An often overlooked aspect of home development is your choice of playground surfaces for homes. Developers should consider safety, accessibility, durability, and aesthetics should be considered in choices. Therefore, PlaySmart is here to help you find the ideal option for any purpose including:
- Soft garden flooring
- Playground surfaces for home developments
- Public or private green spaces
- Shared parks
- Grass garden lawns.
It is important to explore your options for playground surfaces for homes at each stage of outdoor planning. This is especially the case for larger housing developments or designing your garden refurbishments. Therefore, this blog will walk you through how to choose the best garden flooring and home playground designs for your project.
Key Considerations for Outdoor Housing Development Surfacing
The ideal surface solution depends on a variety of qualities to consider to find your perfect match! Therefore, these considerations are built into PlaySmart design process and even our pre-sales advic . With our over 20 years of expertise, you are in safe hands.
Budget
The budget allocated to developing your outdoor area should include an eye toward the long-term costs of any surfacing. Selecting longer-lasting surfacing materials with fewer maintenance expenses can reduce total costs. Therefore, this choice can make a huge difference in developments that lack funding or staff for surface upkeep and playground repairs.
Flexibility in budget allocation can be helpful in the design and selection process. Some materials require greater upfront investment and extensive groundwork disrupting other development work on your site. Depending on the upkeep and maintenance budgets, keeping replacements and maintenance low can be more beneficial.
In larger projects, lower installation costs with upkeep limited to heavily used areas like pathways or under playground equipment. However, smaller projects like private grass gardens may only require rubber garden mats. This is because they can be cheaper, despite often requiring more regular replacements and repairs.
Space
Evaluating the space available early in the development process can help you determine which surface solution is right for you. For example, initial designs for larger areas of landscaping for public parks may not be possible in smaller residential areas. This is because extra pathways between buildings, small gardens, or uneven ground require different considerations that can dictate your options.
Our surfacing options, particularly JungleMulch, are perfect for adapting to whatever space you are looking to surface. Filling in gaps during refurbishment projects allows you to incorporate new textures, designs, and materials. Additionally, even small spaces can be given unique and quality designs with the correct selection of materials.
Accessibility
Selected playground surfaces for home developments should follow relevant accessibility guidelines to ensure full enjoyment of the space by everyone. Slip-resistant, even paving, and wide pathways are essential to promoting inclusivity within an outdoor space.
Wet pour rubber creates a great flat surface for accessibility. We can also, install this as a ramped surface connected to grass, reducing tripping hazards. This makes for the perfect rubber flooring for garden play areas with accessible playground equipment. Because these areas require greater safety surfacing considerations and stable flooring.
In new-build housing development, guidelines and recommendations for accessibility and any other requirements may change in the future. Therefore, considering all levels of accommodation possible is recommended early on in the design process. This can reduce issues further down the line that can inflate long-term budgets. Because it avoids adjustments that need to be made to widen access to new occupants.
Quick Top Tips for Playground Surfaces for Home Developers
Quick Top Tips for Playground Surfaces for Home Developers
Many housing developments are looking to create an attractive and functional outdoor space that lasts for generations. Surfaces should therefore match this design ethos. Here are some of our top tips for those first steps into choosing which surfacing your new development suits best.
Safety Surfacing
Shock absorbent surfaces are a great investment for any outdoor area- because you never know when you’ll need them! We recommend SmartPlay shock pads under play equipment or trees, or in sports courts or as garden play matting.
Variety
On playground surfacing and equipment should cater to all ability levels while providing safety at the appropriate critical fall heights. For more general open spaces, providing seating and shaded spaces will mean more people will spend time outdoors. Therefore, these developments can improve community cohesion and sociality within the housing development.
Colour and Theming
Creativity should never be forgotten in the utilitarian optimising of surfacing. Vibrant EPDM patterns or more naturalistic rubber mulch colours can tell a story of who your space is for. Themed play areas are becoming more popular among local council public park developments. This is because they bring a new aesthetic to the area and reflect the community and its history.
Vegetation and Nature
Incorporating nature into the outdoor space can work to change the feel of an urban development site. Studies have found that people are more relaxed when in the presence of green life. Additionally, vegetation benefits the ecosystem through water absorption and removing carbon dioxide from local microclimates. Surfacing like JungleMulch is perfect for installation as a base for tree surrounds. This is because it protects root systems and suppresses weeds while looking great without sacrificing durability and longevity.
