The details, for parents who want them.

Front Range clay doesn't absorb water, and afternoon storms drop a lot of it fast. Every play zone we build is graded to shed water, with a drainage layer under turf, sand and surfacing, and a path for water to leave: a swale, a dry creek, a rain garden or a drain line to daylight. Pool decks and courts are sloped to drains. Splash pads drain to their reservoir or to a designated discharge. If your yard has an existing wet spot, we'll deal with it in the grading plan rather than building on top of it.

Under anything with a fall height: engineered wood fiber, poured-in-place rubber, or turf over a rated shock pad, installed to the manufacturer's depth for that height. On paths and patios: slip-resistant, light-toned materials. Around pools: textured, cool-underfoot coping and deck. Sand areas: washed play sand over a drainage base. Full comparison on the playgrounds page.

Your handoff binder includes a calendar. Typical items: rake and top up loose-fill surfacing annually; check and torque hardware each spring; reseal timber every two to three years; clean the splash pad filter and check sanitizer through the season; brush and top up turf infill every few years; blow out water systems in fall; inspect pool cover mechanisms and barrier latches monthly during the season. We offer seasonal service or we'll show you how.

Splash pads and play creeks recirculate through a filter and sanitizer from a buried reservoir with an equipment vault. Pools use standard filtration with automation options. Irrigation is drip on a smart controller. All fill lines get backflow prevention. Everything has drain-down points for winter. Details on the water play and pools pages.

Layers: barrier with self-latching gates to local code, automatic safety cover, door and gate alarms, compliant drain covers, sightlines from the house and the parent seat, slip-resistant surfaces. Plus swim lessons and a "no one swims alone" rule, which we'll say out loud. Full discussion here.

Colorado sun at altitude makes shade a functional requirement over play zones, especially where kids stand still (sand, slide decks, splash pad edges). Shade sails, pergolas, pavilions and, over the long term, trees. Fabric is rated for UV and designed for wind and hail; roofs are engineered for snow. See shade and weather.

We design to the child, using public playground accessibility standards and universal design principles as references for route width, surface firmness and transfer heights. We don't describe a residential yard as "ADA compliant" unless a specific element was designed and verified to a named standard. More on the inclusive play page.

Cedar, thermally modified wood and composites; powder-coated and galvanized steel; UV-stabilized plastics; engineered footings below frost depth; hardscape detailed for freeze-thaw. Play structures built this way should outlast the age they were built for and take new hardware as kids grow. Turf carries manufacturer UV warranties typically in the 15-year range. We'll tell you the realistic life of each element in your proposal.

Our workmanship warranty and the manufacturers' product warranties are provided in writing with your proposal and again in the handoff binder, with the terms and durations for each element. We won't summarize them here because they differ by product and we'd rather you read the actual terms.

Pools always require permits and inspections. Structures over certain sizes or heights, electrical work, retaining walls and sometimes fences also do, and rules vary by city and county. HOA approval is common along the Front Range and can add weeks. We research your address, tell you what applies, and handle the applications and packets.

Water systems are blown out and drained; jets capped; pool lines cleared and cover closed; shade fabric removed or confirmed winter-rated; irrigation shut down. Play structures, turf and courts stay in use all winter. Sledding on the turf hill is encouraged. We do the seasonal work or teach you.

Turf: brush, rinse, occasional enzyme cleaner if there's a dog. Poured rubber: hose. Sand: rake, cover, replace the top layer every few years. Splash pad surface: rinse; reservoir drained and cleaned at season end. Timber: wash before resealing. Nothing here needs a specialist.

Our age guidance is design intent, not a safety rating. Kids vary. We design to your actual children and say clearly which features are for which kids and which need an adult nearby. See design by age.

The Idea Box and idea board save your selections in your own browser using local storage. Nothing is sent to KidScapes until you choose to submit an inquiry. When you do, we use what you send (contact details, yard photos, selections) to respond to you and plan your project. We don't sell or share it. This site uses no third-party advertising trackers. If analytics are added, this section will say so.

This site is built with semantic HTML, keyboard-operable navigation and interactive features, visible focus states, descriptive alt text for meaningful images, sufficient color contrast, and support for reduced-motion preferences (animations are turned off when your system asks for that). If you run into something that doesn't work for you, please tell us so we can fix it.