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Pickleball is probably becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with its ever-growing audience.
Even though you’ll see pickleball courts opening everywhere, there are many areas where the demand for a pickleball court isn’t being met.
There is either a scarcity of pickleball courts or too many players who want to play the sport.
In this article, we are going to help you achieve your dream – to make it a reality. You’re going to learn absolutely everything about ‘how to build a pickleball court’.
You’ll find many pickleball court builders out there, and the best part is that you’re going to be one of them.
How to Set up a Pickleball Court?
In order to learn how to make a pickleball court, you need to understand basic things like size, surface, pickleball court set up, etc.
Size
The very first thing that you need while making a pickleball court, is space.
How much space is needed for a pickleball court?
The usual dimensions of a standard pickleball court come in at 20 feet by 44 feet, and on top of that, you’ll need some space around it because you often lean at the sides while taking that sideline shot.
According to the USA Pickleball rulebook, for official pickleball court dimensions, you need to consider at least a total area of 30’ by 60’ (9.14m by 18.29m), so it’s fair to say that you need a 10-foot surrounding margin. Simply, a total playing surface area of 40’x64’ is required, which ensures enough space for playing pickleball.
Another important thing you need to do is optimize the direction of the sun. For that, the court will run from north to south, so the sun will come in side-on instead of disturbing the players’ visibility.
That, again, depends upon the surrounding area of the place.
Pickleball Court Dimensions
Photo by @ Honey Built Home
Surface
To make a pickleball court, the surface of the place is the second most important thing.
It could be concrete, clay, grass, or plastic.
But,
The most favored option is a concrete surface that gives a nice ball bounce and has a regular playing surface. The cherry on top, having a concrete surface, is quite low maintenance.
Pickleball Court Surface
Photo by @ Honey Built Home
In ideal situations, the concrete surface will be covered with an acrylic court surface system. If you’re planning on choosing a grassy surface to play pickleball, you need to make sure that it’s not too long and packed down.
Clay, on the other hand, is becoming a popular surface for pickleball, as it doesn’t affect your knees and feet that much.
If you’re planning to go all out on your budget while building the perfect outdoor pickleball court, you could use a snap-together plastic surface, that is actually designed for this specific purpose.
It is rather an excellent option if the surface is flat but is a bit worn out, like an unbroken surface. It provides a more cushioned feel to your feet with built-in shock absorption.
In some instances, you may find a tennis court that is already half-built. All you have to do is change the line markings and net.
Setup
After you have acquired the space for pickleball courts and identified the surface type along with its best orientation – you need to complete the pickleball court set up.
Pickleball court set up means setting up the court lines, marking out the playing area and the pickleball net to play over.
How to Setup the Pickleball Court?
If you’re wondering how to set up a pickleball court, here’s what you need to understand;
There are four service areas, two on each side of the net and two kitchens. Each is marked and divided by the centerlines, baselines, sidelines, and non-volley lines.
To mark them, learn that;
- The lines on the court should be white and 2 inches wide (you can even paint them on a solid surface and even use tape if you’re using a grass court)
- In the middle of the court, there is the ‘all-important pickleball net’. According to the Pickleball regulations, the pickleball net must be 22 feet wide, with a height of 36 inches at the posts and 34 inches in the middle.
- That 2-inch difference makes hitting the ball over the net easier and allows a lower shot trajectory.
Note: You can buy the posts independently, which you will use to hang the net. These posts can either be set in the ground, can also be totally freestanding or even attached with fixings. You can get the standard grid pickleball net frame as well.
This should give you a proper understanding of ‘how wide are pickleball court lines’.
Pickleball Court Lines
Photo by @ Honey Built Home
Fencing & Lightning
The final part of setting up the outdoor court is fencing and lightning.
Fencing is important to keep those stray balls closer while you’re swinging to beat your opponent. It will save your time and energy, otherwise you’ll spend a lot of your leg work picking those balls up.
It is also quite crucial if you’re building two courts side by side.
If you’re planning to play during evening times, you can consider adding a couple of high-end spotlights because it is one of those sports that can be played during the night and require good lighting.
Mounting them on 18-foot poles a couple of feet back from the court would be a perfect position for them.
