Meet Our New Backyard Treehouse

We added the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse to our backyard, and it has quickly become the kids’ favorite place to play. I’m sharing why we chose it, what installation was really like, and everything we’ve learned so far.

A few years ago, we added the cutest little playhouse to our backyard. It was pretty basic when we bought it, but of course, I couldn’t leave it that way! I painted it, added a mailbox and a light, and gave it all sorts of personal touches. The kids loved it, the neighborhood kids loved it, and it got plenty of use over the years.

But there was one problem: Our kids were literally outgrowing it.

Their heads were starting to hit the top and getting in and out was becoming a challenge. We noticed that the younger kids on our street were gravitating toward it more than Rory and Ellis, which was a pretty good sign that it was time to move on.

We ended up gifting the entire playhouse to a neighbor. You should have seen us trying to maneuver this fully assembled playhouse through our fence and into their backyard. Oh my gosh, what an experience! Somehow, we got it over there in one piece.

And just like that, we were left with a completely blank area in our side yard.

Figuring Out What to Put in Our Side Yard

We live on a lot and a half here in Chicago, and I’m so grateful for the extra outdoor space. Our side yard already has our pergola and outdoor kitchen, but we still have plenty of grass. I didn’t want to lose all of that open space because we use it constantly for soccer, football, and running around with the kids.

We considered a traditional swing set, but we didn’t really have the right footprint for one. More importantly, as we thought about how our kids actually play, we kept coming back to climbing.

Rory is an incredible climber. She’s super strong, loves monkey bars, and is always looking for something physical to do. Ellis is usually right there with her, and we knew he’d grow into it even more over the next few years.

We also liked the idea of creating some sort of clubhouse. Our house tends to be one of the spots where the neighborhood kids congregate, and I loved the thought of giving them their own place to hang out, have their little meetings, and just be kids.

Essentially, we wanted something that would challenge them physically and give them a place for imaginative play.

Why We Chose the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse

Credit goes to Finn for finding Vuly Play. I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but once he showed it to me, suddenly I started seeing Vuly everywhere.

We did quite a bit of research before making such a big purchase. We also looked seriously at GrowplayUSA and Bijou, and I asked my Instagram community for recommendations. I heard from quite a few people who were starting to see Vuly playsets pop up in their neighborhoods and had heard good things.

Ultimately, we landed on the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse.

The Vuly monkey bars were a big selling point for us because climbing was our number-one priority. But we also loved that this wasn’t just a climbing structure. The treehouse gives the kids a unique multi-level space for imaginative play, and the shade roof makes the upper area feel like their own little clubhouse.

Plus, you can customize the setup with all sorts of accessories. We can swap swings and other accessories as the kids get older and their interests change. That was important to us. If we were going to spend this much money on a backyard playset, I didn’t want something our kids would outgrow in another year or two.

What We Ordered

You can customize the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse based on your space and how your kids like to play. For ours, we ordered the treehouse with the Treehouse Tent Wall, Boxing Bag, Bed Swing, Monkey Swing, Jungle Rope, Play Ladder, and Roman Rings.

We originally ordered the Basketball Set too, but ended up returning it because we didn’t have enough room for it in our particular setup.

Our original order came to about $3,400 with tax, before we returned the basketball set. So yes, this was definitely an investment!

Ordering and Delivery

We ordered ours during a sale and, because Vuly is an Australian company, I assumed we’d be waiting a while for everything to arrive. Nope.

I swear it was about 48 hours later when I opened our front door and could barely get outside because our porch was covered in boxes.

So here’s my first tip: Be prepared for your Vuly order to arrive quickly and have a plan for where you’re going to put A LOT of boxes.

Which brings me to…

Our Vuly Quest 2.1 Installation Experience

I’m not going to sugarcoat this part for you: Installation sucks.

Finn and I decided to take a Friday off work. Our grand plan was to build the entire thing while the kids were at school and surprise them that evening. We even told them we’d have a surprise waiting for them after school. That was our first mistake.

We are two people who have done a lot of DIY projects. We’re comfortable with tools and can follow directions. Surely we could knock out a kids’ playset in a day! Absolutely not.

We started on Friday of Labor Day weekend and were still working on it Monday. In total, I’d call this a three-day project for us.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Before you even start assembling anything, you have to unpack and organize an enormous number of pieces. That alone took us well over an hour, plus you’re dealing with all of the cardboard and packaging as you go.

Vuly provides instructions and an installation video, and I wouldn’t necessarily say the instructions are bad. The bigger issue is that you have to pay very, very close attention to every single step.

There were multiple times when we installed something in the wrong orientation, kept going, and realized several steps later that we’d made a mistake. Then we had to undo everything, backtrack, fix it, and start again.

