DIY Ball Corral
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The best DIY projects are ones that not only are fun, but have a functional, useful purpose in your home. I have been arranging our patio to function better for our family (more toys, less furniture) and realized our toy box was overflowing with balls. Basketballs, bouncy balls, volleyballs, the toy box was full. I thought to myself, this is not the best way to store these. Then I thought of how stores like Walmart store their assortment of balls for easy access. I got the idea to build a ball corral!
I used:
one piece of plywood (at least 9″ by 18″)
2″ by 2″ scrap wood
screws
drill
3 bungees
First I measured and marked 9″ by 9″ squares out of the wood. I got these dimensions from measuring the balls’ width.
Next I used my table saw to cut them out.
Then my friend Kevin, who was subbing for Lexi as my crafty side kick, cut the 2″ by 2″ pieces of wood to fit along the bottom of the 9″ by 9″ squares. One was 7″ and the other was 11″. The reason one side was so long is because we needed it to extend to reach the stud in the garage wall. That way we could anchor it to something solid since we were installing the ball corral in a corner with no drywall.
The next step was to measure all my pilot holes for the screws. I wanted two screws going down from the 9″ by 9″ square into the 2″ by 2″ boards. I also needed two screws in the 2″ by 2″ boards going into the wall studs. I measured and marked where all of these would be on each piece of wood and on the wall.
Then I drilled pilot holes with a drill bit two sizes smaller than my screws. This is so that the screws go in easier and at the correct angle. I also grabbed a larger drill bit and drilled holes in three places in the corner of my 9″ by 9″ square, opposite the 2″ by 2″ boards.
The next step was to screw in my two inch screws connecting the 9″ by 9″ to the 2″ by 2″ and four inch screws connecting the 2″ by 2″ to the wall studs. Lastly, I hooked the bungees in the holes and voila!
The bungees allow for a variety of different size balls to fit into the corral. They are all in one place, taking up hardly any space, and they are even more accessible than when they were in the toy box! I’m happy I built this and hopefully after this post, you can build one, too!
Grrrreat idea! Me and Tony are sooo doing this! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome!
this is great! i am a dad of 4 kids in toronto and we will do this one tomorrow at our place
Nice idea but its too time taking. P,s i think hardworking too. I am out of this one. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea! We currently have all the balls (basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls) in bags. The balls are hard to get out and you have to pull out several before you get the one you want. This is much better and it seems relatively easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
How far apart are the 2 boards on the wall?
About four feet, you could make them further apart if you wanted more ball space.