciding where in your yard to put your new play set, pick the flattest spot in your yard that you can stand. Most play sets are designed on a flat plane. Putting the set on a hill or drastic slope is not only unsafe, but also ensures that some feature(s) of the play set will suffer, and that is usually the swings or the slide.

VERY IMPORTANT - A note about Mulch/Ground Cover…

If you choose to hire me to install your play set, I must be able to contact solid ground for leveling purposes. Please, please, please do not put mulch down before the installation, no matter what your landscaper tells you. If I have to move four to six inches of damp or wet mulch out of the way to contact the ground, I will more than likely charge a reasonable fee. Play sets cannot be installed and leveled on top of mulch because of how fast it breaks down and washes away. If you’d like to build your timber border ahead of time, then this is acceptable as long as your measurements for the play area are accurate. But have the mulch filled in after the play set is complete, leveled, and anchored.

10) Remember this about initial cost and investment. If you purchase a quality play set, install it properly, and care for it over the years, play sets are very easy to sell when your kids are done with them. There is a huge market for used play sets, and you can easily get some of your investment back.

If you have any further questions, please call me at 919-886-0532.

Projects

Triumph Play Systems Canterbury Space Saver in Charlotte. These are beautiful Cedar play sets. They are actually enjoyable to build.

@ Eno River

Made a special 2.5 hour trek yesterday to just outside of Charlotte, NC. I installed a Gorilla play set Mountaineer for the twin 3 y/o girls of a high school friend that I haven’t seen in over 25 years. A unique and rewarding day.