Backyard Sports Court Excavation Done Right

We're breaking ground on a combo pickleball and basketball court in this backyard. And before a single bag of concrete gets mixed, the groundwork has to be done right. That starts with excavation.

A lot of people don't think much about what's underneath a concrete slab. But the base is everything. If the ground isn't properly excavated, you end up with a slab that shifts, cracks, or drains water in the wrong direction. None of that works on a sports court.

Here's what precise excavation actually gets you - room for the right depth of compactible base material, proper placement of rebar for structural integrity, and a surface that can be poured perfectly square with the correct slope for drainage. Skip any of that and you're paying to fix it later.

You can also see the existing boulder retaining wall along the back edge of the yard. That hardscaping is part of what makes this backyard buildable - it's holding the grade and giving us a stable boundary to work within. Good hardscaping and a well-built sports court go hand in hand.

The Bobcat is doing the heavy lifting right now, but the real work is in the planning and precision that guides every pass. Getting the excavation dialed in at this stage sets up everything that comes after it.