Court construction cost??

[POGforEver]

Wasn't sure where to put this so I figured the "other equipment" section would have to do. I'm looking into building a court in my back yard. Has anyone had experience with court installations in your own home? If so how much on average would court construction go for? Leveling the land isn't a problem because I can have that done for nothing and I might even be able to pull off the fencing for cheap. Thanks!

 

[Amone]

Well, for one thing that depends on the surface you're looking for. I can't tell you any of this stuff, because I don't know what the prices actually are, but what I can tell you is that I have looked into it mildly, and you can find quite a few services willing to do just that all across the US; the only problem is you need to know what surface you want, and if you don't, you've got a small problem.

 

[jamauss]

I'd be interested to know this too.

Me and my family will be moving from California to another state this summer (where houses are much cheaper) so I'm looking for a house that comes with enough land to be able to build a tennis court in the backyard. I would definitely want a hardcourt. I'd also like to know how much it costs to have lights installed for it, too.

 

[jj300]

I suggest running out and getting the march issue of the RSI magazine. Its $5 on the stand and had a huge article about buidling a tennis court. it was about 6 pages or so. very detailed. Call your local magazine place and see if they have it on stand

 

[POGforEver]

Sorry that I didn't mention the surface. It would be hard court. I live in New England and the winters are pretty bad here for anyother type of court.

 

[doriancito]

my tennis court in my backyard (hard court) cost was about $9,000 and it isnt like "the best" you might want to have a $20,000 budget for the US since our labour here is very cheap

 

[austro]

I had a quote to have one built in Europe. It was Eur50,000 all in for a hardcourt (superior quality) with fencing but no floodlights. The excavation costs are actually a major part of the costs. You need this either way, whether your ground is level or not to install the gravel and whatnot for adequate drainage. If you can save on that, you have saved on the biggest part.

Now, this was a top-notch quality court. i am sure you can get cheaper. Artificial grass (AstroTurf, Optigrass) was about the same price.

 

[BattleAxe]

I've done investigating also. Like others have eluded to, it's $15,000-20,000 for a nice court that will last. I was debating this option, but will probably just lay down a slab of concrete and build a hitting wall instead. That would be much cheaper, and I'll be able to play alone whenever I want. Now, if I could just get my wife to agree to this plot. That is the tough part.

 

[Deleted member 6835]

I've done investigating also. Like others have eluded to, it's $15,000-20,000 for a nice court that will last. I was debating this option, but will probably just lay down a slab of concrete and build a hitting wall instead. That would be much cheaper, and I'll be able to play alone whenever I want. Now, if I could just get my wife to agree to this plot. That is the tough part.

haha

offer her you'll teach her how to play tennis... if that doesnt work, tell her it'll help you exercise and you'll be.. how shall i put this... "better in bed" LOL

 

[Hey Moe!]

The $15,000-$20,000 cost is in the ballpark for a hardcourt. There are a lot of factors involved, things such as excavation, and such.

If you can put some "sweat equity" into the court, you can keep costs a little lower.

I have a friend who has become quite adept at building har-tru courts. If I am ever in the position to build a court, I would pay him, and help him during the project. We figured about $12-15K to do it that way.

He actually took the four cracked hard courts at the high school where he teaches, and laid very nice har-try courts over it for $45K. However, he had some help with things like the watering system and such.

I guess my other comment would be to make sure that you don't cut corners when preparing the base. Hard or soft court, the base is everything.

 

[Mr.Federer]

Are clay courts less expensive than hard courts?

 

[Deleted member 6835]

Are clay courts less expensive than hard courts?

well i think clay courts would be more expensive to make wouldnt they? not to mention maintain... im guessing

 

[andyroddick's mojo]

I wish I had a court in my backyard, because I live on a mountain, so its hard to build one up here, and the place I go to hit is on the other mountain. The only way to get there is to go down my mountain, across a bit, then up the other mountain, and that wastes sooo much gas, because I can see the courts from my house. If I had a court in my backyard, I could get a ball machine and hit everyday!!! HOORAY!!

