Before you open a bag
Lay the lumber out by length and the hardware out by bag number, somewhere flat and out of the wind. Read the plans end to end once. This costs forty minutes and saves two hours, because almost every lost hour on a build comes from a bolt that went into the wrong hole an hour ago.
Tools: a cordless drill with a driver set, a socket wrench, a tape, a level, a rubber mallet and a step ladder. A second drill saves swapping bits. Safety glasses when you are driving anchors.
Order of work
Build the tower flat on the ground and stand it up with two people. Set the A-frame legs and the beam next, because everything else hangs from those. Fit the deck and the roof. Mount the slide. Hang the swings last, when the frame is anchored and square.
Check square at every stage with a diagonal measurement, not by eye. Wood that is a quarter inch out at the bottom is two inches out at the roof.
Realistic hours
A compact set with two swings and a wave slide: three to five hours. A mid-size tower with a climbing wall and monkey bars: six to ten. A large set with a wood roof, two slides and a picnic table: a full weekend for two people. Add ground work on top of all of these.
Attachments are different work entirely. A swing seat is ten minutes. A ladder or a set of monkey bars is under an hour. A tube slide needs two people for the lifting, not for the difficulty.
