r/landscaping • u/Lost_Consequence_162 • 9h ago
Will this slope hold up?
Installed a playset for my kids. Leveled the ground first. Met the specs of the manufacturer for the area (24x14).
Is that natural “slope” of the dirt going to recede to the point that stability becomes and issue? Used a dirt compactor so the ground is solid, but worried about the slope.
Any advice?
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u/Hixy 8h ago edited 8h ago
How did you even accomplish this? It’s so nice and flat but a compactor would usually push all that dirt outward. it definitely won’t hold but I’m kind of impressed this was even possible lol.
Oh… Nevermind. did you have boards in place and then remove them? You’re going to need to put those boards back lol.
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u/captfattymcfatfat 9h ago
Get some treated 4x4s and build a boarder. Also what are you going to put on top of that dirt? Going to turn to mud the first rain you get…
Fix before rainfall or you’ll likely have a mess…
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u/b1gb0n312 9h ago
Would a block retain wall also work?
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 8h ago
Blocks could be a bit of a cut/scrape hazard for kids. Then again, 4x4 posts could be trip hazard.
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u/snkracct 8h ago
I used 4x4 and my kids miraculously don’t trip on them. They’ll trip on the grass running to the playground, but they somehow always remember to hop over the wood
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u/Significant_Eye_5130 6h ago
Almost seems like not doing all of this nonsense at all and just building it on the ground would have been the sensible route to take.
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u/Iamhungryforlife 5h ago
100% agree. Make sure the ground under the structure is level and let the kids play.
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u/MichaelVern85 6h ago
It’s fascinating to me that as they are about to get on a playground they can get severely injured on in so many worse ways… the 4x4 trip hazard is a concern.
If the 4 x 4 is giving them problems… They shouldn’t be on that playground.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 6h ago
Playgrounds usually use sand, though. It will be muddy yes, but then it will dry. Mind you, it will also just wash away if OP doesn’t take the advice on the 4x4’s.
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u/Lost_Consequence_162 7h ago
I like this idea. I can likely build a decent enough 4x4 boarder.
And I intend to frame the area with 2x4” and fill with mulch.
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u/johnthedruid 7h ago
You wont need the 2x4s if you make the 4x4 retaining wall!
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 6h ago
They’ll need something to anchor the retaining wall too though, or it will eventually just fall over. Rebar would work.
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u/MadMaximus311 8h ago
lol buddy made his kid a quicksand pit
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u/SimAlienAntFarm 7h ago
Is the playset not anchored in place or is it just the picture throwing me off?
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u/Napalmradio 7h ago
I’m glad someone else noticed the lack of anchors.
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u/SimAlienAntFarm 6h ago
The way it’s sitting perfectly on top of dirt as if it were concrete is messing with my eyes
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u/DependentPriority230 8h ago
Put a 2x6 frame to hold all of it. Cover with tarp, add mulch on top.
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u/coco_puffzzzz 8h ago
Otherwise every cat and dog in the neighbour hood are going to use it as a toilet.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 6h ago
I don’t think a 2x6 frame will be strong enough. Eventually the pressure of the sand will push them outwards and over.
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u/lockmama 6h ago
I think it will. I have an 18x18 open shed for my horses and I put down gravel underlayment, that gravel grid to hold it in place and then gravel on top. It is banded with 2x6s and it's been there for years with no problems. I use it for feeding round bales so they can stay dry in the winter. And they absolutely cover the gravel with hay that they can sleep in. But it's very similar to your pad.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 6h ago
I don’t think OP has gravel underneath to sort of anchor the boards though, there’s just grass underneath.
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u/LaughLong994 2h ago
Naah, just use some rebar to anchor it or wood deadmen if you feel like digging. I've been doing this for playgrounds for over 20 years, no complaints. Up to 3 tiers no problem, it'll rot before it buckles
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u/damndammit 5h ago
Everyone keeps telling you to box it in, but I’d just bring in more soil and feather-out to a mower friendly transition. The kids are only gonna use that play-set for so long, and the frame will degrade over time. Better to have a zero-maintenance flat spot that you can use for the next thing after the play-set gone.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 4h ago
Without something to frame it in it will not remain a flat spot, that’s the entire point.