 

[La Bomba]

Just use your backyard lawn and paint some lines on it, whack some poles in the ground and put a net up. Then mow the lawn and you have a grasscourt.

 

[dancraig]

http://www.thebluebook.com/cl/all4340.htm

 

[Mr.Federer]

well i think clay courts would be more expensive to make wouldnt they? not to mention maintain... im guessing

I'm not sure...because clay is just bassically beated ground. Maintain, you would just need that thing to smooth out the court and some water...And are clay courts less damaged than hard courts once they have survived winter?

 

[Deleted member 6835]

Just use your backyard lawn and paint some lines on it, whack some poles in the ground and put a net up. Then mow the lawn and you have a grasscourt.

R O F L

hehe id try that if my backyard was big enough... i live in an urban area = small backyards id honestly rather go live by myself in the middle of nowhere with a hard court, clay court, and a ball machine

 

[wilsonplayer]

the least expensive court to build is a clay court, then hard, then synthetic grass, and grass is the most expensive. 15-20k seems low for a hard court, maybe just for the court, but for the whole thing you are looking at more than that i'm sure.

 

[ttwarrior1]

black top it yourself

 

[Mr.Federer]

my dad owns putnam tennis courts, a contractor who builds tennis courts. they do a lot of work in new england and the least expensive court to build is a clay court, then hard, then synthetic grass, and grass is the most expensive. 15-20k seems low for a hard court, maybe just for the court, but for the whole thing you are looking at more than that i'm sure.

I knew it that clay courts were the least expensive! Anyways how much does a clay court roughly cost?

 

[doriancito]

Are clay courts less expensive than hard courts?

yes clayu courts are less expensive but you have to keep feeding them clay and that ius another expense..

 

[wilsonplayer]

one thing i don't think a lot of people understand in building a tennis court is the logevity of the court itself. for a hard court especially, longevity is a huge factor in what you want to spend. longevity of a hard court is usually dealing with cracks, and cracks is not a surface problem. it is a sub-base issue. the proper amount of crushed stone, rocks, and sediment has to be put in place for you to get the longevity out of the court that you want. if you decide to go cheap the first time ( a smaller thickness of sub-base usually), you will pay for it in the long run. while crack repairs are monetarily inexpensive, you cannot keep implementing crack repairs. eventually, you will have to rebuild the court. since all hard courts will eventually crack, you are probably looking for something that will last for about 15-20 years, maybe longer. to answer mr. federer's question to how much a clay court costs, it depends on where you live. in new england, where i live, the sub-base has to be much thicker. if you lived down in florida, the sub-base could be thinner. in new england for a top of the line court, it's about 45 K though. 55 k for a hard court. 60 k for synthetic. no one does grass anymore unless you are insane. mantinence is nuts. those are the prices in new england for a top of the line court. in florida or california, prices would be reduced significantly however.

 

[Techniques]

one thing i don't think a lot of people understand in building a tennis court is the logevity of the court itself. for a hard court especially, longevity is a huge factor in what you want to spend. longevity of a hard court is usually dealing with cracks, and cracks is not a surface problem. it is a sub-base issue. the proper amount of crushed stone, rocks, and sediment has to be put in place for you to get the longevity out of the court that you want. if you decide to go cheap the first time ( a smaller thickness of sub-base usually), you will pay for it in the long run. while crack repairs are monetarily inexpensive, you cannot keep implementing crack repairs. eventually, you will have to rebuild the court. since all hard courts will eventually crack, you are probably looking for something that will last for about 15-20 years, maybe longer. to answer mr. federer's question to how much a clay court costs, it depends on where you live. in new england, where i live, the sub-base has to be much thicker. if you lived down in florida, the sub-base could be thinner. in new england for a top of the line court, it's about 45 K though. 55 k for a hard court. 60 k for synthetic. no one does grass anymore unless you are insane. mantinence is nuts. those are the prices in new england for a top of the line court. in florida or california, prices would be reduced significantly however.

