Build Your Own Gagaball Pit

Gather Materials Below

Quantity: Materials:

12 2x12x16′ boards

6 1x6x12′ boards

16 3″ hinges

2lbs 2″ deck screws

Tools needed:

Miter saw

Circular saw

Pencil

Tape measure

Drill

Screwdriver bit

Tamp

Safety glasses

Sort all materials into piles by like items to ensure you have materials needed to complete project
Take all of the 2x12x16′ boards. Cut each into [2] 96″ pieces, for a total of [24] 2x12x96″ pieces.
Take [5] of the 1x6x12′ boards. Cut each into [4] 36″ pieces, for a total of [20] 1x6x36″ pieces.
Take the remaining 1x6x12′ board. Cut into [1] 36″ piece and [3] 1x6x24″ pieces.
Beveled Edge Cuts:
- Take all [24] of the 2x12x96″ pieces cut in step 2. Bevel both ends with the saw set at 22.5° to make [24] 2x12x96″ beveled trapezoid pieces.

Build Steps

Before building, inventory and sort all of your materials.

Quantity: Inventory:

24 2x12x96″ beveled pieces

3 1x6x24″ pieces

21 1x6x36″ pieces
If there is grass in the gaga pit space, remove it.
Next, assemble the eight sides. Seven (7) of the sides will have (3) 2x12x96″ pieces laid next to each other. Use the 1x6x36″ straps to attach them together. There will be (3) straps per side, one in the center and one on each side 10″ from the edge.
Assemble the final (and 8th) side using (2) of the 2x12x96″ pieces, and the (3) 1x6x24″ pieces. (This will be the entry in and out of the Gaga Pit for smaller children.)
Connect the sides together forming an octagon using two hinges per corner. One hinge will connect the top 2x12s and one will connect the bottom 2x12s. There will not be a hinge on the center 2x12s.
Finish the octagon and prepare the bottom. It can be asphalt, concrete, limestone, decomposed granite, sand, or packed down dirt. Make sure your Gaga Court is actually an octagon and doesn’t resemble an egg-shape.