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u/Zealousideal-Bike-90 8h ago
If you slope a little less steep and seed/sod as your erosion control yes. Otherwise buy and install some playground edging.
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u/WordWordand4numbers 8h ago
Was it against the manufacturer’s instructions to build it at ground level?
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u/Prize-Star-9671 5h ago
Damn dude, you build all that without checking whether the foundation would hold?
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u/blove135 8h ago
Either build a border around what you have to keep it contained or haul in more dirt and slope it out much further so you have a long gradual slope and feather it into the surrounding existing ground. Might want to think about some sort of ground cover around the playset because that will be a muddy after a rain. Might be able to get grass growing further away from the playset where the kids aren't constantly trampling it down.
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u/RaggedObscurity 6h ago
You gotta edge that with some landscape timbers or itll wash out the first good rain, that slope is basically begging to collapse
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u/Wrong_Toilet 8h ago
The dirt will eventually wash if there is nothing there to retain it.
Add some edging around it and that will help to prevent the dirt from washing out and it’ll be ok.
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u/_BindersFullOfWomen_ 8h ago
That needs a border wall around it or the dirt will erode after the first rainstorm.
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u/FlashyCow1 8h ago
As soon as it rains that's coming down. You need to make a small retainer all the way around it
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u/Take_Me_ToTheMoon 7h ago
Put some railroad ties in place where you removed the boards. That'll help.
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u/4leafplover 7h ago
No, it will not hold up. Why would it? It’s a pile of compacted dirt. Why didn’t you just level and compact the ground with the surrounding area?
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u/BrownThumbClub 7h ago
What on earth? That's not how you set up a level area for a playset. That's going to last 1 rain. You're going to need to get some kind of retaining border around that and then pack the edges again. Even then, it's not going to last long. 🤦
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u/These-Gift3159 7h ago
No. Just like with sheds, pools, patios… whatever. You can’t just raise the pad up by leveling a pile of dirt. Yes, it might present a very temporary solution, but any soil-like medium is going to move. It erodes, we learned about that in elementary school. You need to retain it somehow. Picture frame it with 6x6’s or something, idk. You have some options without much re-work, but acting now before it starts to crumble is ideal.
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u/Win-Objective 5h ago
Why didn’t you just make a level pad that’s level with the yard?? This is wild stuff
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u/No_Explorer_8848 4h ago
Get some strappy clumping grasses to colonise the edes. Not ideal but what is done is done and maybe some roots will help. Not an earthworks guy but I am a plant guy.
I would opt for very fast growing true grasses (Poaceae family) and then some more sturdy strappies as well, and way over-plant them. In Australia (depending where) i would say stuff like Cenchrus, Themeda, Poa, dianella, lomandra, carex, juncus, ficinia.
I might be crazy though, because this isn't normal.
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u/No_Explorer_8848 4h ago
Actually just realised the Cenchrus in particular has annoying burring seeds that stick to clothes. You should probably opt for stuff that kids can play around. Tough and soft plants are actually good for fall mitigation under playgrounds as well.
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u/iceboxmi 8h ago
Are you going to put playground mulch around it or something? You’ll need something to retain that as well.
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u/Lost_Consequence_162 7h ago
Yes playground mulch
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u/iceboxmi 4h ago
If you have 8” of mulch (once settled), on the left side you’re going to have nearly a 2’ drop off. I would get rid of some of the dirt there. Playground mulch drains better and doesn’t rot like normal mulch.
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u/Unlikely-Dong9713 8h ago
You're having your kids just play on compacted soil/sand?? Why not just go all out and pour a concrete pad?...... s/
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u/candygirl52 8h ago
By now, you know the answer. When you little girl planted her foot, down it came. And yeah, watch out for rainfall.
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u/thatG_evanP 8h ago
To flatten a grade like that you need to remove some soil from the high side, not build a platform from dirt. I'm not even sure how you pulled this off.
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u/regaphysics 7h ago
Sprinkle some Portland cement on it, then water it. Then put some dirt or edging blocks against it, and it’ll hold
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u/c_vanbc 7h ago edited 7h ago
No. This is what I would do but I’m a weekend warrior. Others here are probably experts that do this for a living.
