Climbing tower/frame base

[kickdrum]

Morning

We’re getting a climbing tower/frame for our son and wanting to put it towards the bottom of the garden. The issue is that it’s heavy clay soil and a sloping garden so it does get wet down there (I’ve put in a soakaway which has eased it during winter) My plan is to level and make a raised area with 100-150mm of play bark/rubber aggregate which the frame/tower will sit on.

How deep into the clay should I do the foundation slabs for the towers? They’re about a square meter each. For reference there’s about 300mm topsoil, then about 1000mm of clay then bedrock

 

[scbk]

How high and wide is the tower, have you got a link?
Do they specify the foundation, is it concrete?
I would say don't overthink it

 

[kickdrum]

It just says to put it on level ground, sand/grass and to use ground anchors set in concrete. Surely a concrete pad under the towers would be more stable than the anchors?

 

[scbk]

The ground anchors will be to stop it disappearing in a storm!

It will be fine on good ground

Put the bark down after it's built

 

[scbk]

This was one I put together for someone, it's on hard ground. It was either 3 or 4 loads of bark, each one 4m3, so 12-16m3, could've probably done with more!

I was getting the bark direct from the yard that processes it, would hate to be paying retail

 

[kickdrum]

That’s the thing, the ground isn’t that great…wet clay basically.

Yeah I’ve had a look around and it’s quite expensive! I could do with finding somewhere direct. Those look good, looks like you’ve done a good job pal

 

[scbk]

This was one I built from scratch, more of a swing set, but with a climbing/tree house bit in the middle. It now has 2 slides off the back, one of which is a culvert pipe about 6m long! The round poles are sold by a fencing supplier as (horse) jump poles. Some second hand parts, the total cost for it all including fittings was only maybe £400