Backyard Fun: Building the fort of our backyard playground

As a Backyard Discovery Ambassador, I'm documenting the whole process of building a backyard swingset from the ground up. The company sent me their 2011 Montpelier playset to share my experiences building our family's first ever backyard playset/swingset. This weekend, we got to building the fort...And what a fort it is!
This baby is sweet! The bottom floor will have a sandbox, built-in counter/table and bench. The second story has a bay window, door and porch... plus you can also swing in via monkey bars.
I was excited to get to the fort phase but also a little intimidated. I knew this would be a task and it needs to be almost perfect because it is a structure and my kids will be playing in there.
The parts that are pre-drilled are pretty simple and go quickly, especially because at this point you are familiar with the part names and can find them quickly. But the parts that require pre-drilling as you go are a pain in the you know what, even with my husband helping me for this phase. (I've done about 90% of the construction by myself. I'm quite a do-it-yourselfer, where my husband is not.) I would prefer that every single hole was pre-drilled at the factory. But alas, as it is... you have to settle for about 85% pre-drilled.
I worked on the fort from about 8am to 4pm with a lunch break in there too. Most was done by myself. A few segments needed a second person... but those could have even used a third person for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, pretty easy to tackle solo.
My 5 year old did also help and LOVED it! I had her help me build the bay window and install it (which was so easy!). I was able to get it constructed minus getting the roof attached and building the bench. Then there's putting all the pieces together, anchoring it to the ground and setting it up with the rubber mulch for safety and sand for the sandbox. So there's probably another day of work ahead.
I have to say my hands are sore today - but so worth it! My kiddos are beyond excited as they see me building their playset. I was so proud to have my 3.5 year old say to me, "Mommy, when I'm a mommy I want to build my kids a cool playset like you are making. I'll do the tools and make the fort. Then I will be a good mommy." So sweet!
Stay tuned for updates as we continue to tackle this fun project.