The Idea and Materials

So, I got this wild idea last month. The local kids needed a volleyball court that wasn’t just muddy dirt. Something solid, but also something that couldn’t stay forever, you know? Needed to be removable. Like, pack it up and go.

Decided on wood. Felt good, sturdy. Went hunting around town. Found some decent pressure-treated planks that wouldn’t just rot away after one season. Grabbed a bunch of those. Picked up screws too – lots and lots of long screws, washers, nuts. Figured bolts might be overkill, honestly. Also grabbed some thick plastic sheeting, thought it might help stop weeds coming through the cracks. Smart? Maybe. Cheap? Yep.

Figuring Out This “Engineer” Bit

Alright, “engineer” sounds fancy. But really, I was just trying to make sections that locked together easy, then came apart easy too. Standing in the garage, sketching on some scrap cardboard like a madman. Drew these rectangles, kinda like big tiles. Idea was each piece would be its own little floor island.

• Frame First: For each tile, I started building a frame. Measured twice (sometimes thrice!), cut the planks to size. Took forever with the saw, arms were killing me.
• Joists Inside: Put some shorter planks running inside the frame, like ribs. Screwed them in nice and tight. Didn’t want any wobble when people jumped.
• The Decking: Cut and placed the top planks sideways across the frame and joists. Left little gaps between each plank so rain wouldn’t pool. Screwed them down hard.

So now I had these wooden squares. Pretty hefty. Lifted one, thought, “Yep, definitely getting a workout.”

The Connection Game

This was the tricky bit. How to hook them together so they don’t slide apart when someone dives for the ball? Also how to make it removable?

Stared at the sides of my finished sections. Had an idea: flanges! Basically, metal straps with holes in them. Bolted one flush to the long side of a section, sticking out a bit.

• Made the next section.
• Bolted a matching flange to that one too, but positioned so the sticking-out parts would overlap when the sections were pushed together.
• Put a big fat bolt straight through both sets of holes where they overlapped, cinched it down with a washer and nut.

Boom! Locked together. Solid. No wiggle. To take it apart? Just undo the big bolt on each connecting point. Simple as that. Felt like a genius, honestly.

Building the Whole Thing

Measured out the space where the court was going. Cleared it as best I could, flattened some bumps. Laid down that thick plastic sheeting I mentioned – hoped it would stop weeds, keep things drier underneath.

Started placing my wooden tiles. Lined them up, side by side.

• Slide section A next to section B.
• Make sure the flanges overlapped properly.
• Push the bolt through the holes.
• Wrench the nut tight.
• Wipe sweat off my face. Repeat.

Kept going until the whole court area was covered. Ended up with a decent-sized playing surface. Stood at the edge looking at it. It looked real.

Test Run and Final Thoughts

Got the neighbors’ kids over. Told them to go nuts, bounce around, serve hard. Watched them run and jump on it.

Nothing broke. No scary creaks, no bolts popping loose. The surface stayed pretty level, no trip hazards. Felt incredibly good seeing it actually work like it was supposed to.

The “removable” part? After the test, we undid all the big connection bolts. Sections came apart easy. Two people could lift each tile section and stack them in the corner for winter. Plastic got rolled up.

Was it perfect? Nah. Needed way more wood than I thought at first, hurt the wallet some. Lifting those sections ain’t for the faint of heart. Still, it works. Kids got their court. Feels solid. Feels temporary. Job done.