Winnipeg, MB & the Capital Region
Sport court base construction in Winnipeg, MB: excavation, compacted crushed limestone, drainage, and reinforced slabs built for clay soil and freeze-thaw.
Winnipeg sits on an old lakebed of heavy clay. Clay swells when wet, shrinks when dry, and heaves with every freeze-thaw cycle, and a prairie winter delivers dozens of them. A thin slab on unprepared clay shifts and cracks within a few winters, and the surface on top of it fails with it. The courts we are called to look at that failed early almost always share one cause: the base was cut short.
Excavate 18 to 24 inches and remove organic material. Lay geotextile. Place and compact 8 to 12 inches of clean crushed limestone in lifts. Grade for drainage, typically a one percent slope, with a perimeter drain on low-lying lots. Pour a reinforced concrete slab of at least 5 inches with rebar or mesh, or build the engineered base that a modular tile system calls for. Let the concrete cure a minimum of 28 days before surfacing.
Water that sits on or under a court is what does the damage. We grade the sub-base and slab so water leaves the pad, and on yards where water already pools we add drainage that carries it to a discharge point. If you want the court to double as a winter rink, we grade it slightly toward one end and seal the edging so it holds water when you flood it.
Net posts set in loose fill move within a season or two. We cast reinforced concrete piles before the sub-base goes in and set the post sleeves in them, so the net stays at 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches at centre for years.
| Service | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base package for a 30 x 60 court | Included in court pricing | Excavation, limestone, drainage, reinforced slab or engineered base |
| Extra excavation or drainage on difficult lots | Quoted after site visit | Deeper clay, uneven grade, or perimeter drains |
The base is priced as part of your court quote and itemized so you can see where the money goes.
We provide court base construction throughout Winnipeg and the surrounding communities.
Talk to a court specialist about Court Base Construction in Winnipeg, MB.
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