Anyone who grew up with “Field of Dreams” as one of their favorite movies will know the nostalgia that comes with a good old fashioned game of baseball. Whats more, the dream of having your very own field in your backyard is something that most people consider to be too lofty of a goal. However if you are really serious about getting a field on your own property, it’s quite possible. It’s not even as complex as a basketball court or tennis court, since a baseball field is made of just dirt and grass. However there are a few tricks to be considered before taking on the project, namely the issues of trees and tree removal.
Having the Land for your own “Field of Dreams”
The first step is to have your own land, and enough of it to make fitting a moderately sized baseball field is reasonable option. Many people in rural areas of the country have plenty of land to go around, but it’s likely filled with rocks, trees and other obstacles to a smooth, neat, baseball field. So here is where we need to get creative. Consider laying out a plan to remove a set amount of trees (we did this using a local company, Tree Removal Long Island, and they did a terrific job.)
Make this plan and then consider the ramifications of it on your property. Will you have to de-forest you entire land to fit it in? Do an early “feasibility check” on the plan to make sure it isn’t preposterous, and then continue on.
Measuring Our Your Boundaries
Knowing the dimensions of a field will help you to determine what type of clearance you will need, include tree removals or other services.
Professional baseball fields (those without trees, rocks and uneven ground) can stretch for 400 feet or more into dead center field. You certainly don’t need all this space, but you also don’t want to coupe yourself up into a small area. Consider making a 300x300ft section and have it reserved for the field. You can take a look at some diagrams, available online, for how to make best use of the land you have. We’ve pulled a diagram which outlines the Youth/High School baseball field dimensions. This should give you a great idea of what time of land clearance, tree removal or other services you will need to make you field of dreams a reality.
Making a Field of Reality from Your Field of Dreams
The next step is to take some action to turn your plans into reality. You’ve got a general idea of how big the field will need to be, so now you need to clear land. Consult tree specialists and land specialists to get an idea of how much it will cost you to clear the requried amount of land.
Next you will need to get an idea of how much the actual constuction will cost. In addition to the tree removal you may need a dumpster rental to handle extra debris and soil. It’s likely that it won’t cost much because it’s simply dirt and grass, however as my little league coach used to say: “This aint Yankee Stadium” (he was referring to the holes and rocks that would make fielding ground balls a pain in the neck). You will likely run into the same issues, but don’t fear, you will still have one hell of a baseball field to call your own.
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