The most popular court is not really a court at all. Many people use their driveway as a
basketball court and install a basketball goal on the side
(view basketball goals).
This saves money and space since the concrete has already been poured and it is doubling
as a driveway. If you have room and want a gym-like experience at your house, you might
consider pouring a dedicated basketball court in your backyard. Your court dimensions will
be truer and your court surfacing will play better, look great and be easy on the knees
(view court surfacing packages).
Dedicated Basketball Court
There are many basketball court companies
that provide turn-key solutions. Many people prefer to save money by constructing their own
backyard court. This guide will provide tools, resources and advice for the do it
yourselfer (DIY).
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Figure What Size Court You Want
Use the court dimension page
and the basketball court packages
to decide how large you want to make your new backyard basketball court. There
are a few things to think about when deciding on your court size. First, you'll
want to make sure you leave space beyond boundaries so players do not step off
of the slab. Second, account for the basketball hoop pier footing. Third, if
you want ramps to get up to the court surface you'll need to account for that
as well. Below is a list of court builder applications. Use these tools to
figure out how large to make your slab.
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Concrete
Once you have your dimensions figured out, you'll need to find a local concrete company. Make
sure you give them the basketball goal pier and net post sleeves to install. Also, if you're
putting fencing/gates in, they might need to accommodate for this. If you are a little
ambitious and would like to do the concrete work yourself, we have put together the following
resources to help you along the way.
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Surfacing
Many people do not consider a surfacing material when first looking at setting up their
court. The most popular solution is a modular suspended tile surfacing. These surfaces
have many benefits including better play, great looks and are less stressful on joints.
Learn more about this court surfacing.
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Pick your accessories
The most important accessory is the basketball goal
(view basketball goals).
When building the court, this should be your first concern. Court layout, surfacing,
fencing, ramps, etc are all worthless if you don't get a basketball goal that you are
happy with. You can view bundles which include premium basketball goals and FlexCourt surfacing here.
To learn more about the different accessories you can add to your court such as lighting, fencing, gates, netting, multi game nets, etc click here.
Driveway Basketball Court
If you have limited backyard space then a driveway basketball court is a great cost effective
and convenient option.
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Pouring a New Driveway
Below are some of some tips and advantages to thinking about your basketball court when
pouring your new driveway.
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Your concrete contractor will usually not charge to install the pier when
pouring the concrete for the rest of the driveway. This can save you half
of your basketball goal installation cost. This also makes the installation
look more professional.
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Take note of windows and other fragile amenities when deciding where to
place the basketball goal on the driveway.
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Most people do not realize that the free throw line is 15 feet from the front
of the backboard. If you decide to take advantage of the basketball system's
overhang and butt it up against the driveway you can have up to a 5 foot
(although most are 3-4 feet) overhang (distance from the front of the pole
to the front of the backboard). If you put a hoop on your driveway with a 4
foot extension arm you'll need about 23 feet of depth on the court. If you
want room for a (college/high-school) three point line (men's college 3-point line has changed to 20-9), you'll need about
30 - 32 feet. This will give you enough room to easily shoot from behind the
3-point line and have a good overhang distance.
View court dimension diagrams.
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Using an Existing Driveway
If you are going to use your existing driveway you're going to want to maximize your playing
area with what you have. Most shots are taken from around the free throw line. Take a look
at the basketball court dimensions
to figure out how you can maximize your playing area. Remeber to take the overhang
distance (distance from the baseline to the front of the backboard) into account when
measuring your court.
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DIY Tools
If your driveway is large enough, you might consider surfacing it with modular suspended
tiles (view packages).
These tiles are durable and will not be damaged by car traffic
(learn more about suspended modular tiles).
If you purchase a package they will come
pre-striped for you to ensure accurate and crisp striping unlike some stencil solutions.
You can also hire a professional to tripe your court with paint. They will usually use
a die that will soak into your concrete to ensure durability and lasting beauty. The
last option is a DIY court stencil kit.
Basketball Court Stencils
For those of you ambitious do it yourselfers out there. We have put together a
description for you on how to create a college 3-point line without the aid of any
stencils. You'll need a piece of chalk, a roll of masking tape, a roll of string,
a plumb bob, a ladder and a tape measure.
Attach a piece of string to a plumb bob. Climb your ladder and drop the plumb bob
with the string attached to it into the center of the basket. Wait for the plumb
bob to come to a full stop. Have your partner make a mark on the court where the
plumb bob comes to a rest. Attach a piece of chalk to the end of your roll of
string. Measure 19' 9" from the chalk to the end of the string. Tape the end of
the string opposite from the chalk to the plumb bob mark. Now take the taped end
up from the floor and cut off 2" and repeat the above process. Walk towards the
center of the court and draw and arc that reaches from baseline to baseline. On
either side of the arch that meets the baseline take your tape measure and measure
a straight line out 5' 3" and draw a small line that intersects the arc at this
point. From the intersection point make a straight line from this point to the
baseline of the court (it's best to use a straight edge like a 6' 2X4 piece of wood
to draw this line. Do this on both the inside and outside potions of the arc. At
this time run your masking tape along the outside edge of the arc and the inside edge
of the arc. Now paint between the taped stencil to complete your three point line.
