BUDGET BOCCE COURT
by
Bryan Mero
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Bryan Mero on Smashwords
Budget Bocce Court
Copyright © 2011 by Bryan Mero
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
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A note to my family and friends:
To Sarah, my beautiful wife, thank you for letting me build my own bocce court. I've been using my bocce court now since the spring of 2003 and it is still the center of attention whenever we have friends or family over. Bocce has become so popular and I'm very glad to share with you the steps I took to build my own court. Some of the prices may have risen just a bit but I think it is still possible to build your own court for less than $1,000.
Since these are not architectural plans, you may have a few questions. Please contact me through my website at www.ibocce.com and I will do my best to give you the best advice possible. If you're looking for a showpiece or something to put in "Better Homes and Garden", you may want to call a contractor. If you just want to play bocce, then follow my instructions below...
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BUDGET BOCCE COURT
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Do I need my own bocce court?
Bocce is a wonderful sport that everyone can enjoy. Unfortunately, for consistent play one needs an area that is flat and well suited for the game. The only place you will find this is on a bocce court. Bocce courts are not always easy to find in your area. Bocce clubs are not very common and courts are not usually found at your local city park. The resulting trend is the building of home bocce courts.
Most professional contractors will quote close to $10,000 in the construction of a home bocce court. This may be a good deal for those of us not able to physically do the labor or have the know-how in basic construction. Building your own bocce court does not require thousands of dollars. The purpose of this plan is to show you how to build a court for the least amount of money possible. Prices will vary according to the price of lumber and materials in your area.
PERSONAL NOTE: I built mine in California and paid a little less than $650. That’s a far cry from $10,000.
The details given below will describe how I built my own court for a very low dollar amount. The court is 60 feet by 10 feet built with 4x4x10 pressure treated fence posts. Please take the fence posts measurements into account when following the directions. Let’s get started!
So what am I going to need to build my court?
Here is a quick rundown of tools and supplies you will need to start your court.
Tools:
Sledge Hammer
Flat Head Shovel
String and a String Level
Electric Drill and ¾ inch drill bit
Garden Rake
Cement Rake
Measuring Tape
Lawn Roller
Supplies:
(12) 4x4x10 Pressure Treated Fence Posts
(30) 18inch Steel Stakes
(4) Corner Brackets
(10) Straight Brackets
(2-4yds) Masonry Sand
(6) 50lb Bag of Crushed Oyster Shells
(6) 50lb Bag of Oyster Shell Flour
(1) Box of Deck Screws
Most of the material can be found at your local hardware store or contractor’s supply store such as Home Depot or Lowes.
Where should I build my court?
The first and most important step in building your own court is the amount of land necessary. Inspect your property for a piece of land that is at least 60’ long and 10’ wide. This should be the bare minimum for a court but if you short by a few feet (i.e. 50ft x 8ft) then all the same techniques apply. Don’t let a shortage of room stop you from building your own court. If, on the other hand, you have more land available to make this longer and wider than do it. Courts can be as long as 91 feet and 13 feet wide. Of course the most desirable place would be a level piece of ground but this is not always the case. In most cases the ground is not level. First order of business is preparing the base.