Bijou Build Play Structure Review

Playgrounds of any shape and size are great investments, helping children with imaginative play and gross motor skills. More traditional play structures can be bulky, permanent and degrade over time—there's nothing worse than having one overrun with Carpenter bees, rotting or splintering. Plus, the way kids play changes over time, yet typical play structures don't.

Bijou Build is a modern outdoor company that does things differently. It offers modular outdoor play structures that can be combined in a variety of ways that work best for your family. Customizable, versatile, portable and easy to install, the Bijou Build sets are also very visually appealing.

This article discusses the Bijou Build brand, what they stand for, and how they are different from traditional play equipment brands. It also weighs the pros and cons of purchasing a Bijou Build structure to help you make the right choice for your family.

What is Bijou Build? - An Overview of the Modular Play System

Bijou Build takes outdoor play to the next level. The company designs modular play structures that are easily adaptable for any space and age. You can customize everything to fit your backyard and your kids' interests, and the system can grow with your kids, allowing for more advanced features like rope bridges and climbing walls.

Bijou Build is built to withstand all weather and is aesthetically pleasing—no more primarily wood structures that are prone to rotting and splintering. The Mainstay, which is the anchor piece of the playground, is where it all starts. They are collapsible, adaptable, and expandable, and made from fabrics that can take a beating.

The brand's ethos is to create playgrounds that won't end up in landfills. They use sustainable practices and will even help parents source the proper wood to make the play structures last longer. The fabrics are sewn with double-layer seams, featuring strong stainless steel pieces and polyester panels made from recycled water bottles.

Incredibly user-friendly, most setups of the Bijou Build Mainstay and additional pieces take only a few hours with two sets of hands. Pieces are adaptable and made to be moved around. And, if you move, you can easily take the playground with you as everything but the wood folds down very compactly.

The Pros of Bijou Build: What Parents Will Love

• It's modular and customizable: You can select pieces that work for your space and children's age range and you can change them over time
• It's aesthetically pleasing: They aren't cumbersome eyesores, but rather well-designed, bright and light play structures with an emphasis on color
• It's durable and sustainable: The materials used include UV-resistant polyester made from recycled water bottles and powder-coated steel hardware
• It can hold up to 250 pounds
• It comes with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty
• It's easy to set up and dismantle for storage or moving
• The creative design promotes open-ended play and helps children work on gross motor skills

Potential Cons of Bijou Build: Areas to Consider Before Buying

• Bijou Build playgrounds are more expensive than regular playgrounds, but the portability and adaptability make it worth it
• While modular, the Bijou Build outdoor playsets, especially the Duo Rambler with the rope bridge, might require more backyard space than normal playgrounds
• It could potentially be more complex to put up than other playgrounds, depending on which model you choose
• It's best for children who are confidently walking and climbing
• Bijou Build playgrounds don't have slides, but the Mainstay and Sway model does have swings, albeit non-traditional plastic ones

Setting Up Bijou Build: What to Expect - Assembly and Installation

The pieces of the Bijou Build playground come in relatively compact boxes. We had three medium-sized boxes to unpack. All of the materials are super durable and high quality, something you can feel immediately as you unpack the boxes.

The Bijou Build playground requires about 20 feet of space for installation. The second thing you need is pressure-treated lumber to create the Mainstays. Bijou Build can source it and send it to you, or you can pick it up at your local hardware store. We needed 10 10-foot pieces of lumber. There were no professional or unique tools necessary; everything we needed we had in our basic toolbox, such as a power drill, step ladder and hammer.

We had endless weeks of rain after receiving the Bijou Build parts, so we weren't able to put them together all at once—but it did reinforce how sturdy and weatherproof the materials are. Putting this playground together was not as easy as the Bijou Build playground setup video made it seem. We are not handy, but we were able to do it ourselves. Two adults who are strong and willing to put in sweat equity would be able to do it over a few hours total; additionally, you could hire a professional to make sure it was installed properly.

Safety and Durability: Is Bijou Build a Safe and Long-Lasting Choice?

Bijou Build playgrounds use sturdy, sustainable materials, and because of this, are more expensive than traditional wood or plastic options. The modular playgrounds come with a 5-year warranty and meet or exceed essential safety certifications and standards. Key design elements, such as stability, secure connections, and smooth finish—such as in their double-layer seams—contribute to a safe play environment. While parents can set up the playsets themselves easily, professional help from a handyman or other qualified person can make it go faster.

As with any play structure, adult supervision is an important safety consideration for children at play. An adult should always be nearby in case of falls or other injuries.

Final Verdict: A Modern and Versatile Play Solution with a Premium Edge

If you're looking for a playground that has a lot of flexibility, is prettier than other options on the market, and is sustainably made to last, the Bijou Build sets are worth the buy. They're adaptable, portable and can change with your children's ages and needs. They encourage open-ended play and help children work on gross motor skills such as climbing and jumping.

While the "right" choice depends on your family's budget and priorities, the Bijou Build playgrounds check a lot of the boxes modern parents are looking for—and they exceed safety standards as well. All are valuable to pre-school-aged children and older, but parents looking for a highly stylized, sustainable and well-built option would be hard-pressed to find something better than Bijou Build.

Bijou Build Playground