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Mom2Two 11:21 AM 09-29-2017
I've been wanting to share this for a little while. It was not too hard to make and cost us about $1500 but could be made for less.

We used mostly cedar for the supports, with a little treated lumber, and we used redwood for the top. We put water sealer on the top.

We avoided much treated lumber, because we have a vegie garden in the center, but if you didn't care about that, you could use treated lumber for the whole thing and save some $. There could even be a sand pit in the middle.

The kids love this so much. They use it every day. And when it's wet and muddy, it's a less dirty activity.

The angled corner that's closest in the photo is that way due to the herb garden across from it, and I wanted to keep some lawn to walk on, so we needed to angle it. That was the hardest part. If it was done in a complete rectangle it would be much easier.

And, ahem, since we could probably disassemble it in about an hour, I would argue that it's an expense rather than a depreciation. He he.
Attached: Bike Track Crop.jpg (1.14 MB) 
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Rockgirl 11:24 AM 09-29-2017
Really cool!
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AmyKidsCo 01:20 PM 09-29-2017
How fun!
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Josiegirl 03:04 PM 09-29-2017
Wow that is such a cool idea! And I love how the garden is in the middle....oh the possibilities!

Now I'm going to be a killjoy here but please make the kiddos wear helmets! I have a niece who received a scooter for a gift and her dad was on his way into the house to grab her helmet. She fell on their paved(maybe wood is different?)driveway while trying it out and waiting for dad. I won't go into details but basically they almost lost her on the way to the hospital via ambulance, and she went through months of having to relearn how to dress herself, go to the bathroom, feed herself, etc., etc., not to mention she's not the same person she was before that. She lived and she's okay, but brain trauma is a scary and very unpredictable thing.
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CalCare 03:13 PM 09-29-2017
Wow, that's fantastic! And I'm jealous of that lush grass!!!
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Michael 03:15 PM 09-29-2017
Nicely done. How do you keep the wood flat and even?
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Mom2Two 02:16 PM 10-02-2017
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
Now I'm going to be a killjoy here but please make the kiddos wear helmets!
I promise it's not a very hard surface. The redwood is laid across spaced out boards. It's got a bit of a spring to it. All wood is softer than concrete, but redwood is especially soft.

I do know about head injuries though. My dad lived with one for about 30 years before his passing. He fell off a cliff.
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Mom2Two 02:27 PM 10-02-2017
Originally Posted by Michael:
Nicely done. How do you keep the wood flat and even?
If I get a chance one time, I'll make a rough plan so that others could easily do this. But I'll try to describe it.

We laid down 2 x 4s on the grass around both side edges of where the path would be. But they are staggered, so that on the corners, the 8 ' redwood lays across two 2 x 4s that run the other way. The corner 2 x 4s underneath are kinda like half of a hashtag if that makes sense.

Then we also have a strip of 2 x 4s running down the center of the short (top and bottom) sides, to support the 4' redwood pieces.

Down the longer sides, we have 41" pieces of treated lumber for support (and to screw the boards down onto). The 41" pieces that are underneath the "seams" down the long sides are 8" wide, so that each side of the "seam" can be screwed down.

So to answer the question, it's flat partly due to the grade of the dirt/lawn being okay, but also, the way that it's all screwed down across supports makes it all level out.

Using star head screws, and with two drills going--one for pilot holes and one for the screws--it came together pretty fast.
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Mom2Two 02:36 PM 10-02-2017
* they are staggered with the how the lengths of the redwood lay
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MarinaVanessa 09:18 PM 10-02-2017
That's so awesome! I love the natural look and feel
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DaveA 03:25 AM 10-03-2017
Nice! I'll bet they'll love it.
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daycarediva 09:02 AM 10-03-2017
LOVE the natural wood with the garden in the middle!!!
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Kajada 09:12 AM 10-03-2017
I LOVE it! Can I come over to play?

The track looks about the same size as my entire back yard. Sigh... I don't always wish for a bigger yard, but pictures and projects like yours make me dream.
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Tags:outdoor play, outdoor surfaces
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