Backyard Basketball & Multi-Sport Court

This backyard build in Calgary is a good example of what goes into a multi-sport court before it ever gets played on. The homeowners wanted a single slab that could handle basketball and backyard hockey, in a yard that sees full Alberta winters — which meant the work that matters most happens before a single tile goes down.

The Challenge

A multi-sport court has to survive Calgary's freeze-thaw cycles without heaving, cracking, or shifting out of level — while also holding a true, flat surface for basketball play and standing up to the impact of backyard hockey. That starts with the ground underneath, not the surface on top. Getting the sub-base, drainage, and reinforcement right the first time is what determines whether a court like this lasts one winter or twenty.

The Solution

Our crew excavated and compacted the sub-base, then laid a full steel rebar reinforcement grid over a poly vapor barrier — visible in the "before" photo above — to control moisture and reinforce the slab against Alberta's freeze-thaw movement before the concrete pour. Once the slab was poured and cured, we finished the court with modular multi-sport surfacing tile and installed a basketball hoop and hockey net, giving the family a single court built for both sports.

The Result

A finished backyard court, engineered from the ground up rather than just surfaced over top of it — ready for basketball and hockey, and built to hold up through Calgary winters for years to come.