Sunday, October 28, 2012

DIY Project: Basement Bungee Swing

Okay, so I admit it. This particular post is quite a bit off topic for the focus of this blog. But I had to post this because it's so fun!! :-) Two of our three kids have sensory seeking tendencies which means they are quite active, love messy play, and anything that will give their bodies some sort of "input" as we like to call it. This whole project stemmed from a trip to Target with Abbie from Greening Sam and Avery. While we were there, she pointed out the bungee cord chairs and said she heard from somewhere (sorry, I can't find the source) that you can remove the legs and turn it into a bungee swing.

I had to do this!! I knew the bungee cords would be great sensory input for my kids' bodies and when you add in the movement from the swing. BONUS input!! LOVE it!!

I bought two of the chairs from Target. We put one in my oldest daughter's room. And I gave the other to my awesome Father-in-Law who made THIS:
Here are some more photos:
Close-up of where the legs were removed:
 Hanging hardware. This is screwed right into the support beams going across our basement ceiling (the hook and eyes can hold up to 800 lbs!).
 He strung the rope through and used electrical tape to cover any loose ends.
 Whoo hoo!! Swinging away!
You can also put both rope loops on one hook and make it more like a tire swing:
OR
add pillows and blankets to make it similar to a hammock swing!
I've even tried the swing out myself and it's great!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to my father-in-law for making us such a fun thing for our basement. It will be great with the winter months looming ahead!
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9 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 28, 2012 at 9:19 PM

    That is so neat! Looks like something my daughter would absolutely love :)

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  2. UnknownMay 17, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    Oh my this is awesome! Makes me want to move somewhere with basements. In my blah So Cal home we dont have enough indoor space. Maybe outside somewhere I can do a copy cat.Thanks for sharing

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  3. jennJuly 23, 2013 at 10:05 AM

    Holly, This is fabulous. I am soooooo jealous. I'd do it if I didn't live in an apartment building in NYC where space is sooooo not available. Still, love to dream through this blog post!

    jenn choi
    www.toysaretools.com

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  4. AmyAugust 23, 2013 at 6:38 PM

    How did he take off the legs? Having a hard time trying to get them off since it's not just a simple screw.

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    Replies
    1. HollyAugust 27, 2013 at 6:02 AM

      Amy, I hope you figured out how to take the legs off. I'm not really sure how he did it. I think they have have metal pins. Maybe he hammered them out. So sorry I can't really help you on that question. He's very handy and I'm not. :-)

      Delete
    2. MaggieApril 2, 2016 at 8:43 AM

      Drill into the rivets and they will fall apart. I am making one of these right now. You could also use a hacksaw to cut the rivets off from the side.

      Delete
  5. Emy WatsonDecember 5, 2015 at 3:45 AM

    How do I hang a hammock swing from the house rafters?
    hammock chair swing

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    Replies
    1. HollyDecember 18, 2015 at 9:30 AM

      Emy--there is a close up image of the eye and hook that we use. Just go to your local hardware store and find something heavy duty. We put them right into the wood rafter in the basement so we know that it will not pull out. :-)

      Delete
  6. controlling crazinessJuly 13, 2016 at 6:58 AM

    Love it. I'm looking at doing something similar for my basement for my sensory seekers. I was thinking about buying a set up but this looks like a much cheaper option. Thanks for the info.

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