Make a Backyard Sand Volleyball Court
Beach volleyball has exploded as a sport over the past twenty years. With cool people sporting great tans and having stick skills, what's not to like? If you love the game, but live hours from the beach, don't fret. Building a backyard beach volleyball court is a lot easier than you think. Here's how!
Instructions
1. Scout a location. In your backyard find a large flat area. A volleyball court has dimensions of 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. Many American yards can accommodate that space, but if your yard cannot, just shrink it proportionally. Use your tape measure to find the general size.
2. Mark the dimensions of the court. Using spray paint and your tape measure, draw the outline of your court in your backyard.
3. Remove rocks and obstructions. Remove rocks, stumps, small wild plants or any potential obstruction from your beach volleyball court site.
4. Turn the soil. With the big obstacles out of the way, remove the top layer of grass and turn the soil using a shovel. Discard the grass in a wheel barrel and dump in the woods, place in a compost pile or the appropriate trash container for your city.
5. Rake the soil. Remove additional rocks or debris through a solid raking.
6. Ram the soil. Using a steamroller or rammer that you can rent at your local hardware store, ram or steamroll the area that will become your beach volleyball court.
7. Install edging. This can also be purchased at your local hardware store. Buy the plastic variety as this will serve as the barrier around the court. You want it to be malleable in case someone accidentally falls on it. The edging can be installed usually by simply pushing into the freshly tilled soil. If you are having trouble, use a hoe or flat shovel for assistance.
8. Buy beach sand. Go to safesand.com and purchase your sand from them. They have been written up in the New York Times and other publications as the safest sand you can buy in America. It is not made of quartz, as many are, and does not have dangerous additive packets that help keep the soil dry. If those packets break and a person inhales their contents on a diving play, it can be toxic. The point is, don't skimp on the sand and make sure it is safe. Here's the whopper. You will probably need 6000 lbs of sand for your regulation volleyball court. This will most likely cost you a few thousand dollars. But remember, once it's in, it's in for a long time. And you won't have to mow that part of the yard!
9. Spread sand. Spread the sand evenly in your playing area. Shovels, rakes and hoes will greatly aid you in this step.
10. Purchase a net. Volleyball nets can be purchased on the Internet or at your local sporting goods store.
11. Place your volleyball net. Most volleyball nets are placed into the ground with tacks or stakes. If you want to get fancy, purchase a professional net. For those nets, you will need to dig a hole and cement the net into the ground. This can be easily done with a shovel, bag of cement, wheel barrel and water. Mix the cement in your wheel barrel by adding water. Place the post in the pre-dug hole and surround it with cement. Let the pole set for two days under dry conditions before attaching the net.
12. Pump up the ball and play! Invite people over, crack a few beers and play. It's a great excuse to wear a bathing suit even if you live five hours from the beach!
