Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea for a basketball court in my backyard. I didn’t want to go full concrete, and I wanted something that looked, well, cool. I stumbled across this idea of using LVL timber – you know, that Laminated Veneer Lumber stuff – as a kind of “sleeper” system. So, here’s how I went about it.

Getting Started and Laying the Foundation

First, I cleared the area where I wanted the court. This was the boring part – pulling weeds, moving rocks, making sure it was all relatively level. I didn’t go crazy with making it perfectly flat, just enough so it wouldn’t be totally wonky.

Next, I dug some shallow trenches. These are where the LVL “sleepers” would go. The idea is that these timbers will support the playing surface. I spaced them out evenly, making sure they were parallel. Think of it like laying down the tracks for a train, but for a basketball court!

Building the LVL Sleeper System

Then, I got my hands on some LVL timber. I went to the local lumber yard and picked out pieces that were straight and looked pretty sturdy. I didn’t want anything warped or cracked.

I laid the LVL timbers into the trenches I dug. I made sure they were sitting nice and snug. I used a level to check things as I went, making minor adjustments by adding or removing a bit of soil underneath.

• Cut some smaller LVL pieces to act as cross-braces.
• Screwed these braces to the main sleepers. This made the whole structure a lot more rigid and less likely to shift around.

Prepping for the Surface

With the sleeper system in place, I dumped a layer of compacted gravel over the whole area. This helps with drainage and provides a solid base for the playing surface. I used a hand tamper to really pack it down – good workout, let me tell you!

After the gravel, I rolled out a layer of weed barrier fabric. This is just to prevent any pesky weeds from poking through the court later on. I overlapped the edges and secured it with some landscape staples.

Final Result

My LVL sleeper timber, now it’s ready for playing surface, looking forward to it.

It’s solid, it looks great, and it’s got that unique, slightly industrial vibe I was going for. Plus, I did it all myself! It’s not perfect, but it’s mine, and that’s what counts, right?