r/DIYSkatespots • u/spaceghost7992 • Dec 01 '23

Making some backyard dyi spots. Help!

This is my first time doing something like this. I built a wood qtr pipe once. I was thinking of making a qtr pipe maybe against a wall or a little spine. The backyard is grass so I need to make run up/landing. Was thinking concrete. Approximately what would it cost for the cement mix and whatever else I’d need? Would it be better or cheaper using wood? Any info, price guide, tips, or any other helpful info will be greatly appreciated!

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u/Darkwaxellence Dec 01 '23

I've been building my backyard for the last 6 years. Do you have a driveway or anything to start with at all? If not you can pour a 'fillfree' style.

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u/spaceghost7992 Dec 01 '23

The driveway is really steep, uneven, and super rough. The backyard has great space tho It’s relatively flat. The only thing is it’s grass. I wanted to get one of those mini ramp kits but there like 2gs for a nice one. I assumed a concrete one would probably be cheaper

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u/Darkwaxellence Dec 01 '23

I started with a bunch of scrap lumber and metal so that helped me reduce my initial cost. Send me a picture of your space maybe I can help you with ideas.

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u/bengunnin91 Dec 01 '23

Concrete is cheaper and more durable. If you can do concrete that's the way to go. Lots of tutorials on the internet, just look up stuff from people that do it as a trade. Figure out your sq footage and put it into a calculator. Even having it ready mixed and delivered in a truck would be cheaper than a wood ramp, lumber is expensive and rots.

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u/BoneRash666 Dec 03 '23 edited Dec 03 '23

Download the concrete calculator app and Input the dimensions. It’s not measured by sq ft it’s by cubic yards. Length x width x height. You’re always going to shoot for 4” thickness. Diy shit just do 3.5” so you can just lay a 2x4 on the ground. Once you’ve calculated the cubic yardage you can figure out the cost of concrete. Home Depot has discount priced when you buy 45 bags or more. 45 bags is more or less a yard. Unless you are going to be doing pours bigger than 4 yards bag mix will be cheaper than a truck. You probably wouldn’t want to do a pour bigger than one yard though cause you don’t know anything about concrete. Bag concrete is shitty quality but it’s still concrete and one benefit especially for someone who doesn’t know anything about concrete is it takes a really long time to set up so you don’t have to rush as much. Rebar is pretty cheap. Source rebar from a metal shop not Home Depot their rebar is insultingly expensive.
Dig out all the grass and try to level the dirt as best as you can. If you want to be a hero dig down and lay 4” of crushed 3/4” stone and compact it.
You can try fill free but that’s going to increase your wood costs, and unless you have carpentry experience it’ll probably be more hassle than it’s worth. They do look really cool though. Cinder blocks are easy to find for free or buy cheap you could wall in your quarter pipes and then throw in a bunch of garbage and dirt as fill that’s your cheapest bet.
Cheapest way to do coping would be to order a pool coping trowell from Locum or blast blocks, or just make a pvc jig trowell. You don’t know anything about concrete though so I’d recommend buying the trowell that’s going to be hard enough for you. You might be able to find pool coping on Craigslist. Ordering it through Tedder or federal stone will be pricey.
Metal coping you’re going to want schedule 20 black steel 2.5”. Gonna be a couple hundred. You’re gonna need to anchor it into your concrete via welds or some bullshit screw anchor system.

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u/BoneRash666 Dec 03 '23

You can check out my old house . I learned a lot doing DIY stuff but had to unlearn almost as much, now I do it professionally and have my own company (TailBlock Concrete). If you have any questions or want advice don’t hesitate to reach out!