A Homeowner's Guide to Tennis Court Construction
Posted on: 24 February 2020
Installing a tennis court on your property can set you back a significant amount of money. Therefore, you need to think about all the crucial elements that go into making a tennis court more functional and practical before construction begins. Here is a guide on some of the considerations you need to make to get the perfect tennis court for your needs:
Zoning Laws
The first step to having a tennis court that works best for you is to check whether any zoning or homeowner association rules apply. There could be restrictions on the type of surface you can install, perhaps because of the need to control soil erosion and surface runoff. Restrictions may also be imposed on the kind of lighting or height of fencing you can install on your tennis court. Knowing the rules beforehand will save you from penalties and fines that could make your project costlier.
Court Surface
The type of surface you choose for your tennis court is crucial because it will determine the quality of your play. Grass, clay and asphalt or concrete are some of the standard tennis court surfaces. If you prefer a fast-paced game, a grass court would be the ideal choice; it has a slippery surface that makes the game quite fast. One primary concern with grass surfaces, however, is that they require high-level maintenance. You have to water and mow the court regularly because it gets damaged easily after a game.
Clay surfaces, on the other hand, are ideal for slow-paced games. They are the slowest surfaces (they slow down the tennis ball once it bounces) but have high traction, and they produce high bounces. However, just like their grass counterparts, the level of maintenance needed is also high and can take a considerable amount of time. That's because you need to roll and flatten the court after each gameplay to get rid of the marks and other damages. The good thing about clay surfaces is that they are some of the most affordable options.
Hard tennis courts, usually made of asphalt or concrete, are among the most popular options. They offer the lowest level of maintenance, which includes, among other things, pressure washing, re-painting and brushing. Games on this surface are medium- to high-paced, and the flat surface makes it easy to predict the bounce of the ball.
Drainage and Sloping
Level ground is usually preferred when it comes to tennis court construction. However, if you don't have flat or level ground on your property, you will have to spend more on your project because of the excavation and grading that will be needed. If there is a high water table on your site, you will have to install a drainage system.
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