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

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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).

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.

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.

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.

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 on on 'Add-Ons' on the main navigation bar above.

Driveway Basketball Court

If you have limited backyard space then a driveway basketball court is a great cost effective and convenient option.

Pouring a New Driveway

Below are some of some tips and advantages to thinking about your basketball court when pouring your new driveway.

• 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.
• Take note of windows and other fragile amenities when deciding where to place the basketball goal on the driveway.
• 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.

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.

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.

Backyard Football 10

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