Hey everyone! I'm about to start building a gaga ball pit for my church and I've got a design in mind. My idea is to have either a hinged gate or a removable panel to make mowing easier since it's not my turf to maintain. I've never seen a gaga ball pit with a gate, so I'm a bit unsure if this is a smart move or a recipe for problems. Here's a rough breakdown of my plan: I'll be using 8 4x4 posts with notches to create a 45-degree angle, each post will be around 43 inches tall, with 19 inches above ground and the rest cemented in. For the walls, I'm thinking of making panels from 3 two-by-six boards, secured with some one-by-threes. Would adding a gate be worth it? What challenges might I face if I go through with this? By the way, if I opt for a swinging gate, I'm considering putting a wheel on it for easier handling. Any advice you can share would be awesome!
2 Answers
So I had to look up what Gaga Ball is! Seems like many pits are actually portable, which might save you some issues. You might want to look into a ground cover like Astroturf—some people use sand, but if there are cats around, they'll probably just use it as a litter box, which wouldn't be pretty!
I don't think adding a gate is the best idea. If kids are regularly playing in there, it’ll be hard to mow inside with a gate. Instead, consider putting sand or gravel at the bottom of the pit. That’ll make it way easier to manage and the kids will love it, even if it can get a bit dusty. It might be worth having a couple of access ports for the kids, so they can hop in and out without trouble.