We also had a few metal pieces that were difficult to get together. At one point, the WD-40 came out because we simply couldn’t get things to budge.

So my biggest installation tip is simple: Slow down. Study each step before you do it and double-check the orientation of every piece before moving on.

Going faster will not save you time if you have to take half the thing apart later. Ask me how I know.

How Many People Do You Need to Assemble It?

For the most part, Finn and I were able to assemble our Vuly Quest 2.1 with two people.

There was one point when we needed to lift a large portion of the structure up and onto itself. We called one of our neighbors over to help, and that was definitely a three-person job for us.

Once the main structure was standing, we spent the next couple of days adding the monkey bars, netting, and accessories.

And don’t make the mistake I did of looking at the netting and thinking, “Oh good, we’re almost done!” You’re not. Even the netting has a very particular installation process and takes quite a while.

You can pay for professional installation, and if your time is more valuable to you than spending a weekend doing this, I totally understand going that route. Knowing what I know now, I still don’t think we would have paid for installation. I just would have gone into the weekend with very different expectations.

This is not a casual Saturday-morning project.

The Neighborhood Kids Couldn’t Wait

One of my favorite parts of the entire experience was that all of the neighborhood kids basically watched this thing come to life over Labor Day weekend.

“Is it done yet?”

“Can we go on it?”

“NOW is it done?”

We bolted it down pretty early in the process, so eventually they started using parts of it while we continued adding accessories.

Once it was finally finished, it was an immediate hit. But the first thing the kids wanted to do surprised me.

It wasn’t the monkey bars. It wasn’t the swing. It wasn’t the punching bag. They wanted pillows and blankets for the treehouse.

About ten kids immediately started turning the different levels into their own little house. They wanted indoor pillows and blankets, which was a hard no from me, so I directed them toward our outdoor couch cushions and the outdoor blankets we keep around for movie nights.

There’s plenty of space for them to spread out, and they immediately divided themselves into rooms, picked roommates, and made their little spaces. They were basically tiny landlords divvying up their new real estate.

A few of the other parents and I just sat in the grass watching them. It was adorable, and it was exactly the kind of neighborhood hangout space we’d hoped this would become.

What Our Kids Love About It

The clubhouse has probably been the biggest surprise, but the physical elements are getting plenty of use too.

Rory and Ellis are constantly climbing all over it. The monkey bars are fantastic, the swing is a huge hit, and they love having different accessories to play with.

And, bonus, the monkey bars are sturdy enough for me to do pull-ups on them! Maybe I can finally take down the pull-up bar in our garage.

We’ve also already put this thing through a pretty serious stress test. We had a ton of kids over for Ellis’s birthday party, and at one point it felt like every child at the party was climbing on the treehouse at the same time.

For the price, I was definitely hoping for something sturdy and made from durable materials. The structure is made of rust-resistant steel, which gives me peace of mind knowing this thing will last outside year-round.

One Thing That Surprised Me: It’s Tall!

I knew the dimensions before we ordered it, but I don’t think I fully appreciated how tall the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse would feel once it was standing in our yard. It’s tall!

When you’re up on the highest level, you can see quite a bit of the neighborhood. It’s actually really cool, but it also means the playset is pretty visible. We can definitely see ours from the street.

That’s not a negative for me, but it’s something I’d consider when deciding where to put yours, especially if you’re working with a smaller city lot like we are.

Is the Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse Worth It?

For us, yes.

There’s no getting around the fact that this is an expensive backyard playset. But one of the biggest reasons we were willing to spend the money was because we wanted something our kids could use for years, rather than another playhouse they’d quickly outgrow.

We already have kids in the neighborhood who are 10, 11, and 12 years old climbing on it and loving it. That makes me feel really good about how long Rory and Ellis will be able to use it.

Right now, they’re turning the treehouse into bedrooms and playing house. They’re climbing, swinging, and doing monkey bars. As they get older, I can see the physical elements continuing to challenge them. I hope they’ll keep using it for years instead of losing interest next summer.

At one point, our kids actually asked us how long we were going to leave the treehouse up.

Finn and I looked at each other like, “Ummm…forever?” After spending three days assembling this thing, it is not going anywhere.

Our Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse Review

We’ve only had our Vuly Quest 2.1 Treehouse for a short time, so I’ll continue to update this post as we live with it through different seasons and see how everything holds up.

But so far, I’m really happy we made the investment. It feels sturdy and high-quality, the kids are constantly using it, and it has already become the neighborhood hangout we envisioned when we started planning this space.

My biggest warning…be prepared for the installation.

Give yourself several days. Have at least two capable adults. Recruit a third person for the big lift. Read every instruction twice. And don’t assume you’re almost finished when you get to the netting.

Oh, and maybe don’t promise your kids it’ll be ready when they get home from school. Trust me on that one.