If you’re moving but you have a big playset out back, you may wonder if it’s even worth dismantling it and bringing it with you to the new place. You don’t want to leave behind cherished playhouses and the like, but it may simply not be practical to take it with you. The new owners may want it, or maybe they don’t, which means you’ll have to break it down and either take it with you or trash it.
Here are some things to consider when wondering: should the swingset stay or go?
Leave It
Your kids may be upset to leave their beloved play areas behind. However, you may just want to leave it there and buy them a new one at the new home, especially if it’s exceptionally large and hard to dismantle into smaller pieces. Remember, if you break it down and take it with you, #1, you have to pay to have it moved, and #2, you have to assemble it all again in the new yard. You may not want to bother with this, or you may have a smaller yard than you do now and can’t accommodate it. If your kids are getting older, they may not have a need for the playset anyway.
Think about the time of year, too. If you’re moving from a colder climate in the winter, the swingset may be frozen into the ground, making it impossible to remove and dismantle. Likewise, if you’re moving from a warm place to a cold place, you won’t be able to assemble it in the new yard because the ground will be frozen. This means you’ll have to find a place to store it till the nice weather.
Sometimes you have no choice but to leave it, if the new owners have written a contingency into the contract that includes the swingsets and play areas, making you contractually obligated to keep them as is.
Bring It
If the swingset or playhouse is relatively new, cost a lot of money or has a strong sentimental value, you may find it’s worth it to bring it with you to the new house. You will also want to bring it if the new owners are older and don’t have children or grandchildren, as they won’t want a playset in their back yard.
Considerations
In the end, it will be a very personal decision whether to bring the playset or not. You’ll have to think about cost, time, and energy expenditure to tackle this project. Ask yourself these questions:
- Will it cost me more to move the playset than if I were just to buy a new one?
- Will I realistically have the time to disassemble the play set, pack it properly, then assemble it again?
- If I don’t have time to assemble it right away, is there a place to store the pieces in the meantime?
- Do I have enough room in the new yard to place the swingset?
- What’s the weather going to be like? Will I want to do all that work during the rainy season, or when coming from a cold state?
- How old is the swingset? Are the nuts and bolts corroded? Is the wood rotted? If I moved it as is, is it so old that it would fall apart anyway?
- Do the new homebuyers even want the play house?
- Has the play area been set in concrete? Do I want to spend the money to rent a jackhammer to get the posts out?
- Does my new property have any zoning requirements for a playset to be built, such as type or minimum size?
Contact Big Lake Movers
These are all important questions to ask yourself being bringing or leaving a playset. When you’re ready to make the move, contact us for a free quote. We would be happy to move your playset for you, especially with our moving labor services.
