One of the things I was most excited about when we bought our new home is to have a big backyard for the kids and Dakota to play in. I grew up in the midwest and we had lots of space to run around and play outside, and I love that our kids can do the same. I really want to set up a fun outdoor play space for the kids, one that will keep them entertained and that will encourage all the neighborhood kids to come over and their friends to want to play at our house. I really believe strongly in the power of playing outside. Honestly, everyone should spend time outdoors — it’s good for us. But my kids have an insane amount of energy and I find it especially important for kids. Even in winter, kids need to get outdoors and burn energy and breathe in some fresh air. We were focused on getting some of the house at least partially furnished so that we could live a bit, but as we approached our first summer in our new home, I really wanted to start decking out our yard. Charlotte’s birthday was in August, and I wanted to get her a playhouse. I started researching the best outdoor playhouse for kids with slide because I wanted it to be something that all the kids would play on and for Brooks to eventually use. I polled all the moms I knew, did a ton of research online and asked all of you, and the resounding recommendation for outdoor playhouses and swing sets was Backyard Discovery.
We wanted something that was safe, well built, last for years and that was fun for the kids and would provide entertainment for Charlotte (just turned four) as well as her older (six year old) brother now and younger (one year old) brother one day.
We were debating for along time between a playhouse and a playground/slide and fort, so I looked for the best playhouse for kids with slide and we are so thrilled with this one we got from Backyard Discovery. We chose the Echo Heights Playhouse because it offered a cute playhouse but also feels like a fun fort and mini jungle gym with the slide and climbing wall, so the kids can play more than just house in it. James and his friends love playing on it as much as Charlotte does and Brooks is already obsessed with going down the slide. It’s a great size that works well in our yard but would also fit in a smaller yard. We put it under a tree to give it a treehouse feel and the kids love it. James had asked Andrew to build him a treehouse when we moved here, and now feels like his wish came true.
The company offers a service where they’ll come and build it for you, and that’s a great way to go. That way you know it’s being built the right way. You can just call to set up the service, so it couldn’t be easier. We chose to build it ourselves and get the kids involved. I wanted it done for Charlotte’s birthday and I thought it would be nice to take one for the team and let you guys know how it went in case you’re considering. I will say that it takes a lot of time to build it, so keep that in mind. There are a lot of pieces and parts. WIth that said, we are certainly not experts and built it ourselves over the course of a week. By we, I really mean Andrew, but I was there for moral support and the kids helped out, so they really feel like it’s theirs. Now that it’s built, I can confirm, it’s truly the best playhouse for kids with slide. It has a little kitchen inside with some toys that Charlotte has been playing with nonstop. James and his friends use it at as a fort. They run to it every morning before school and play until it’s time for the bus and then run back to it as soon as they get off the bus. Brooks is only 16 months but thinks he’s 4 so he’s already trying to climb up it and will go down the slide a million times a day if we let him. It’s well made and sturdy so I don’t have to worry about safety or it getting ruined in the rain, heat or snow (even though I really can’t think about that yet). So many of you have been following our journey as we’ve been building it and asking about what we went with, so I thought I’d put it all into a blog post in case you have any questions or wanted more details.
So many of you were so interested in our playhouse and swing sets so I reached out and they set up a discount code for you. It’s good through 9/30 at midnight for 15% off any playghouse, swing set, gazebo or pergola. Use code KRISTINKOCH15 on their website.
The Process
The Finished Product
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