So last month I got this wild idea to build a removable volleyball court in my backyard. Why? Because paying for those fancy sports floors costs an arm and a leg! Figured plywood could work – cheap, sturdy, easy to move around. Total experiment, man.

The Brainstorm Phase

First thing, I sketched like a madman on a pizza box. Needed panels small enough for me to lift, but big enough to cover decent ground. Settled on 4 feet by 8 feet sheets – standard plywood size. Easy.

Let the Cutting Begin

Grabbed my circular saw from the garage – dusty as heck. Measured and marked each 4×8 sheet carefully, praying I wouldn’t mess up angles. Cut four panels out of the first sheet, sweating bullets. Sawdust EVERYWHERE. My neighbor peeked over the fence looking worried.

Reinforce or Bust

Plywood alone? Yeah right. It’d warp faster than a wet noodle. I ripped some 2x4s into shorter pieces – framing for underneath. Laid them out like a grid on each panel’s back, spacing them maybe 18 inches apart. Grabbed my drill and sunk a gazillion 2-inch screws through the plywood into the 2x4s. My wrist still hates me.

Leg Day for the Floor

Panels sitting flat sucked for drainage. Needed legs! Found these adjustable plastic furniture feet at the hardware store – eight per panel. Drilled pilot holes (almost snapped my bit!), screwed one foot near each corner and one midway along each long edge. Used washers to make ‘em extra solid. Stood back – looked like a weird centipede convention.

Sticking ‘Em Together

Here’s the removable part magic. Bought simple strap hinges – two for where the long edges meet another panel. Laid two panels side-by-side, lined ‘em up perfect. Attached hinges to the top faces. WARNING: Hinges gotta fold FLAT or you’ll trip! Tested folding panels up – worked! Repeated this hinge madness for all connecting edges.

Epic (Slightly Janky) Test Run

Slapped all eight panels down in my driveway – roughly 16×16 feet. Instant volleyball zone! Jumped around, tested dives. Floor held, no splinters! Not perfectly smooth – slight bumps where hinges sat, and the legs needed fine-tuning on uneven dirt. Ball bounced pretty true though! Disassembled it in 10 minutes flat. Stacked panels against the shed. Mission mostly accomplished!

Would I Do It Again? Heck yeah.

It ain’t pro-level, but total cost was maybe 1/10th of a real court. Lessons learned:

• Cutting Accuracy Matters: Wonky cuts = gaps. Measure twice, cut once!
• Weatherproofing Sucks: Raw plywood? Big mistake. Next time: SEAL IT! Rain made mine swell a bit.
• Hinges Need Sinking: Might rout shallow slots so hinges sit flush next time.
• Leg Locks: Adjustable feet wobbled. Bolting them solid might help.

It’s rough, it’s loud when you walk on it, but seeing friends spike a ball over a net on my janky plywood palace? Priceless. Go build something!