In addition to being a popular spectator sport, tennis is also a sport played by thousands of people around the world. Due to its popularity, many property owners (both commercial and residential) and establishments choose to have tennis courts built on their property.
Whether you are a professional tennis player, an amateur or simply a great fan of this sport and want to have your own tennis court for private or commercial use, this is a decision that should not be taken lightly. It is not something that should also be done on a whim. This is because a lot of planning and preparation goes into building a good tennis court.
If you are interested in having a tennis court built on your property, before you finally decide to go ahead with this project, you need to consider a few important factors. These factors include the following:
The area for the court. It goes without saying that you should have enough space to build an indoor or outdoor tennis court. A regulation single court must measure at least 55 feet wide by 115 feet long, and the standard size for a regulation double tennis court is 60 feet wide by 120 feet wide. However, these measurements reflect only the court itself. If you want to have an outdoor court, additional space will be required for drainage, landscaping, and fencing. In case you are looking to have a professional level court with player and spectator amenities or features, you will need even more space.
The type of court. Also known as court composition, a tennis court can be classified as “hard” (asphalt or concrete) or “soft” (clay or grass). Today there are also “cushioned” courts where a resilient surface, such as polypropylene, is placed or installed on top of asphalt or concrete. In general, softer courts allow for slower ball speeds and are easier on the body; however, they require much more maintenance than hard courts. Hard courts, on the other hand, require a higher initial investment but incur lower maintenance costs over time.
Site preparation work. Lastly, you can get rid of any plans to have a court if your property is on a poorly constructed slab or on a slab built on inadequate subgrade. If the area is uneven, boggy, or rocky, you will also incur higher setup costs. The presence of expansive soil, organic or peat soil, high groundwater, and waste materials on your land will also have a negative impact on your building plans. Expert builders recommend that your property undergo a soil test prior to the start of construction to ensure the success of your project.
Learn more about tennis court construction here.