Backyard sport court, turf, etc

[letsgobobby]

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[livesoft]

I know someone who put a hockey rink in their backyard. Unfortunately, they put up lights, too. The lights were about 6 inches too high for the residential building code and they were forced to take them down. The neighbors also complained about all the noise at night.

Basically, your neighbors will hate you if you go through with your plan.

[lthenderson]

I'm looking for something more modest. The grass is just too soft and wet much of the year here and the ground not even enough for quality soccer.

I think you need to remove the grass, tamp the soil using one of those rental vibrational packers you can rent at your local big box store and then either plant new grass or resod the area. If you get lots of rain during the year, you might want to slightly crown the field so that it drains off to the side. This is what they do to the large soccer fields around here but using much bigger tamping tools and installing drainage systems.

[letsgobobby]

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[livesoft]

Oooh. Lights are a great idea. Thanks!

[corysold]

You can probably find used fieldturf online or on your local Craigslist.

The bigger thing will be to figure out the drainage issue. Just tamping the soil and laying turf might work, but it will probably just end up with puddles on the turf, or it will become uneven as you play on wet soil underneath.

You'll want to excavate down enough to put some draintile, drainage stone, finishing stone, than your infill, which is usually rubber pellets. On top is your turf and the rest of the infill on top, which sifts down into the "grass" part of the turf. Maybe 12" would work, something around that depth.

That is where all the cost is, but it is the best way to do it for long term success.

[Glockenspiel]

I know someone who put a hockey rink in their backyard. Unfortunately, they put up lights, too. The lights were about 6 inches too high for the residential building code and they were forced to take them down. The neighbors also complained about all the noise at night.

Basically, your neighbors will hate you if you go through with your plan.

I live in Minnesota and every winter, in nearly every suburban neighborhood, people will make homemade hockey rinks. Many will also add a couple of “garage-type” work lights to it. No one has any problem with it.

[forgeblast]

There are places out there (I saw on craigslist near philly) that sell used astroturf for pretty cheap.
I am thinking that what you need to do is address the drainage, why is it damp. Do the gutters drain there, if so put in some 4'' perforated pipe and direct the water away from that area.
You could do a base like a paver stone patio. Dig down 6-8'' put in Modified (its 2'' rock with dust) pack and pack. Then put a 1'' layer of sand (we did this with pavers, not sure if you would need that much with the turf), packed again and done. This give you a nice sturdy base. But if its damp, you need to address where the water is coming from otherwise you will have a mud pit.

[letsgobobby]

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[Epsilon Delta]

Are you committed to an artificial surface?

If you fix the drainage and even the surface rain wet grass should be perfectly serviceable, nicer to play on and easier to disguise as a "lawn" if the neighbors complain or you sell the house. The main reason to use artificial surfaces is for very heavy use, since you can only use grass so many hours a week, since it needs time to grow.

[letsgobobby]

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[White Coat Investor]

I know someone who put a hockey rink in their backyard. Unfortunately, they put up lights, too. The lights were about 6 inches too high for the residential building code and they were forced to take them down. The neighbors also complained about all the noise at night.

Basically, your neighbors will hate you if you go through with your plan.

Get off my lawn!

[bengal22]

Jarts can be very played on almost any backyard surface. Sets are cheap.