Basketball Court Contractor in Riverton, UT
Riverton sits on clay, and clay moves — it swells as it takes on water and drops again as it dries, and frost makes it worse every winter. A court on top of it moves with it until it cracks. There are three ways to build against that, and which one is right depends on your site.
The three ways to protect against freeze-thaw
Build the court up with drainable base material, so the slab sits above the clay rather than on it.
Or dig deep and fill with drainable base material, so there is depth of stable material between the clay and the concrete.
Or build a drainage swale running to the bottom of the slope, deep enough to give water somewhere to go and keep it away from the base.
All three work. They protect against the same thing — water reaching clay that then swells when it freezes — and the right one is decided by the slope, the space and where water already goes on your property.
Depth is the part you cannot see
Foundations for courts here need to be dug deeper than you might expect, with extra base material under them, and deep enough to get below where frost reaches.
None of it is visible in the finished court. That is rather the point of paying for it, and it is what separates a court that is still flat in ten years from one that is not.
What goes on top
A light grey surround with navy zones and a grass green non-volley zone, white lines for pickleball and a full basketball key, is a specification that suits a court used for both.
Equipment is worth a conversation: a Dominator hoop is good value, and Douglas posts are a step up in the netting hardware.
Our work in Riverton
Riverton Multi-Sport Court
They wanted a court that would still be a court in ten years. In this ground that means going deeper than you strictly have to. Riverton sits on clay, and clay moves — it swells as it takes on water and drops again as it dries, and a slab laid on top of it moves with it until it cracks. Frost makes the same thing worse over a winter. So the foundation goes deep enough to get below where frost reaches, with extra base material under it, giving the slab something stable to sit on instead of ground that is going to shift under it. None of that is visible in the finished court. That is rather the point of paying for it. Above ground: a light grey surround with navy zones and a grass green kitchen, white lines for pickleball and a full basketball key. A Dominator hoop, and Douglas posts for the net — a step up from standard.
Questions we get asked in Riverton
What is the best way to deal with clay?
There are three: build up with drainable base, dig deep and fill with it, or run a drainage swale to the low point. Your slope and space decide which.
How deep should the foundation be?
Deep enough to get below frost and to carry extra base material. It is the least visible money on the job and the money that decides how long the court stays flat.
Will the court crack eventually?
Concrete moves. Built on a properly prepared base with drainage, it should not crack in the way a slab laid straight onto clay does.