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From NEHJ: Guide to building your backyard rink
Looking to build your own backyard rink? Here's what you'll need
to know before you get started: 
BACKYARD BASICS
Before you start: Make sure the surface is
as flat as possible. Level it up with dirt, etc. if necessary.
Basic needs: Boards and brackets, a liner, a
hose
Helpful tools: Skill-saw (for wood),
staple-gun (attaching plastic to wood frame), a shovel,
ice-resurfacing tool
When to begin: Set aside time for
constructing boards in early November. Get cracking on laying down
the liner and filling it with water sometime after Thanksgiving or
when it begins hitting below-freezing temperatures overnight.
Board height: A minimum of eight inches, but
ideally 12 to 16 inches
Watering: There should be roughly three inches of water
everywhere.
Basic maintenance: Apply new water with hose
and use ice-resurfacing tool, shovel off extract snow.
Disassembly: Find the lowest point, break
away a bracket or two and slowly drain from there. Roll up liner
carefully and store away along with boards and brackets.
BACKYARD TIPS
* Don’t wait too long to put your boards in place. The
harder the ground is, the tougher it’ll be.
* Do your best to make the surface you’re building on as
level as possible, but don’t fret if water is deeper in one
corner than the other.
* Make sure you carve out leaves and other debris from the ice. If
not, it’ll burn through the ice.
* Make sure your hose is long enough to reach the furthest corner
of your rink.
* Add a coat of white paint to your boards. Warm weather will make
the wood start to separate, so this will buy you some extra ice
time.
* Store your liner away neatly in a secure area. If it tears or
gets chewed up, it will need to be replaced.
* If your liner has imperfections, don’t be afraid to use it
for extra support, laying it down under its new replacement next
season.
This article originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
Jesse Connolly can be reached at jconnolly@hockeyjournal.com
