If you’ve ever dealt with kids, then you know they care very little about the troubles of the world. Every kid just wants a nice, warm bed, great food, and a whole lot of fun. And if you know anything about having a whole lot of fun as a kid, you already know, there is no better place for kids to have all the fun they want than playgrounds. This explains why playgrounds are always buzzing. So, starting a playground will always be a great idea.
Easy as it is looks, starting a playground is no child’s play. You’ve got to get some things right. One of the most important things you have to do is plan towards the expenses that starting an indoor playground entails.
In starting an indoor playground, the cost depends on a few things. Like, the size of the playground you’ve got in mind, the quality of the playground equipment you’ve plans to buy, the interior designs for the playground site, and a couple of other things. Why all these seem difficult, the good news is, unless you are a big business, or you have intentions to build a Neverland style playground, you don’t need millions to start up a playground. With a few thousand bucks, you are sure good to go.
In the rest of this article, we talk about indoor playgrounds and just how much money you need to start one. With specific details, we also give a clear insight into the various things you might need to spend a couple of bucks on before getting your playground started
1. Confirming the Scale of Your Indoor Playground
Starting out an indoor playground is cool. You get to experience kids at their happiest and make a lot of money (if it’s a business venture). But before you start, you’ve got to know just how big you want your playground to be. The larger the scale of the playground, the more money that will be expended in starting.
The size of the playground you’ve got in mind will also affect how big your playground project will be, and the more kids you plan for, the more preparation must be made in increasing the capacity of the playground arena to cater to the kids.
While it’s important to cater to the expected capacity of kids for your playground, making enough preparations for the expected age groups is also very important. In confirming the scale of your indoor playground, standard preparations must be made for the different age groups of kids that will utilize the arena. Children who use playgrounds vary from 6 to 23 months, 2 to 5 years, and 5 to 12 years. Getting to know the age group you intend to start the indoor playground will help plan better how best to start your indoor playground.
2. Playground Rentals
If you’ve ever been in search of a space, either for an office, or a site, or even a whole building, you must know that getting a budget-friendly space that your taste might be quite difficult, So, you’ve got to brace up for your search of the perfect playground space.
Playground warehouses are rented in square meters or foot. So, the cost of the rent will depend on the size of the arena that will house the playground. The bigger the playground, the bigger the size of the space. On average, a square foot goes for about $11/12, depending on the area. So, if you’ve got plans of renting a 2,200 sq ft workspace which is equivalent to about 200 sq m, you should be looking to spend about $25,000 per year. Working with this exact calculation, your monthly rent for space could be about $2,108. However, because site value varies, prices also vary. A square foot could also go for as high as $17 or 23$. Because space for rentals lasts for a year, in starting your indoor playground, having a $25,000 check for space rentals sounds like a good idea. Once you’ve got this out of the way, spending a few thousand bucks will help set up the playground with the other important amenities.
3. Attractions Cost
Playgrounds are fun places. So, they’ve got to look attractive and beautiful. Great aesthetics add to the value of the playground. So, you’ve just got to take your designs seriously. As with everything, great designs seem expensive. But if you consider the value, it’s sure worth it. Interior designers are responsible for this, and the price of the designs varies on factors that include the level of the playground and the elements that will eventually go into designing the equipment and playground arena.
4. Shipping Cost
Who creates an indoor playground without the necessary equipment? No one, right? So, before you get your playground up and running, you have to first get the structures in place. Labeling a space that doesn’t have regular playground bars and swings will be a funny movie since the kids can’t have fun in empty spaces.
Buying them is not the main problem, but in acquiring them, some of the structures can be very heavy, and as such, require freight services to transport them from the production company to the playground. This could be a little bit expensive, but it is essential. The weight of the play structure will, of course, influence the cost to be paid to the freight services. So, the shipping cost might vary depending on how large the products are and the number of structures that will be gotten. Shipping from the United States to countries around Europe and North and Central America varies from as low as $625 to about $1,752 for 40hq container shipping. These rates vary from cities even in countries and from different parts of the world. So, if you are looking to ship from Australia to the United Kingdom, shipping costs can be extremely high. As high as $4,518. So, in starting that indoor playground, you have to consider the expenses of shipping from other countries and delivery even from companies in your country to your doorstep or the playground arena.
These shipping costs also vary from different companies, and they change all the time depending on a lot of reasons. So, it’s very important to cross-check from time to time to avoid making budgets that will end up being below the expected market range.
5. Installation Cost
In opening an indoor playground, installing playground equipment is just as important as renting a space, or designing the space. You may ask, why? It’s because you can’t just rent out a site, buy the necessary equipment, and decide to have it uninstalled, lying wastefully on the site. Installation is always a huge part of starting a playground. In fact, in an average playground budget, installation takes about 27%. The technicians who will fix the structures will have to be paid, and their services are known to be quite a lot. This sure explains why the installation cost takes a whole lot. Most homeowners who have plans of installing a mini playground might be tempted to use the DIY approach. If you’ve got plans for that, you should have a re-think. Professionals technicians offer services that are difficult to match by everyday people, and having them install the sets will even help guarantee your kids’ safety. If you are worried about the cost, you need to think about safety first.
Moreover, the price of each service provider ranges depending on how massive the project is because it will determine the hours technicians will put in to deliver, and subsequently, the price. Installation prices range from a minimum cost of $75 to a maximum cost of about $12,000. This puts the average at about $361 to $508, once again depending on the side of the job that needs to be done. The installation will also cover the budget of the additional costs that need to be expended on the playground space, Additional costs that will include dents or structural issues with the arena intended to be used.
Installation costs will also cover miscellaneous expenses that involve the transportation of the technicians that will be involved with carrying out the structure. In situations where the technicians leave in other areas, the installation cost will cover the expenses.
In starting an indoor playground, certain costs have to be expended. These costs cut across a very wide area of needed items. If you are looking to start a playground, you surely have to get these expenses sorted.
CONCLUSION
Generally, the costs of starting an indoor playground depend on a few factors. However, the costs could largely vary from $8000 to $70,000 due to the size of the playground, especially if it’s a commercial play space. If, on the other hand, it’s private, the cost might most times be considerably low, and some of the costs factored in this article will not be necessary. Regardless, starting an indoor playground involves many times, and the cost is just a tiny part. So, with the right mindset, idea, and a couple of thousand bucks, you are sure good to go.
