Average Cost to Build an Outside Basketball Court
If you are an avid basketball fan, you may consider building a basketball court in your backyard. It may be a long term dream or goal of yours to build one. It does not matter if you are just dreaming about it, or have begun to set money aside to build a basketball court, it is important to understand the costs. The cost of building an outside basketball list could quickly get out of control, if you do not manage it properly.
Before you begin to build your dream, you must know the cost to build an outside basketball court. You have to start with planning out your basketball court to gain a better understanding of the cost. Continue reading to find out what is needed for an outside basketball court.
There is a simple answer to how much does it cost to build an outside basketball court. There is, of course, a more complicated answer. In an effort to make sure you have all of the information that you need, I am going to give you both. The simple answer is an outdoor basketball court can cost you anywhere from $11,000 to $76,000 with the average cost being $35,000.
That comes out to be about $3.50 to $17 per square foot. A standard full-size basketball court runs 94 feet by 50 feet (4,700 square feet). For those that do not have space or money for a full-size, you can build a half size court. A half-size court is 47 feet by 50 feet (2,350 square feet), which can run from $8,600 to $38,000. If that is still too large, there is a 30 feet by 30 feet (900 square feet) option. This comes with a much lower cost of $3,300 to $15,000.
When considering a full-size court, there are some standard sizes:
The NBA full-size court is 97 feet by 50 feet and comes with an average cost of $46,000.
A full-size high school court is 84 feet by 50 feet and has an average cost of $41,500.
The Junior High court is 74 feet by 42 feet and has an average cost of $31,000.
If you are considering a half-court size, they also have some standard sizes:
The NBA half-size court is 47 feet by 50 feet and comes with an average cost of $23,000.
A half-size high school court is 42 feet by 50 feet and has an average cost of $21,000.
The Junior High court is 37 feet by 42 feet and has an average cost of $15,500.
There is another half-size court option which is the 3 on 3 court at 30 feet by 30 feet, with an average cost of $9,000.
What Are the Options And Costs For the Base?
There are many options, probably more than you even realize, for the base of an outdoor basketball court. I am sure you realize that those options change the cost to build an outside basketball court. I want to dig into the options for the base and the subsequent costs of those different bases.
Blacktop Surface
It is a fan favorite for homeowners. It is easy to care for and is not impacted by extreme temperatures. If you are considering installing asphalt, you should consider that you need gravel, leveling, excavation, a base, and a topcoat. The cost of asphalt runs around $3 to $4 per square foot(includes material and labor), which equals between $14,000 to $18,000 for a full court.
Snapping Tiles
They are exactly what they sound like they are which is tiles that snap into place and create a grid. These types of bases are easy and quick to install. These tend to provide a softer place to land, so there are less injuries. However, you still need concrete or some other base underneath of the snapping tiles.
This type of base costs $3,5 to $4,5 for pre-painted tiles per square foot. That brings you a total of $17,000 to $22,000 for a full-court and $3,200 to $4,100 for a 3 on 3 court. Keep in mind, these prices are for the base only. There are some other alternative base options. You could consider a portable base as an alternative to a permanent base.
What Are the Other Costs I Should Consider?
There are other items that add to the cost to build an outside basketball court and you should be aware of them when you are considering building one.
When you want to build an outside basketball court you must level the ground on which you want to build. You must have a level surface in any place where you want to build any type of playing surface. If the ground is not level, you will need to either level it yourself or hire someone else to do it for you. You might even have to adjust the slope of the ground where you plan to build a basketball court. It will cost about $3,000 to have the ground leveled before you can begin doing any other work.
You may need to pour a concrete slab on which you want to build the actual basketball net. The cost of a concrete slab costs between $4.34 and $7.73 per square foot. So, a concrete slab for a half basketball court may cost up to $18,800.
After the concrete slab or other base coat is poured, you need to cover it with the actual material for the basketball court. The most basic one is a polypropylene tile, which are each, one square foot and cost around $4 per tile. To cover the area for a half basketball court, it would cost around $9,000.
Arguably one of the most important pieces to an outdoor basketball court is the basketball hoop. Of course, the cost of the hoop depends on how big you want the backboard and hoop extension. This can run you anywhere from $1,000 to $1,750. It will cost you about $300 to paint the game lines on top of the tiles.
How Can I Save Money When Building an Outside Court?
If you did not know before you read this article, you know now that the cost to build an outside basketball court is fairly high. That would explain why you do not see many of them in people's backyards. However, if it is important to you, there are ways that you can reduce the cost to make it a little more affordable. You can do the construction yourself. If you do not think you can do all of it yourself, you could do some of it.
