There are a number of benefits to building an indoor tennis court facility, but also a number of steps.
Constructing an indoor tennis court facility is a large undertaking, requiring enough floor space to house the tennis courts and enough height to accommodate overhead lobs. This type of project is something you probably don't want to do on your own, but it is important to know what is involved so you can stay on top of a contractor doing the bulk of work.
To begin with, one of the first steps is to determine if you have a building large enough to house an indoor tennis court or however many tennis courts you are planning to build. The floor plan must be able to fit a tennis court with dimensions of 78 by 36 feet, 18 feet behind each baseline and 12 feet on each side of the sidelines to give players enough room to safely move and run. In addition, you need at least 35 feet from the floor to the ceiling at the center net line, according to the USTA court regulations. There can be a slant to the ceiling as long as there is at least 20 feet over the baselines.
The next step is to determine your budget. Keep in mind that it may take anywhere from 4-7 months to build the structure and cost from $15 to $75 per square foot.
Next steps include hiring a contractor to build your indoor tennis court facility. This will also require permits and approval to build the structure. There are a few different types of structures to consider include (The Different Types of Indoor Tennis Facilities):
- air structure
- fabric structure
- steel-frame building
Next, choose the type of court surfacing, where the options include concrete, clay or sport-court flooring.
Building the structure and laying the foundation takes place prior to the courts being surfaced. Your building contractor will be able to advise on the required depth of the court foundation.
Net posts should be set with the foundation. Posts should be 42 feet apart along the center court line.
If concrete is being used, you may want to use two different types of colors to make the interior court stand out from the exterior court.
Next, the tennis courts will be laid. If concrete is being used, this means painting your lines.
Lastly, install the nets which lace up along each net post, pulled tight so that the net is 39 inches tall at the net posts and 36 inches in the center of the net. You can adjust the center net height with the center strap provided with your net purchase.
This briefly describes the basic steps for building an indoor tennis facility. If you'd like to more specifically talk through the steps of building an indoor tennis court facility, we are here to help.