Let me tell ya about building this dang rubber basketball court in my backyard. Woke up last Tuesday thinking “why not?” cause my kid kept bugging me for a hoop. Ordered a DIY kit online, showed up Friday in a million pieces. Heavy as heck boxes too.

So Here’s What Went Down

First, I cleared out the old grass patch where my wife used to plant tomatoes. Sorry honey. Dug down about six inches with a crappy shovel I found in the shed. Took me all dang Saturday morning just for that hole. Arms felt like jelly afterwards.

Bottom layer madness started Sunday:

• Dumped all that crushed stone into the pit. Rocks everywhere. My boots looked like they mined coal.
• Beat that stone flat with a rented compactor. Thing shook my teeth loose. Neighbor came over asking if I was building a bomb shelter.
• Slapped down some fancy waterproof liner stuff. Like giant blue tarp, but pricier.

Monday was rubber tile day. Those thick black squares smelled like old tires mixed with chemicals. Made my garage stink for days. Had to shove them tight together over the liner. Knees were killing me from crawling around pressing edges together. Forgot kneepads – big mistake.

Then Came The Wood Part

Wednesday they delivered the birch panels. Pretty wood, sure. Thought I was stacking Ikea furniture again. Followed the useless cartoon instructions first – got totally flipped around when corner pieces refused to line up. Threw those papers across the yard.

Changed gears:

• Gave up on the manual, started dry-fitting planks like giant puzzle pieces.
• Drilled pilot holes like my buddy suggested. Wood didn’t crack – small victory!
• Screwed each piece down using those star-shaped fasteners. Wrist cramped after fifty screws.
• Trimmed wonky edges with a jigsaw. Blade screamed like a banshee.

Two major facepalm moments: First, realized I was missing corner connectors halfway through. Drove all the way back to the hardware store cussing at red lights. Second, almost glued the last planks UPSIDE DOWN before my kid yelled “Dad the letters are backwards!”

Finally Done… Sorta

Hit it with rubber sealant yesterday. Sticky mess got on my jeans – gonna need turpentine baths later. Swept it off this morning and bounced a ball. That sweet “thump thump” sound almost made up for the blisters. Kid came running out barefoot, left sticky footprints everywhere. Gotta redo one section tonight cause the dog peed on it. Story of my dang life.