Kids Rule!

Spring 2004 Issue

For the past 15 years, I have specialized in creating imaginative play structures for the family backyard. It started when I was building decks, and a client asked for a play structure. Once I did my first one, I was hooked. Having come from a large family devoted to play, I was intrigued with the idea of expanding our conventional ideas of the swing set. Since then, I have built more than 200 original designs throughout the United States, and thanks to the international clientele our Web site brings us, I have gone as far as the south of France for an installation.

When I was a kid, we roamed free around the neighborhoods of the small upstate New York town where I grew up with only one rule: “Be home by dark.” Kids today don’t have quite as much freedom of movement; their lives are heavily scheduled with classes, sports and carpools, and they can’t wander off unwatched.

The backyard play structure is the safe haven — a place for kids to congregate with their friends and to explore the huge world of their imaginations. The play structure becomes an outdoor playroom that encourages kids to turn off the TV and computer for a while, and go outside to play.

My structures have changed through the years as I have studied and listened to what kids want. But, from the very beginning, I have been intrigued with the idea of making imaginative play structures that are strong and safe for both kids and parents to play on together. I strive to create a beautiful architectural piece that complements the garden and is a joy to look at, year after year, in all kinds of weather.

The play structure can be an integral part of the family backyard. The kids play on it every day, and the parents look at it everyday. Why not have a play structure that enhances the beauty of the landscape instead of being an eyesore? Why not give the play structure the same attention to detail and craftsmanship that you would an addition to the house?

How I Got Started

I didn’t plan to grow up to build play structures. I majored in political science. (My mom wanted me to become a lawyer.) But, when I graduated, I couldn’t bear to get a regular inside job. Instead, my contractor brothers in Washington , DC , hired me as a bricklayer’s helper.

I went on to learn all phases of construction and remodeling from both of them. After a few years, I went back to graduate school and took up oil painting. I moved to San Francisco and, with borrowed tools and a gift of an old truck called “Nasty,” I started Outer Space Design, specializing in artistic backyard design and construction.

One of my first big clients was singer/songwriter Bobby McFerrin and his wife Debbie. It was 1987, and Bobby’s song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was becoming a #1 hit. The McFerrins hired me to tackle their yard. It turned out to be a huge project, which included a request for a unique play structure.

I threw myself into my research by playing on every play structure in San Francisco . In the end, I carved abstract totem poles and colored them with brightly colored stains I made from scratch, fabricated a slide from a sheet of stainless steel, and used my old truck tire for the swing. The learning curve was brutal, but I was in love: I simply had to do another play structure!

Fortunately, one job led to another, and soon, I was specializing in play structures. Several celebrity clients helped bring attention to my struggling business.

Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates commissioned a large play structure for their summer home in the Hudson Valley of New York. Robert Redford commissioned me to design a global village play area. Jada Pinckett Smith purchased my Storybook playhouse with carved animals all over it. Lou Adler decided on a dramatic lighthouse for his Malibu beachfront property.

My business has grown in 15 years to a staff of 14 highly skilled “play professionals.” We attribute our success to the uniqueness of our designs, the high quality of our craftsmanship, and our commitment to safety.

Our redwood structures are loaded with creative touches that children love, such as jails with secret escapes, doors with sliding “who-goes there” peepholes, rock climbing towers, bridges with hand-woven rope railings, door knockers, and mailboxes.

We have a large workshop in South San Francisco where we build the play structures modularly and ship them around the country. Many are custom, site-specific projects, but we also offer a line of standard playhouses and play forts to fit a variety of yards. In addition to residential projects, we also accept a limited number of public use commissions.

Designing the Play Structure

I start the creative process by brainstorming with the kids and the parents about what their ideal play structure should include. When I design a play structure, I try to create loops of play that encourage the kids to run up and down and round and round the structure, wearing them out for a good night’s sleep!

Certain elements are great kid pleasers, and I try to always include them: good solid swings, fast slides, rock climbing, jailbars, secret escapes, fireman’s pole, rope net ladder, and a high-up place that works as a clubhouse (preferably with a roof!).

The younger kids are amused for hours with opening and closing the Dutch doors and sending and receiving mail through the carved mail slot. The older kids are more interested in scaling the castle walls, and then flying through the air on a 100-foot cable ride, while being shot at by the water cannon.

The family and I look at photos of past projects and come up with a rough idea of what motif and which play elements would work the best in their yard. I also develop the color palette with their input, working with my 55 custom shades of colors. I use a high-quality pigmented tung oil stain from Woodbust Stains. I like these stains because they are non-toxic and low maintenance, and they protect the wood while letting the natural wood grain show through.

Selecting the Site

When designing a play yard, I like to work with the lay of the land. Frequently, the features of the landscape can enhance the design. A slide often works better on a slope, a hillside can be terraced to create a multi-level play area, and nestling a clubhouse next to the branches of a tree gives the kids a magical feeling of living in the treetops.

I love collaborating with landscape designers: I can concentrate on the play structure while the landscape designer creates the environment for the play area.

We work together to site the structure, select the size and shape of the play area, decide on the surfacing material, consider bringing in shade trees as needed, and anything else to make the play area an integral part of the garden. We work together regarding any permit requirements, and we coordinate the schedule for the construction and installation. It works the best when I’m brought in early in the planning stages, although usually, I am the last to install on a job. That’s because once the play structure is up, there’s no keeping the kids off it!

Safety

Safety is of the utmost importance on a play structure. Parents need to be able to send their children out to play without worrying.

We have incorporated many special safety features, such as making doors and shutters with ½-inch gaps all around so that little fingers won’t get pinched. We also grind every surface of the redwood to reduce the possibilities of splinters, and we round over all edges to make them smooth.

We are careful not to create any entrapments for a child’s head or torso, nor any pinch points or dangerous protrusions; for all this, we use the testing equipment and standards specified in the ASTM Handbook for Home Playground Equipment (F1148-00). For any openings on an upper level, such as for a firepole, I add a safety gate with self-closing hinges, so no one can accidentally fall through the opening when the kids start horsing around up there.

I’ve found the perfect career for me. It combines my love of the outdoors with building, art and play. I never get tired of installing a new play structure and seeing another gang of happy kids exploring their new kingdom, while the delighted parents, proud of their new art piece, watch and laugh nearby.

(This article is reprinted from the Spring 2004 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2004 Enterprising Women Inc.  Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.)