Tips on Building a Residential Tennis Court

If you are a tennis enthusiast, you may want to consider building a residential tennis court on your property. When you have your own tennis court, you can play whenever you want, host gatherings with other tennis fans and give your family a reason to get together for exercise and fun. There are a few things that you need to consider when building a residential tennis court, including the permission of your local government.

  1. Permits

    • Regardless of what kind of playing surface you intend to use, if you are building a tennis court on your property, you must ensure that it is approved by the local zoning board. You may need to get a building permit while construction is ongoing, and you may also need to get a variance to allow a tennis court to be built in your neighborhood. Before you invest any money, make sure you have all of the necessary paperwork together.

    Playing Surface

    • When building a residential tennis court, decide if your playing surface will be grass, concrete or asphalt. Concrete does not have much give to it and, after a while, playing tennis on concrete could cause problems with your legs and knees. However, concrete is inexpensive to install and easy to maintain. Asphalt offers a softer surface to play on, but it also cracks over time and develops depressions that can fill with water. Grass is the simplest of the three to install as all you would need to do is level the playing surface and flatten out the bumps. However, grass requires considerable maintenance, including re-seeding every year and mowing at least twice a week to keep the grass at playing level.

    Universal Playing Surface

    • To get the maximum value out of your residential tennis court, consider constructing it so that it can be used for other things such as basketball, ice hockey in the winter and even family gatherings. Make the fence posts removable so that the entire surface opens up and tables can be set out for parties and events. There are portable basketball hoops that you can roll in place when you decide to play basketball on your tennis court. If you cover the surface with thick plastic and enclose the court with boards, you can freeze water on it during the winter for your own skating rink. You can get the most out of your residential tennis court if you have it serve a variety of purposes.