Fitting a Modular Climbing Frame into a Tight Space

One of the reasons that clients choose Gardenatics is when the space for  climbing frame needs measuring and thinking through. It’s hard enough to construct, let alone when taking into account fences, buildings, slopes and, in this case a large tree!

That is why it is critical to have the first visit to measure up, because once the build starts, you end up having to deal with the decisions you have taken.It can be difficult enough to plan out a two-dimensional view of a climbing frame, but it is even harder to take into account three dimensional objects such as trees and buildings.

Here we highlight four ways in which we got the planning of this particular garden climbing frame build right.

1. Room Around the Edges (Particularly Swing Sets)

It is really important that the areas around the climbing frame are not too tight, you need to leave enough room for swings to swing AND allow children to pass around them without having to duck underneath. We allowed enough margin, but at the same time kept it far enough from the tree trunk and branches to allow a full arc swing.

2. Working Under Branches

The swing we installed in this build is dual-purpose, with three swings and a monkey bar set along the length of the swing. Again we needed to be sure that the monkey bars were going to be under the branches of the apple tree, but at the same time to allow the kids to use the bars without being impeded by (or needing to prune) hanging branches.

3. Hiding the Walkway Between the Two Towers

The client wanted the raised walkway to travel between the three trees at the rear and the apple tree in the foreground. Again, due to proper forethought and planning, we were able to achieve this meaning extra garden fun for the kids in the summer: playing hide and seek, water pistols and king of the castle! For the parents, it also meant that a large climbing frame was very well hidden from view in a relatively small garden.

4. Sliding Under the Branches: From Hideout to Full View

As we discussed the layout we realised that if we positioned the two towers right, and if we chose the ‘wavy’ slide, we could have tree branches masking the start of the slide, and allowing the children to slide from the climbing frame tower into full view. Inch perfect!

Most importantly, the owner was delighted with the end result. In this instance we chose a modular climbing frame as it was the most flexible to the space and also the family had a wide range of ages and modular frames are more substantial in size.

Give Gardenatics a Chance to Work for You

If you want us to do a great job for you, or to do something bespoke around a frame, then please get in touch, we will visit and can discuss options with you – to make sure whatever you order fits not just your garden, but the kids who are going to enjoy it for years to come.