How much does it cost to build a pickleball court?
Question: How much does it cost to build a pickleball court?
Answer: The general cost to build a pickleball court would is between $15 to $40 per square foot. This would average around $45k for a 30′ x 60′ pickleball court.
As with anything, there are quite a few variables that can affect the overall price of a new pickleball court construction project. Here are a few things to consider and go over with the contractor:
- Will the pickleball court be built from asphalt or concrete? Reinforced concrete or post-tensioned concrete?
- Court location and placement, sitework, access for equipment, grading & drainage.
- Will there be fencing, windscreen, lighting, shade structures?
- Any zoning restrictions, setback requirements, etc.?
- Access for electric and water, if needed by the court
Site Work, Grading, and Sub-base | Building a Pickleball Court
The first step to building a long-lasting pickleball court starts with site work. This consists of finding the ideal placement for the court. North-south orientation is best to minimize direct sun glare for the players. The court should slope .83% to 1% in one direction, to allow water to quickly drain after rain. Proper drainage is placed, then 4″ to 6″ of stone is installed beneath the asphalt or concrete surface. Concrete will also require two layers of 10 mil visqueen to be installed over the stone layer. This acts as a vapor barrier to prevent hydrostatic pressure from driving up through the slab and causing blisters and peeling of the surfacing system. This is just an overview, so make sure to consult with an experienced pickleball court builder for all of the important details. Each region may vary depending on the soils, weather, etc.
Pickleball Court Construction | Accessories
When building your pickleball court, your sport contractor should also have a plan to install necessary accessories. If this is going to be a dedicated pickleball court, and not a multi-sport court, you will probably want to go with permanent net posts. This is best installed by having net post sleeves set into concrete footers, flush to the surface of the court. Your posts will be solid, yet removable. This makes it easy to remove the posts, and replace them down the road without having to jackhammer them out. The pipe anchor, or center strap anchor, is installed directly under the center of the net. It will actually be cemented into a small footer, flush with the surface. This provides a metal bar for which the center strap can connect.
If you would prefer a portable net, there are multiple options which don’t require setting sleeves or permanent posts.
Pickleball Court Surfacing Options
When it comes to selecting a pickleball court surface, here are some options to review:
- Hard court or cushioned pickleball court surface
- Standard acrylic system without cushioned sub layers
- ProCushion Standard or Premium
- Pickleball court color combination
- Single color, double color, triple color, or other custom combinations
- Add custom logos, number, or lettering on the surface
Your pickleball court contractor can provide you with the costs for each of the surfacing systems and color options. The acrylic “hard court” system will have the lowest cost, followed by the standard and premium ProCushion systems. The ProCushion systems are liquid applied acrylic coatings that are fortified with granulated rubber. Here is a comparison of the two ProCushion systems:
- ProCushion Standard System = 3 coats of CushionMaster II (coarse rubber) & 2 coats of CushionMaster I (fine rubber)
- ProCushion Premium System = 5 coats of CushionMaster II (coarse rubber) & 2 coats of CushionMaster I (fine rubber)
After the cushioned base layers are applied, SportMaster color coatings are applied with specific texturing for safe, non-slip playing surfaces. Both SportMaster ProCushion systems provide shock absorption for added player comfort, without affecting normal play and ball bounce.
After the acrylic color surfaces are applied, the contractor can stripe the court for pickleball and other blended lines if desired for other sports. Don’t stop there…add some custom logos and enjoy your new pickleball court!
