The Idea Hit Me Hard
Right, so this whole thing started because my kid and his friends wanted a place to shoot hoops and kick a ball around without trekking across town. Our backyard’s decent sized, mostly just grass doing nothing useful. Figured, why not build them a proper multi-sport court? Seemed straightforward enough. I mean, how hard could it be, right? Famous last words.
Naive Planning Phase
First thing I did was hop online. Typed in “multi sport court cost”. Boy, was that a wake-up call. Pages threw numbers at me like confetti. Some folks claimed they did it cheap for a couple of grand. Others talked about dropping $25k+ like it was nothing. Started sweating a bit. Decided I needed concrete numbers for my yard.
Grabbed the tape measure. Walked outside. Paced it off. Roughly wanted a space for basketball half-court on one end and maybe a small soccer goal area on the other. Needed room around the edges too. Came out to roughly 40 feet by 60 feet. Seemed reasonable.
Calling in the Cavalry (Well, Contractors)
Knew I couldn’t wing this solo. Called a few local companies that build these things. Set up visits. The contractors arrived, looked at the yard, kicked the dirt, made thoughtful noises. One guy pointed out a slight slope I hadn’t even registered. Another mentioned drainage – apparently, if you just slab over everything, you get a giant puddle. Great. More complications.
Got the quotes back.
- Quote 1: Base gravel layer, drainage pipes, concrete pad, basic painted lines for basketball. $18,500.
- Quote 2: Similar setup, but promised thicker concrete, included basic fencing around part of it. $21,200.
- Quote 3: Almost choked. Wanted to install some fancy modular sports tiles system on top of the concrete. $32,800. Yeah, no.
Had a strong drink after reading those emails. $20k just wasn’t happening.
The “I Can Do This Cheaper” Delusion
Right, so professional install was out. My inner DIYer kicked in hard. How much could the materials actually cost? Started digging again, literally and figuratively.
Rented a mini excavator for the weekend (cost: $275). Got help from a buddy who owed me a favor. We started digging out the marked area. Aimed for about 8 inches deep. My arms and back argued violently by day two. Took us way longer than planned. Hit some giant roots – swear they were trying to fight back.
Next step was drainage. Got quotes for crushed gravel. Needed a LOT. Like, truckloads. Found a local supplier. Ordered the gravel ($1200 delivered). Took another weekend to spread it, compact it using a rented plate compactor ($75). Looked like a moonscape.
Concrete was the monster. Called ready-mix companies. Needed 20 cubic yards poured ASAP once it arrived. Timing was terrifying. Had to have friends and family ready with tools. Cost for that much concrete? Nearly $3000. The pouring day was chaos. Sweating buckets, spreading fast. Nearly ran out of time. Finished exhausted but weirdly proud. Slapped on some curing compound.
The Final Stretch (And More Costs)
After weeks of letting the concrete cure, I could finally paint. Bought court paint, stencils, tape. More money ($400+). My painting skills are… not professional. The lines aren’t perfectly straight. The kids don’t seem to care, thankfully.
Still needed a hoop! Decided against digging a post hole for a permanent one (too much risk after all that concrete). Got a decent freestanding one ($350). Heavy sucker.
The Grand (Financial) Tally & Lessons Learned
Here’s the ugly breakdown:
- Rental Equipment: $350
- Gravel/Drainage Materials: $1200
- Concrete & Delivery: $2950
- Finishing Supplies/Paint: $450
- Basketball System: $350
- Soccer Goal (cheap one): $150
- TOTAL (Gulp): ~$5450
And the work? Months of weekends, countless hours of physical torture, a few arguments with the spouse about the mess/dust, and a newfound respect for concrete finishers.
Was it worth it? Yeah, seeing the kids and their friends using it constantly is awesome. Pure joy. Would I do it again exactly like this? Hell no. It was back-breaking and stressful. That slope did cause a minor puddle issue after heavy rain – why didn’t I listen? Next time, I’d absolutely factor in professional site prep. The DIY concrete pour was the scariest, most exhausting bit. Maybe pay for that part. Or win the lottery.
