Fremont has an advantage most Bay Area cities do not: a lot of it is flat. The city sits on alluvial ground below the East Bay hills, and the yards in much of Irvington, Centerville and Niles are level, regular and a decent size. That removes the earthworks problem and leaves a much more tractable one - measuring accurately and working out quantities.
This is the arithmetic, step by step, with numbers you can substitute your own into.
Step 1: Measure the usable area properly
Two rules that catch people out:
- Measure both ends of every dimension. Fence lines are rarely parallel. If your yard is 34 ft wide at the house and 32 ft 6 in at the back fence, your working width is 32 ft 6 in. Always use the smaller.
- Measure to the obstruction, not the boundary. A/C condensers, downpipes, meter boxes, a mature tree's canopy - the usable rectangle stops at whichever comes first.
Sketch the yard, write both readings on each dimension, and circle the smaller. That sketch is what you take quotes against.
Step 2: Subtract the clearance
The court is not the only thing that has to fit. Allow:
- 3 to 4 ft at each end for standing and throwing.
- 2 to 3 ft along one long side for walking and retrieving.
So usable court length = total length - (2 x end clearance).
Worked example. A Fremont back yard measures 58 ft x 32 ft 6 in usable.
- Court length available: 58 - (2 x 3.5) = 51 ft
- Court width available: 32.5 - 3 = 29.5 ft, far more than needed
- Standard court width is 8 to 13 ft; pick 10 ft
- Round the length down for tolerance: build 50 ft x 10 ft
That sits inside the custom range courts are built to (roughly 30 x 5 ft up to 90 x 15 ft), and it is a genuinely good social court.
Step 3: Calculate the excavation volume
Volume in cubic feet = length x width x depth (all in feet). Then divide by 27 to get cubic yards, which is how material and haulage are sold.
Depth is the sub-base plus the drain rock layer. A common build is a sub-base somewhere in the 4 to 18 inch range depending on soil, plus a 3 to 4 inch layer of 3/4 inch crushed drain rock and decomposed granite.
Worked example, 50 x 10 ft court, 8 in sub-base + 4 in drain rock = 12 in total = 1.0 ft:
- Volume = 50 x 10 x 1.0 = 500 cubic feet
- In cubic yards = 500 / 27 = 18.5 cubic yards
So roughly 18 to 19 cubic yards out, and a similar volume of imported material in. That is several truck movements - useful to know before you read a quote, because it tells you the haulage line is real and not padding.
Converting inches to feet is where errors creep in: divide inches by 12. 8 in = 0.667 ft, 4 in = 0.333 ft, 18 in = 1.5 ft.
Step 4: Material quantities and weight
Aggregate is usually sold by weight, and drain rock and decomposed granite run roughly 1.3 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard depending on material and moisture. Using 1.4 as a working figure:
- Drain rock and DG layer only: 50 x 10 x 0.333 = 166.5 cu ft = 6.2 cubic yards
- At ~1.4 tons/cu yd = approximately 8.7 tons
Add the sub-base material on top of that. Treat these as planning figures to sanity-check a quote, not as an order - the supplier's actual density figure governs.
Step 5: The surface layer
Surface depth is thinner and the material is chosen for play, not structure: crushed oyster shell, decomposed granite, gold fines or synthetic turf, with a fine 30 mesh sand dressing used to give loose surfaces a smooth, consistent roll.
Because it is thin, small errors in area matter proportionally more here. Use your measured area (50 x 10 = 500 sq ft in the example), not the nominal court size, when pricing surface material.
Step 6: Check the perimeter for the border
Border material is priced by length. Perimeter = 2 x (length + width).
- 2 x (50 + 10) = 120 linear feet
Borders are commonly concrete or pressure-treated board around 4 to 12 inches high. Buy the perimeter figure plus a cutting allowance.
Common measurement mistakes
- Using the boundary dimension instead of the usable dimension.
- Forgetting clearance and ending up with a court you cannot stand at the end of.
- Mixing units - inches into a formula expecting feet is the classic, and it is out by a factor of 12.
- Forgetting that border boards have thickness, so the excavated rectangle is slightly larger than the playing rectangle.
- Rounding the court up instead of down.
One local note: parts of Fremont closer to the bay have a higher water table. If your test hole fills, that changes the drainage design and is worth flagging to anyone quoting.
For the general method of measuring irregular outdoor areas, see measuring patio, walkway and driveway area.
Who builds bocce courts in the Bay Area
With measurements and volumes in hand you can compare quotes on equal terms.
Pavers and Turf by O'Neill's has installed bocce courts across the Bay Area from its Livermore base since 2005, and its bocce ball courts page sets out the full specification it builds to: court sizes from 30 ft x 5 ft up to 90 ft x 15 ft, a sub-base of 4-18 inches depending on the soil, a 3-4 inch layer of 3/4 inch crushed drain rock and decomposed granite compacted flat, a fine 30 mesh sand dressing, borders in concrete or pressure-treated board around 4-12 inches high, and a choice of crushed oyster shell, decomposed granite, gold fines or synthetic turf on top. Typical installs run about one to two weeks on site. As with any contractor, get more than one quote and ask to see courts they have actually built.
Their city pages go into the local detail:
- Bocce Ball Court Installation in Livermore
- Bocce Ball Court Installation in Pleasanton
- Bocce Ball Court Installation in Dublin
- Bocce Ball Court Installation in Danville
Contact details
Pavers and Turf by O'Neill's 2133 Research Dr Unit 16, Livermore, CA 94550 Phone: (925) 443-7888 Email: [email protected] Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-5pm; Saturday and Sunday closed
- Website: https://paversandturf.com/
- Bocce ball courts: https://paversandturf.com/bocce-ball-courts/
- About O'Neill's Green Services: https://paversandturf.com/about-oneills-green-services/
- Contact us: https://paversandturf.com/contact-us/
- Project gallery: https://paversandturf.com/projects/
- Past installs: https://paversandturf.com/galleries/
- Blog: https://paversandturf.com/blog/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paversandturfbyoneills/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaversandTurfbyOneills
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-o-neill/
- Google Business Profile: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5GUXa8cJNBQRSK3M8