Do Whatever You Can by Yourself
Any amount of the work that you can do yourself will cut down on the cost of the basketball court. Pouring the concrete pad is a large expense and most of that is labor costs. If you do not think you can pour concrete, perhaps you can put the tiles down or paint the lines. However, if you plan to do this work yourself, I recommend that you make sure you really know what you are doing.
Compare the Prices of Contractors
If you do not think you can do the installation yourself, then you should shop around for the best price. There are many different contractors available that can do this work for you. When comparing contractors, make sure you compare many of them. You should get references and verify the quality of their work. A cheaper price does not mean you are getting a better deal. You may end up paying more in the long run.
Meet The Billry Store
Negotiate and Save On Bills!
How Can I Save More Money For My Basketball Court?
So, you have created a budget and you found that like most of us, you spend more money than you should. You also know the cost to build an outside basketball court and you realize that you cannot save the money and continue to spend the way you do. What do you do? There are a number of ways to save more money.
Cut the Unnecessary Purchases
You can learn how to reduce your spending. The fastest way to determine where to reduce spending is to decide what is important. Take a look at all the places you spend money in your budget. There are some items you cannot cut out, such as rent or mortgage. You also need food, but do you need to spend money on food the way you do? How often are you eating out and can you reduce it?
I would suggest you start by reducing the amount you eat out by half and immediately put that money into your savings. Take a look at how much that adds to your savings and then you can determine if you want to cut even more spending. You soon decide what is more important to you. Every time you eat out, you think about, do I really want to eat dinner out or do I want to put that money in my savings account?
Once you create a budget and see where you really spend money, it becomes clearer to you what is most important to you. Maybe eating out is most important and that is fine. There is no judgment here. The difference is you are deciding that it is important instead of mindlessly spending money on it. You have now put yourself in control.
open a savings account
There’s simply no better way to save money than open a savings account. Why? It’s pretty simple. Once you apply everything you learn on Billry about dealing with your personal bills, you will need a place to put all that extra money you saved. This way you cannot accidentaly spend it, and it works for you at the same time.
Can I Use a Credit Card To Pay For My Basketball Court?
You can use a credit card to cover the cost to build an outside basketball court. There are some items you should consider before you use a credit card to make this purchase. I mentioned earlier that the average cost of an outdoor basketball court is $35,000. That means you could potentially be putting $35,000 on your credit card.
The first point to consider is do you have that much available on your credit card to make that purchase? Another point to consider is are you able to pay off your credit card in 30 days? If not, you have to pay interest charges on that amount until you are able to pay it off. If you found a credit card that has a promotional offer of 0 percent interest for a specified amount of time, then using a credit card may not be a bad option. This means that you do not have to pay any interest during the promotional period.
If you are able to pay off the credit card timely, you do not pay any interest. That is truly the best way to use a credit card for building a basketball court in your backyard.
Should I Finance My Outdoor Basketball Court?
Another option to cover the cost to build an outside basketball court is to finance it. There are many companies that offer financing to build an outdoor basketball court. When you finance through the company that is building the basketball court for you, it allows you to have the basketball court built for you while you are able to make payments later. If you opt to finance, you do not have to worry about blowing your credit card out of the water with such a high purchase. The financing options tend to be better than the percentage rate you are probably going to get from your credit card.
If you finance your basketball court, you are leaving your credit card balance available for use for other items, as you need them. Taking advantage of the financing options gives you a set amount that you have to pay each month to have the balance paid off in a certain amount of time. If you use your credit card, you are not guaranteed to have it paid off in time. You also are not guaranteed that the payment amount will remain the same. As interest is added to your credit card, your payment amount may increase.
Should I Create A Budget?
I would always recommend that you create a budget for yourself. Not only to cover the cost to build an outside basketball court but just in general. Having a budget for yourself is the best way to keep track of bills and payments. If you want to do something such as create a savings account for an item like a basketball court, you cannot effectively do that without knowing how much money you spend during any given day. I know many of us do not enjoy the thought of creating a budget, but it really is an important step for you to take.
Far too often, we rely on credit cards to make purchases or take out loans. Often, if you had a budget and stuck to it, you might not need to use a credit card. Would it not be great to never have to use a credit card because you had the money to purchase what you wanted, including an outdoor basketball court? It is possible if you create a budget and begin to decide what is important. Saving money and getting out of debt should always be a priority to you. With the help of a solid budget, you can do those things and save money for a basketball court.
Conclusion
I may have rained on your parade a little here by telling you the cost to build an outside basketball court. Now that you know the cost to build an outside basketball court, it may always remain a dream. But, it may not. If you work on saving money and reducing the cost of the basketball court by doing some of your own work, you may be able to purchase one. If it is important to you, you can make it happen.