Backyard Discovery Skyfort II - A Pro’s Opinion 

18.Ashley.28 Ouch. This is a big problem in my neck of the woods, as well. Folks hire general contractors thinking that all will be well. Because after all, these guys build houses for a living, right? While it helps to have experience with tools, the builders still have to read the instructions. They have to know where every piece of lumber goes, and what size hardware to use (there’s a lot of hardware). By comparison, Backyard Discovery charges $899 for installation if you add installation “to cart” on their website. But they keep some of that as a service fee - it doesn’t all go to the installers. Personally, I have the build down to about 12-13 hours if I’m doing it completely by myself, and I don’t rush my installs. I charge $600 because that’s what I know it is worth to me, and it’s a reasonable price in my opinion. Normally, I never change my quoted fee unless something that I was not told about before hand holds me up and causes the build to take more time. For example, an installation area that is extremely difficult to access, or an installation area that has excessive slope/grade. From what you’ve described, it sounds like the two gentlemen installing your Skyfort have never put one together before. That alone does not equal being ripped off but in my opinion, there should have been some kind of cap on the installation fee. Especially since they said 1-2 days max. Most of the skilled assemblers that I know charge by the set - not by the hour. I can’t know all the facts without being being there, but in my opinion, the $60 per hour meter should be turned off at this point. I hope all of this helps. Shawn

@@theswingsetproject6455 Thank you for responding!! I started thinking I was SOL once I noticed this video was posted a year ago. So, a lot has happened since the 3rd and final day. My parents yard isn't level and I tried to stress to my parents that they really needed it to be, but the contractor was informed about the yard, and came to look at it the day before started he the assembly. He also assured my mom he would get it all taken care of, and by "taken care of" he meant buying cement blocks to put underground that have have 2x4s posts sticking out that he attached the swingset side to, the monkey bar side its staked down but one side isn't even touching the ground, and under the clubhouse he put pieces of a broken garden tile he found in our yard under 2 of the 4 the legs... Needless to say we have totally been ripped off... After we did a closer inspection we found there is missing screws under the slide, silver and black hardware, some of which is sticking out vs being flush or 1/8 in out, plus the hardware that came with it is gold. They didn't screw the rockwall into the ground stakes, and there is cracked boards galore all over :( I honestly want to take it apart and do it over with the bilt app so I know its actually safe... My mom hired this guy because he had done work her boss and coworkers, he told her he was licensed and today I found out his license expired a year ago come October. So all of this and today my mom gets the bill Total time he charged my parents for is 18 hours + extra things he purchased to secure it in the ground =$1121.00.😑🙄🤨😤😡 I have no clue what to do at this point, but I know he is in the wrong.

@@Ashley-tm3fv sure hope you all ended up in small claims and not paying this guy

I plan on doing all the Lifetime units that I get my hands on this year! But in general, I have a very high opinion of the Lifetime play sets.

Thank you sir! Great videos!

Have an Update? Any issues? I actually just found one online, FREE and solid condition as well! We are beyond excited to get it up. We took it apart in just 4 large sections. Tho it felt lighter than I’d expected. Depending on time, planning to erect ours soon!

Yes! I found out that the one I have is an older model. The pieces are thicker and the newer pieces for replacement were thinner, but strong. I have cleaned it with a power washer, mold&mildew cleaner. It looks amazing compared to what it was. Wish I could send a pic in this comment . I’m going to look into buying used ones and refinishing them for to sell !

how long did it take you?

@@mercedeslindigenous4219 actually I changed my mind. I hired a company to assemble the set. Glad I did too. I took a crew of three people two long days to finish.best money I have ever spent after watching them.

@@truthmarshal6627 Thank you for the quick response, I am a handy man and someone asked me to put this together for $800 but I think I'm gonna leave it alone, all money isn't good money ya know

@@mercedeslindigenous4219the assembly folks I hired did these a lot as they said. I was charged $725. They lost money in my eyes. I’m a handy person too, but once I watched tons of videos and talked to those that have attempted, I changed my mind last minute. Two complete lunch tables of hardware laid out. They had one person just to organize. Sometimes saying thanks but no thanks, is the best decision.

Sadly, no. But I go there every chance I get. Love that place.

Hi Jeffrey. People have done that, but if you’re hiring someone to install it for you, it would be good to check with them first and whether or not it affects their pricing. A Skyfort is usually carried to the backyard in 4 (4 large boxes) trips. If all the wood is taken out of the boxes, 4 trips to the backyard may become 40 trips to the backyard. In addition, if you lay out the wood for a Skyfort to stain and dry individually, it takes up a massive amount of room. It’s really best to do it after it’s up.

@@theswingsetproject6455 Thank you for the tips. Would you recommend building in garage or driveway and taking large pieces down to the yard if completing over the course of a week?

So sorry to read this. We are waiting for June 8th delivery of ours and decided not to get assembly to safe some money and do it ourselves... 😐I’m scared! It’s just my husband and I because of the pandemia. I’m praying we can get this done in 3 days of work together straight, or else our daughters will have to look at a undone swing set until another weekend. It’s a torture for a child to see the pieces and bot be able to enjoy it.

@@TeAmoCristoJesus wondering how this turned out for you. I am in the stage you spoke of. Thinking I should call them back and pay for install.

Thatsa rip off. 3000 in Canada.

There’s always that one guy who needs to make a comment on a free, informational video created to help folks out......I’m not sure what you mean by “monkey bars not flush.” I can assure you that the monkey bars were “flush” and level in every way. 🙄🙄

As of today 08/26/2024 it's a little over $3,800 PLUS tax on the home depot website!

In my opinion, the Backyard Discovery sets are not for bigger/older kids. Skyforts are solid, but they might not stand up to the wear and tear as the kids grow. With that said, the kids might also outgrow it sooner. This isn’t every kid, of course. Many Skyforts get used 7/8 years.