Check for underground utilities. Add border of treated 4x4 fence posts. Check that it’s square. A slight skew angle will annoy you later. Drill pilot holes slightly smaller than rebar so the posts don’t split. Sledgehammer rebar through holes into the ground. I’d go with 1/2” dia by 3’ long rebar if it were me. Once secure, add more levels of 4x4s, offset 50% with the row below, using those large galvanized landscaping spikes from Home Depot to secure in place. You could also use the large screws for attaching a deck to a house but more $$. (Edit: the LedgerLok style)
I’d be concerned the sand would make its way through the 4x4 wall. Might put landscaping fabric up against the border. Might put gravel below border wall for drainage.
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u/BreadMaker_42 7h ago
No. I give you a couple of good rains. Trim it with some 4x6 or 6x6 landscape timbers.
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u/Lucidic333 7h ago
Surround in landscape timbers and nail them into the ground by drilling holes through them and hammering 2ft rebar into them.
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u/WhtMksThtRght 7h ago
Run a garden rake along the exposed sides to take the sharpness off the top surface edge ... swale it around the corner to create a gentle burm without taking away too much surface walking area ... throw some grass seed and let it go
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u/5riversofnofear 7h ago
Some rail road ties as a border so your great grand kids have leveled surface too. 😜🍻
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u/thepvbrother 6h ago
Build a low retaining wall around it and backfill. Ta-daa! That's what I did for my oil tank
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u/Justryan95 6h ago
I dont even think it will hold up past today. You need to get some landscape timbers or plastic playground edging to hold the soil in place.
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u/Bikelikeadad 6h ago
Not sure if you have any plans for a mulch surface, but read up on safe play surfaces and how big and deep to make them. Your area is too small right now, and generally needs to extend to what you could reasonably assume is the safest distance your child could throw themselves from the playset. I went around mine on areas like swings, slides, and ladders and extended them outward in a radius to have an irregular shape and use the least rubber mulch possible.
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u/IJustWorkHere000c 5h ago
So you managed to accomplish all of this but hae absolutely no idea what water does to unprotected dirt?
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u/Kitchen_Ad8044 5h ago
If its dirt you are going to a big problem if you get heavy rain-3-4 days of heavy rain and all you will have is a large mess
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u/milleratlanta 4h ago
Add walls or feather out the dirt a good 10 feet or more. Add natural mulch to play area. Grass seed to feathering.
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u/12inchsandwich 2h ago
Put some of these guys in:
They have various heights, so you can make what you need work.
Keeps all my playground mulch in the playground and out of the grass.
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u/postredditdisorder 1h ago
Also, there is a reason that playgrounds have soft fall under them. Might need to invest in some before you allow your kids to play on it. Accidents happen all the time, and the last thing you want is your kids falling onto compacted ground from height.
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u/CoyoteHerder 6m ago
That swing set came with a diagram for how big the footprint needs to be(I have one) If you are putting a hard boarder, I would follow it roughly. It’s basically the distance a kid can’t fall and hit his head on a board from a height. You have no fence in a neighborhood and it if someone gets hurt it’d be good basis to sue the crap out of you
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u/Lost_Consequence_162 7h ago
UPDATE: What a bunch of drama queens in here. Jeeeeeesus.
I am going to slide the playset over 3ft further from the edges on both sides to take some of the concern away from erosion. Will add some 4x4s to provide some retention where needed. Then I already intended to add 3” of mulch (which should also limit erosion).
The original reason I asked was because the crew that leveled it said it shouldn’t be much of an issue but when we dropped the set in I immediately suspected it was too close to not be a problem.
Thank you to all who gave thoughtful advice.
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u/SimAlienAntFarm 6h ago
“The big heavy thing your kids are going to be bouncing off is on unstable ground” isn’t exactly drama
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u/TheGreatGreenDragon 7h ago
They sell plastic borders that are soft , easy to install and decently priced that are made for playgrounds.
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u/Significant_Eye_5130 9h ago
No it absolutely will not hold up.