Required Materials

• 40 pieces of 1-½” PVC pipe (24 pieces of 5’, 16 pieces of 6-7’)
• 4 1-½” 3 way PVC elbow connectors
• 8 1-½” 4 way PVC connectors
• 4 1-½” 5 way PVC connectors
• PVC cement
• 48 metal eye hooks with nut 5” length ⅜” diameter
• 14” diameter playground/9 Square ball

(Yes, they make 9 square balls, but you can pick up one that is just as good at 5 Below or some other discount store for cheaper.)

Recommended Materials

• Spray paint (why not make it look pretty)
• 7’x3’ bag (to store your poles when you decide to take apart the structure)
• Tools
• Drill with 5/16 bit
• Some sort of saw to cut the PVC (we used hand saws)

Process

• Cut PVC down to size if needed
• Assemble a 3x3 grid out of the connectors and 5’ lengths of pipe
• Drill a hole through every end of the connector except for the end that is not connected to a piece of pipe (these holes will be what the eye hooks go through to secure the structure together)
• After drilling the holes go around and number each end of a pipe to a connector. This is to make sure that when you are putting together the structure together later the holes you drilled match up
• Take 6’ poles and glue it in the side of connectors that don’t have a hole drilled into them (this might require disassembling the structure)
• Lastly secure the top of the 9 Square structure by putting the eye hooks through the connectors and poles.

It is helpful to have a bag to store this for inclement weather or for winter. You can always buy a bag, but to save money you can make your own bag. I used old chicken feed bags, and had someone stitch them together to make a 3’x7’ bag. If you do choose to make your own bag it is important to use a heavier material like canvas, burlap, denim, or the feed bags like I used. You will also need to do slightly more intricate stitching, with a heavy duty thread. This will require a heavy duty sewing machine, or it is possible to sew it by hand but it will take a lot more work. I would recommend adding a handle to your bag but it isn’t necessary.

Material For The Bag

• 6 feed bags
• Really all you need are 2 strips of 3’x7’ of whatever material you chose
• Upholstery thread
• Duct tape

Process For The Bag

• Sew 3 3’x2’ feed bags, long sides (this will make the 2 bigger strips of material)
• With the right sides together sew bottom, and long sides (use 2 seams to make it stronger)
• Turn the bag right side out
• Attach strap by sewing a loop, that will go around the bag, on one side of the bag