Last month, my buddies kept complaining our weekend volleyball matches wrecked our garden grass. Got me thinking – why not build a temporary court we can pack away? Started googling like crazy, stumbled on “removable wooden flooring” concepts. Sounds fancy but honestly? It’s just wood planks that click together like giant Lego.

Material Hunt Drama

Went to three hardware stores carrying my tape measure like a weirdo. First place tried selling me waterlogged plywood – uh, no thanks. Second spot quoted insane prices for “sports-grade” timber. Almost gave up till Joe from work mentioned his uncle’s lumberyard. Grabbed 50 crates of these interlocking oak panels marketed for dance floors. Bargained hard – cost me two cases of beer extra for free delivery.

Backyard Prep Chaos

Cleared the space first. Shoveled away rocks and dog toys, then unrolled heavy-duty tarp to protect the grass. Pro tip? Wet the tarp before laying it – stops wind from blowing it around like a sail. My neighbors probably thought I was burying bodies with all that digging.

Assembly Nightmare Phase

Those online tutorials lied. Said “just click and play!” but reality? Me and two friends sweating buckets:

• Leveling issues: Ground looked flat till we laid the first row. Had to scrape dirt for an hour with garden hoes
• Click-lock betrayal: Half the planks refused to snap. Wound up hammering rubber mallets till my palms blistered
• Random rain: Got halfway done when thunder hit. Threw tarps over everything, waited two hours drinking in my garage

Final Court Test

After seven hours cursing? We had a 9×18 meter court. Played three brutal matches – zero splinters, no wobbles even when my clumsy cousin tripped. Best part? Disassembly took 20 minutes. Stacked panels in my shed vertically. Tarp stayed pristine underneath – lawn didn’t even have dents next morning.

Total cost was about half a gym membership. Downside? My DIY-skeptic wife now wants “removable parquet” for her yoga spot. Guess I’m buying more rubber mallets…