Pickleball Court with Fence
Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2023/01/20/pickleball-courts-backyard-luxury-houses.html
How Much Does it Cost to Make a Pickleball Court?
If you’ve ever dreamed of having a pickleball court, you must have wondered how much it costs.
Well, to put it simply, the cost of building a pickleball court will vary depending upon what you choose and where you start building.
To make it more comprehensible, let’s take an example that you have a floodlit badminton court and you’re trying to convert it into pickleball courts by making the necessary adjustments. Since in this case, you don’t need to make much changes to the court, it is going to cost you not more than a few bucks.
Whereas,
You’re building a pickleball court from the scratch and you’ve hired a contractor to do the surface area, in this case you’re going to do everything from the basic till the completion ready-to-play, so it is going to cost you somewhere between $7,000-$30,000.
So, to answer your question about ‘how much does it cost to build a pickleball court’, the answer is highly dependent upon the stage you’re starting from and the material you’re going to opt for.
How to Build Pickleball Court Hiring Contractors
Making a pickleball court can be done by yourself, depending on your construction knowledge, or you can simply hire a contractor.
If you decide to build a pickleball court, you’re going to waste a lot of energy that you could utilize in the practice sessions because there is a lot of work involved, especially if you’re not a construction professional.
Even while choosing a professional contractor for the job who knows how to build pickleball court, there are certain things that you need to keep in mind:
Experience
The first thing you need is experience.
Have they done landscaping before?
Have they built a sports court before?
It shouldn’t matter if they’ve built a pickleball court or a tennis court. The only important thing is that they need to have a proven record.
Customer Reviews
Secondly, you need to see how trusted they are among their community and the customers they have served.
Find out what the customers say about them. You can check them out on several review sites.
Completion Date
You can really tell about a contractor’s experience by the certainty of the completion time.
Anything vague is just a sign that they haven’t done the job before. Of course, there can be some cushion between the dates, but they should not be clueless about the timeline.
Pricing
It is better to reach out to a few contractors before you finalize one.
The contractor should be able to finish the pickleball court within the budget you provide. There’s no need to break your bank. No one would like a bill at the end of the job that they can’t afford to pay.
Pickleball is supposed to be fun, and that’s how it should be.
How To Make a Pickleball Court
There are many pickleball court builder experts who were once beginners.
So, if you’re aiming to be one of them and thinking of building a pickleball court, you’ve wandered to the right place.
Let’s say, you don’t have a playing surface. Here’s what you’re going to do;
- You’re going to find contractors to prepare a flat area by doing the groundwork, depending upon how sloppy the area is, the cost will be determined
- In some cases, you might need some drainage walls
- Next comes the construction of the subsurface or foundation, which is going to be a thick slab of concrete, either the concrete is going to be reinforced with rebar or not, that falls down to what you prefer
- Now, it’s time to paint the surface or court tile snap-together system. You may find specially designed coatings that make the playing area grippy
- Hit the poles at the sides and set up the net
As a last step, prepare great pickleball equipment, such as paddles and balls. Then, invite friends over for a friendly competition.
All in all, pickleball is a fun sport that almost people of all ages can enjoy together and having a pickleball court could be the next best thing.
The above article gives you an in-depth look at how to build pickleball court.
To make sure that you have the right outdoor pickleball courts with correct pickleball court dimensions in place, it is better to have a professional do it.
FAQs
How to lay out a pickleball court?
A pickleball is usually 40’x64’ in dimensions with four service areas that are divided by the centerlines.
How to make a temporary pickleball court?
You can find the tennis court and set it up as a pickleball court, or you can simply mark the boundary lines according to the pickleball court requirements.
How wide are the pickleball court lines?
The lines on the court are 2 inches wide and should be white.
How to paint a pickleball court?
You can buy spray paint that does not fade easily, or you can also use tape, which is usually used for grass surfaces.
How much tape do you need for a pickleball court?
Although that depends upon your style of taping, it usually requires a minimum of 198 feet of tape.
How much does it cost to make a pickleball court?
The cost of building a pickleball court depends on the person building it. Normally, it would cost between $7,000 and $30,000.
How to build an indoor pickleball court?
To build an indoor court, you need to follow almost the same steps, but you need to make sure that you have sufficient space for the court.