Swingset Bases and Playset Foundations

Get a Swingset Base for Your New Play Equipment

We developed our swingset base design after seeing regular mulch swing set areas deteriorate due to poor drainage. With our experience installing gravel shed pads, we thought a crushed stone foundation would also work well as a swingset base. Crushed stone is an excellent option because it provides structural support while still allowing great drainage. Additionally, turf under your playset is crucial to a safe and durable play area. Leveling a swingset on an artificial turf foundation is a great option (see our artificial turf installation services here).

Drainage is important for swingset pads because excess moisture can speed the deterioration of play equipment, especially if the equipment is constructed from wood. Additionally, a playset on an artificial turf or wood chip foundation is key in preventing play equipment from sagging or sinking over time.

With our crushed stone + wood chip or turf swingset bases, your play equipment gets the structural foundation it needs, with a low-cost, low-maintenance surfacing material. It’s the perfect combination to creating affordable residential swingset bases! Plus, the task of leveling the ground for your playset is already completed! Keep your kids safe by putting your playset on an artificial turf or woodchip foundation!

Our Swingset Base Options

aerial view of wood chip playset foundation

Our wood chip swingset base adds a color pop to any backyard. It’s also affordable and offers great impact protection while also leveling your swingset, even on uneven ground. We typically add a wood chip/mulch layer of about 3″-4″ deep across the entire pad. A wood chip foundation under your playset keeps your kids safe and happy. 

children swinging on swings on turf swingset base foundation

Our turf swingset base offers a soft, yet clean look to any backyard. Just like our wood chip base, our turf playset foundations offer great drainage, allowing for a sturdy and stable playset area for years to come. Additionally, a turf under your playset combined with a gravel sub-foundation, provides for a sturdy swingset base.

How Our Swingset Bases are Installed

Installing and leveling a swingset base or playset foundation

1. Excavate and Install Perimeter

We typically remove the top 6”-8” of grass and dirt. We may remove more if needed to level the ground for your playset. We install a pressure-treated wood perimeter to contain the stone.

Spreading crushed stone for a swingset base or playset foundation

2. Add Crushed Stone (Gravel)

We add a 2″-4” layer of crushed limestone (gravel); we generally use “¾” clean” stone. We compact the stone to create a strong structural foundation for the swingset base.

Adding weed barrier to a swingset base or playset foundation

3. Add a Stabilization Fabric

We add a stabilization fabric to give extra support, suppress weed growth, but still allow for good drainage across the entire base. This improves pad durability and allows for a longer-lasting base.

Adding wood chips to a swingset base or playset foundation

4. Add Surface Material (Turf or Mulch)

For wood chip bases, we add about 3″-4” of wood chips/mulch on top of the stabilization fabric. For our turf bases, we lay down a layer of artificial turf under the playset and fasten it to the base.

Where We Install Our Swingset Bases

Our service area covers the majority of the Mid-Atlantic USA. We install swingset bases in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and beyond. Our swingset base installation services are available in rural and metropolitan areas, including greater New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, and beyond. You can see our entire service area here.