What to use for cubby house base?

[katew1]

Hi, I’m in need of some advice on what surface to place our cubby house on. 

We have ordered the Marlie cubby house from hide & seek (pictures) and the location it’s going currently has old uneven pavers with a big hole in the middle where a tree was (pictured).  We’re planning on pulling up the pavers but are unsure what to put down in it’s place. 
Some options we have brainstormed are new pavers, grass, fake grass, mulch or rubber pour playground surface which might be out of our budget or a mix of material. 
what has others put under and around their cubby houses?

thanks for your help 😀

 

 

 

[JaneK]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @katew1. I'm sure you will get lots of advice from members of our community.

Let me tag @Yorky88, @ProjectPete, @Tara86, and @Mikezoom61 who might have some insights to share based on what's worked for them. I'm sure @MitchellMc and @redracer01 will have some suggestions too. You might find this discussion with lots of D.I.Y. cubby house projects interesting.

Feel free to pop back and ask whatever follow up questions you might have. We're here to help.

Jane

[katew1]

Thank you, any help would be much appreciated 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @katew1,

The bricked area appears to have been built on a slope, so if it is removed, you'll either need to lower the entire area or level it to the current height.

Would the cubby fit on top of the existing bricks? They appear in reasonable condition, and if you were to clean them up with a high-pressure sprayer, they would look quite nice. The bricks that have sunken around the circle's perimeter could be lifted, filled underneath with sand and then relayed. That would allow you to spend the funds that were to be used on new grass, pavers or mulch on rubber pavers. I'd encourage you to place them around the climbing wall, slide and ladder.

All the ideas you have mentioned will work, and it might come down to personal preference on what you choose to use. However, some consideration needs to be made on how you'll contain the mulch, and some garden edging could be used.

I'm about to put some synthetic grass down around my daughter's playhouse, as it is extremely hard-wearing and looks quite nice. It's on a concrete slab, but as the cubby is not elevated, there is no risk of falls.

I look forward to hearing about your decision and seeing the completed project. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Tara86]

@katew1 Hi Kate my backyard is sand, sand and more sand! We are still in the processes of landscaping the rear as we need building retaining walls, turf etc. Ideally my goal was to turf the area and I did purchase synthetic turf but it wouldn’t have worked unless the whole rear was done. We also tried mulch but didn’t last long due to the open area and slope. If our yard was finished either of these options would’ve worked. Our neighbour has turf and a sandpit under their kids cubby.  So after I built my kids cubby I ended up building a deck on the bottom level using treated wood. It was slightly elevated to allow the water to drain (as you can imagine our yard soaks everything up). Our property is on a large slope which was cut into at the rear, so thankfully the drainage underneath is great as we have had no issues with flooding or damage to the wood. Good Luck! 

[redracer01]

Hello @katew1 

My suggestion is to use Swing Slide Climb 1 x 1m x 20mm Shock Pad Rubber Paver. It can be glued on to your existing pavers to prevent movement. It is rated for playground safety. Once laid down you can cut it to the shape of the existing paved area, that should save you a fair bit of work. It is weather proof and should provide years of service.

Cheers,

Red

[Jason]

Hi @katew1,

Great to see you continuing to get valuable advice for this project. Just wondering if you have made any progress as yet? It would be great to get an update.

Please don't hesitate to post anytime you need a hand with anything. We're here to help.

Jason