Location, Location—First, find a place for your new bocce court, which is located near the main part of your yard and reasonably close to the home. Friends and family like to be near food, bathroom facilities and mingle with others who might not be participating. In some instances, the court could be set out near a vineyard or other area, but for most of us, this is rule #1.

Access—How is all the equipment going to get to the site? A bobcat or small tractor might need to go over existing landscaping. Try to visualize the path of entry and exit. Do you need to lay plywood down on an extended area? (That cost can add up, too). Will the tractor be driving over a lawn? Is there a fence or tree in the way? How about a swimming pool or flower bed—probably don't want to go over those either. Plan ahead and then find the best course to follow.

You might end up digging by hand and wheel-barrowing things in and out. Doing everything by hand can get costly, so keep the access in mind. Often there are few choices and location trumps access, so go with location first and access next. If you have options, make them both work to your benefit.

There is also the issue of access for concrete. Can a truck access the site or will you need a pump. Either way will work. For most projects, a concrete pump will be required and will save your existing landscaping from getting squashed.

Soil Density—It sounds crazy but whether you're working with sand or boulders will make a significant difference in the cost of the site preparation. Make sure you understand your soil type. We have seen families use dynamite to help blow up big boulders. It's pretty exciting, but very expensive. Normally, most sites can be graded with a small bobcat and possibly a jackhammer attachment. That's the beauty of a bobcat—there are so many attachments that can make the job go easier.

Soil Percolation—This has to do more with the drainage, but is good to know. Is your soil sandy, clay, adobe, rocky or granite (ouch!—I hope it's not granite). Of course sand percolates the best, but sandstone doesn't percolate much at all and is brutal to dig. Adobe soils expand and contract more, but usually absorb water well where clay soils can be much denser and compact very tight.

Lawn and Irrigation—If your new bocce court is going where a lawn or other shrubbery is currently, then you need to plan on having the sod removed, hauled away and the sprinkler system capped or relocated. Bocce Builders can help you in this process to determine who would be best to modify the old systems. Often, we can coordinate and perform the required work to be done.

Trees—Remember, most trees have roots that spread out and you can't dig too close to them or they'll die. Consulting with an Arborist is smart. The most strict guideline is to stay off trees to the extend of the drip line (how far out the leaves extend). Since that's usually difficult, we usually need to stay at least 3' or more of the base of the tree depending on the size of the root structure.