Yeah, in the long run, Hardcourts could be a problem with cracks. In Australia, every court that I have seen thats in a back yard is Synthetic Grass. I've actually never played on a real clay court. I've play on porous, carpet(or whatever its called indoor), syn grass, classic clay and Hardcourt, but never real clay. It would be very hard to maintain, same as grass, cause weeds could grow on it etc.. Synthetic seems to me to be the best choice.

 

[POGforEver]

Just an update: I just got a quote from a contractor in RI, he said ball park figure for everything done for a hard court would be $50k - $60k, lighting would add about $20k. I'll have to see what I can do, the guy might be comming out in a few weeks to give me a solid estimate. Just a thought at this point though.

 

[machine]

clay would be more expensive because you have to have that moisting thing that moistens the court every so often. so maintainance would be a *****.

 

[bcaz]

I understand that light themselves are about 10-15k per court. A hard court can be built correctly, including lights, for about 50k, but this does not include the cost of the underyling real estate, which can be huge. Fencing and screening is another variable which can be scrimped on or, if done well, can add to the cost.

 

[POGforEver]

Another quote i received today was for $38,000 (not cushion) + $8,000 for 4 lights. Price included full fencing but not excavation because I can have a family friend do it for nothing. I'll keep you posted, maybe I'll be playing on a blue and green court in my back yard some time soon. Thanks for all the input everyone!

 

[Skppr05]

I Wish I Was You

 

[POGforEver]

Well my dad is telling me to do some homework on building a court and we might just be able to have everything done and we'd do the surfacing (after much research). I'm gonna check with a few contractors that may be comming out within the next couple of weeks to look at the property to give me a deffinet price. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[DRtenniS1112]

That 15-20k ballpark seems incredibly low. I know first-hand that installing a hard court in Maine (without leveling) costs just over 40k. This includes surface, fencing, net, poles, paint, labor, everything needed for a single court.

 

[andyroddick's mojo]

Does anyone here actually HAVE a tennis court in their backyard? Is it worth it to you guys?

 

[tguru]

My 8 coat Deco Turf was built in 1990 and has Zeeeerow cracks. Court 50k blasting 5k and engineered retaining wall 10k. I don't have the energy to respond to the staggering amount of misinformation in this thread. But you WILL get what you pay for, sports fans! While a proper base is essential rapid temperature change is an equally critical factor in asphalt longevity.

 

[arky-tennis]

Hey, I live on a college and they are getting ready to build. With MAJOR dirt work, lighting, court, and everything they are paying 125k a court making a total of 600k for 4. That sounds high and they are just building Deco Turf.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[simi]

Very interesting thread on something that I've always wondered about. Thanks all for contributing.

How often does a hard court need to be re-painted? Cement "flakes" and I would suspect that paint wouldn't last more than five or ten years. That would add quite a bit to the cost. It would be a pain to paint the lines correctly.

Then, if you go the route of most tournaments these days, you'll want to add some sand to the paint to "slow down" the court.

 

[simi]

Does anyone here actually HAVE a tennis court in their backyard? Is it worth it to you guys?

I don't, but the fellow who runs the tennis club at my employer and spearheads the USTA teams has one. Sure wish I had his house. Having one's own court is priceless. He has lights too, but they aren't the best. Well enough to see to continue playing, but not enough even coverage for a homogeneously lit court.

 

[texcoug]

I have been looking at this too. I live in SETX and I know a few people who have private courts. The vibe I am getting is that $30s are the low end, less space hard court options, while the norm is pushing $50k. Also, I have e-mailed several companies and have had a difficult time getting replies. I guess building one measley court is not that good of a deal.

