Play time

Today's children want more than just a swing or a sandbox in their backyards. They want a trampoline, tree house, sport court, batting cage and don't forget the water slide. It's the ultimate backyard and Jacob and Emily want it -- and they want it now.

Rodney Bean knows what Jacob and Emily want because he owns The Ultimate Backyard, a company that sells and installs multipurpose game courts, play sets and putting greens. Depending on the size of the yard and what the family requires, the playground can cost between $5,000 and $100,000.

"Take the multipurpose game court for example," said Bean. "We can install a full basketball court that is 50 feet wide by 94 feet long. However, most of our courts are 30 by 60 and some as small as 25 by 25. An average court will cost about $7,000, but keep in mind that after playing basketball, it can be changed over to tennis or volleyball. That's the beauty of it."

Bean said ultimate backyards became more popular as parents became less comfortable with sending their children to public parks. So, they brought the parks' playgrounds to their safe backyards and then brought other neighborhood children over to play. But even that has changed in Las Vegas.

"What has changed here is that the size of backyards has shrunk over the years," he explained. "We still do courts, but they're smaller. And we're selling more putting greens with artificial grass. Play sets come in a variety of sizes where kids can swing, play house, jump, go down slides, climb rock walls or walk through tunnels and over bridges. Parents usually bring their kids to our showroom (121 E. Sunset Road inside the Las Vegas Sports Center) to see what best fits their needs and their backyard."

Bean said backyard equipment requires little maintenance and kids can play throughout the year instead of just during the spring and summer as in other cities.

"This equipment is a great return on investment because of its year-round use, and, remember, that we set everything up from leveling the yard to pouring the concrete," he said. "And if you want, we'll install lights and fencing around the yard."

What if multipurpose game courts and play sets aren't what make your kids happy? Then, you might want to consider a tree house -- even here in Las Vegas where large trees are not that plentiful. Daniels Wood Land offers tree houses that come with their own trees.

John and Ron Daniels have been building custom tree houses since 1997 and shipping them around the world. They have even been shipped to celebrities such as Clint Eastwood and Vanessa Williams.

"When customers get around to calling us, we know they want something different," John Daniels said. "They ask for custom designs like Robin Hood, tiki huts, Old West, giant pirate ships, outer space or whatever. They name it and we build it."

The average tree house is about 14 feet tall and each log is 4 feet in diameter and 6 feet tall. An average clubhouse floor measures 4 feet by 5 feet and its height, at the peak of the ceiling, is about 6 feet. Only oak, pine and eucalyptus trees are used for the houses and they come from the central coast of California.

"We only use dead or dying trees and recycled logs," he said. "It makes the search harder, but we have developed several ways to locate them. The only other situation in which we acquire a log is when its alternative fate would be a trip to a local landfill."

Daniels said the standard tree house takes two to five days to build with some custom designs taking several months. Production tree houses range from $6,000 to $60,000; special order tree houses with electricity, cable and Internet can cost $300,000.

"These tree houses are more than just a tree house," Daniels said. "Homeowners realize they double as a landscape centerpiece and add value to the home when it's time to sell."

According to Daniels, the two most popular houses are the Deluxe Monkey Mansion, which comes with a balcony, turbo slide, tire swing and monkey bars, and Deluxe Scallywag Sloop, a pirate ship-shaped house that comes with ship's wheel, swing, fireman's pole and pirate's flag.

People like them because they're balanced tree houses with many play features. They are the best value for the dollar," he said.

For more information about The Ultimate Backyard, contact Bean at 294-1268; Daniels Wood Land can be reached at 800-441-3468 or www.danielswoodland.com.