*The following contains a gifted product*
Hollie doesn’t rate my DIY skills at all. (To be fair, I don’t rate them either, but that’s a personal thing). For that reason, whenever we have a construction job, she recommends that I invite my dad over to assist. It is what it is and good for him to have a motive when he comes around, so I told him the play recently. (A follow-up to the trampoline build).
The job: assemble a massive slide – the Smoby Super Megagliss – in the garden.
In the lead up to the arranged day, I had a bit of spare time on my hands (Hollie was out with the kids and said she was just about to drive back from Milton Keynes. I saw it as an opportunity to surprise her by cracking on with the job and showing my wife that I was capable of putting things together myself.
I dragged this huge, heavy box out from the garage, squeezed it through the utility area and placed it down on the lawn. I then got the instructions out, saw that it recommended it requires two people and it will take about an hour to do.
Forget it.
Milton Keynes is about an hour and a half away from us and I have absolutely no confidence that I’m able to get the job done in that time, even without the distractions of having kids around etc.
So I put it back and waited on the arranged day again.
When that day arrived, it just so happened to be one of those random, rare barbeque weather days that we’ve had recently, so I couldn’t wait to get cracking with it. Hollie was so inspired by the sun that she decided a BBQ was happening and we were inviting even more people around to enjoy it. With the pool out, trampoline in use and help on the way, I decided I should probably just get going with it.
Straight up: it was so easy. The instructions were all logical, there weren’t any confusing or ambiguous parts to it; it was just to-the-point. I wasn’t timing it, but I’m pretty sure it took about an hour to complete. My dad arrived just as I was connecting the larger of the two slide sections to it, and just helped me line everything into place as I was finishing it off.
A tip for you is that when it suggests using a €2 coin to tighten everything up, a 2p will do. Note that the set comes with extra pieces, so if you end up misplacing anything, you’ve got a little backup. As I say, I was able to make it all myself quite easily, so I believe that no matter where your DIY ability levels are at, this is a manageable job.
The slide is ideal for our 3-year-old. I would say it’s the exact height it needs to be for Marlo to feel as though he’s getting the park experience – enjoying a giant slide you wouldn’t possibly believe you could have in your own place – actually at home. Cameo (4.5) is getting plenty of fun out of it too and has come up with all sorts of games with it since I put it together.
The ladder is one solid piece, so you don’t have to worry about it loosening over time. The steps are anti-slip too, so you don’t have to feel as though you have to stand behind them every time they scale up to the top. It’s got handles made for young people, so they can build confidence as they use it. (Marlo was unsure the first attempt but hasn’t asked for help since). I also have to add that it’s even more fun with water, so be sure to get your hosepipe involve.
If you’re going to get a slide for your little ones, don’t go big, go MEGA. The Smoby Super Megagliss stands 186cm tall and it’s serious.