 

[Roffey]

clay would be more expensive because you have to have that moisting thing that moistens the court every so often. so maintainance would be a *****.

Clay has an indefinate lifespan though, and hard doesn't.

 

[MatchpointServe]

Nice topic. I also wondered this. I was wanting to have this nice tennis court out of college in my backyard, with a crappy house. Either that or find some nice poolhouse thing, I don't really know. What more do you need other then a bed, court, racquet, and tennis ball?

 

[simi]

...What more do you need other then a bed, court, racquet, and tennis ball?

Someone to share that bed with? Oh, and the court too.

 

[dozu]

In the central New Jersey area there are a lot of abandoned warehouses/workshops.... has anyone tried converting them to indoor courts? I'd imagine the foundation is well built and all you need would be the court surface and some lighting.

around here the court fees are $40/hour, set up a place with 3 courts and that is good income.

 

[Deleted member 6835]

Nice topic. I also wondered this. I was wanting to have this nice tennis court out of college in my backyard, with a crappy house. Either that or find some nice poolhouse thing, I don't really know. What more do you need other then a bed, court, racquet, and tennis ball?

fridge and tv, then your set

 

[MatchpointServe]

You don't really need a tv. And yes, someone to share the bed with is a necessity. It would be nice to have a partner for tennis (the girl in the bed or simply a roommate would work). If all else fails, you can always use a ball machine.

 

[bkc]

I started building my own court this week in my backyard on a hillside in the Ozarks. I paid the guy $720 for one day to excavate and level the clay dirt. $150/load for 6 loads of crushed limestone "screenings". This is sort of like the stuff they put on the roads around here. It packs down like concrete, but then it can always be leveled by hand. Now I've got to level it with my tractor and then by hand with a board probably. 2000 bucks! I bet it'll work!

 

[nalbandian_fan]

I started building my own court this week in my backyard on a hillside in the Ozarks. I paid the guy $720 for one day to excavate and level the clay dirt. $150/load for 6 loads of crushed limestone "screenings". This is sort of like the stuff they put on the roads around here. It packs down like concrete, but then it can always be leveled by hand. Now I've got to level it with my tractor and then by hand with a board probably. 2000 bucks! I bet it'll work!

yeah, if your willing to sway away from a tournament level hard court and are willing to improvise with cheaper materials and methods of construction you can probably create a pretty cheap tennis court, but the bounce and speed will be out of your control. let us know how that goes bkc

 

[bkc]

yeah, if your willing to sway away from a tournament level hard court and are willing to improvise with cheaper materials and methods of construction you can probably create a pretty cheap tennis court, but the bounce and speed will be out of your control. let us know how that goes bkc

I'm willing to risk it. I'll let you know (unless it doesn't work and I get too depressed to post about it)

 

[Milano]

I was thinking about getting a hard court too. I am in New Jersey, and have about 3/4 acre of flat land...

Is the main part of a hard court concrete? I was just wondering, because I know someone that makes concrete patio like bases for fairly cheap...

I already have lighting up and installed, but probably won't play in the dark. Fencing shouldn't be too bad, and all the balls would fly off my yard even with a mishit, so might not need it, unless its a legal thing...

Thanks!

 

[Kaptain Karl]

A friend has "fencing" which consists of two arcs of chicken wire strung on 12 ft poles which arrest balls hit long. Most people could bend a Slice Serve out wide which would be a "lost" ball, but their inexpensive fence stops about 90% of the balls.

- KK

 

[bkc]

A friend has "fencing" which consists of two arcs of chicken wire strung on 12 ft poles which arrest balls hit long. Most people could bend a Slice Serve out wide which would be a "lost" ball, but their inexpensive fence stops about 90% of the balls.

- KK

That's about what I plan to do. Doubt if I'll spend a lot on a net either.

 

[dave333]

i am really lazy and seriously want a court in my backyard. there is a high school thats 2 minute drive from here but i can't drive yet since i'm 14