We recently posted a blog that talked about the benefits of having a playground on your apartment complex property. We thought we’d take this a bit further to help you with choosing the right type of equipment for your apartment complex.
- Assess Your Complex’s Needs
The things you want to consider when you’re thinking of the needs are:
- Your playground’s size
- The amount of space you have for your equipment.
- The overall layout of your playground
- How many children you expect to be on the playground at the same time.
- The ages of the children that you expect to visit and use the playground and its equipment.
- Make sure it’s disability accessible.
- Assess Your Existing Equipment
If you already have equipment on your property, you want to do the following:
- Think about your existing equipment’s condition.
- Decide whether it needs to be replaced or repaired.
- Figure out if there’s anything that your current equipment is missing.
- Figure Out Your Budget
You want to consider the following things:
- Your existing budget overall
- Other funds sources, such as grants, fundraisers and donations.
- Funds that you have to allocate for expenses such as new surfacing or site preparations.
- Whether you can complete your playground in phases.
Once you know these things, the next thing you have to figure out is what kind of material the equipment should be made of. Let’s look at the different types -and their benefits.
Wood:
Wood Equipment Benefits:
- Durable
- Safe
- Aesthetically pleasing
Metal Equipment Benefits:
- Durable
- Safe
- Weather-proof
HDPE Plastic Equipment Benefits:
- Low maintenance
- Easily cleaned
- Cost-effective
Other Things to Consider when Choosing Playground Equipment:
- Aesthetics: Make sure the equipment looks engaging and inviting for the kids. Children love equipment that is colorful and that looks challenging or fun.
- Complexity – Select equipment that is going to help the children with developing various physical abilities. The equipment also should be age appropriate. It shouldn’t be too hard for the kids in your complex.
- Maintenance – You want to choose equipment that is easy to keep in order and clean.
- Weather – Choose the equipment according to the weather and how much rain the area gets.
- Safety – Make sure the equipment you’re choosing will meet or exceed the safety standards that the ASTM has set as well as the CPSC.
If you are going to add playground equipment to your apartment complex, these are some of the things that you want to keep in mind. You want to make sure that it’s going to be enjoyable for the kids to use, safe, and that it’s going to be in your budget.
We have been helping landlords just like yourself for many years. If you are looking for a property manager or you are interested in learning more about the services we offer, please feel free to contact us.
