So last month the wife kept naggin’ about how the kids need outdoor time, yeah? Got me thinkin’ – why not build a sport court in the backyard? Seemed simple enough at first. Gonna save bucks doin’ it myself, right? Wrong. Buckle up.
The “How Hard Can It Be?” Phase
Started diggin’ into what we actually needed. Googled stuff late at night, you know how it is. First shocker? The dang surface types. Wanted nice rubber flooring for basketball. Yeah, nice dream. Quotes I saw online were crazy. Called three local suppliers anyway. One guy flat out laughed when I said my budget was 5k.
Here’s what I jotted down after those calls:
- Concrete pad base: HAD to have this. No shortcuts.
- Gravel layer underneath? Way more than I thought.
- Actual court tiles or pour-in-place rubber? My wallet cried.
- Fencing? Oh yeah, balls fly everywhere.
- Paint lines, hoops, net… adds up fast.
Playing Detective with Costs
No way was I payin’ some company’s giant markup. Decided to piece it out myself. Spent two weekends drivin’ around:
- Gravel place near the highway: Cheapest, but felt like bloody pebbles cost more than steak.
- Concrete mixer rental: Almost fell over. Gotta pour FAST with those guys.
- Court tiles supplier warehouse: Nearly broke my back carryin’ one sample piece. Heavy stuff.
- Fencing guy Craig from marketplace: Sketchy but cheap.
Every receipt piled up on the kitchen counter. Wife side-eyein’ me harder each day. “Thought this was gonna be affordable?” Ouch.
The Backbreaking Reality
D-Day. Rented a mini excavator to dig out 30×15 feet. Mud everywhere. Kids thought it was awesome, I was sweatier than a pig.
First mistake: Forgot about drainage slope. Had to redo one whole section after the first rain pooled up. Cussed a lot. Leveling gravel took forever – rented a compactor that vibrated my teeth loose.
Pouring concrete was pure chaos. Mixer truck showed up way early, neighbor’s kid “helped” and stepped in the wet cement. Permanent tiny footprints in my court now. Let it dry a full week, stressin’ the whole time.
Finally got the modular tiles down. Like giant, sweaty puzzle pieces. Back hasn’t been the same since. Mounting the hoop? Needed three beers just to handle the instructions.
The Sticker Shock Finale
Sat down with all the receipts. Deep breaths.
- Materials (gravel, concrete mix, tiles, fencing): Blown past initial estimates – $6,200
- Tool rentals (excavator, compactor, mixer): $850
- Random junk (pegs, glue, 100 trips to hardware store): ~$300
- New back brace from Costco: $45
Total damage? Roughly $7,400. Coulda hired someone? Probably. Saved maybe $3k doin’ it myself, but lost weeks of weekends and sanity. Kids love it though. Worth it? Ask me again when my spine recovers. Lessons learned? Measure ten times, budget double what you think, and maybe… just maybe… pay somebody next time.
