Retaining wall should be installed prior to court building.
BUILDING YOUR COURT
STEP 1. SITE SELECTION, DETERMINE
MATERIAL and PERMITS
Once you’ve determined you have
space for a court, you’ll need to
measure your yard and check your
easements. If you have sewage, utility
or other local government easements
running through your yard, you might
not have the available space to put in
a court. Some towns might allow you
to build on top of the easement if you
sign a letter granting them the power
to dig through the court if there is
a utility problem. Your locality may
also require a zoning variance to
install a court, which will mean taking
property line setbacks into account
as well. If space is tight, you might be
required to have a survey conducted
and architectural drawings made.
Most local governments will also
require work site permits.
If you have the available land
and your municipality approves the
court, the next question is access and
material. You will have construction
equipment in your yard. They will
rip a 12-foot wide path through your
yard and do not travel well down
elevated slopes. If this is going to be a
problem, you’ll want to look into the
option for pumping in concrete.
While accessibility may determine
whether you go with concrete or
asphalt, the other big consideration
is price. Asphalt is significantly less
expensive than concrete and requires
28
Wire chairs and mesh make the conrete
stronger and less likely to crack.
less preparation, but it doesn’t last
nearly as long, as it tends to dry out
and crack over time. You can expect
to get about 20 years from asphalt,
whereas a properly installed concrete
court will last 50 years or more. The
price difference to build a concrete or
asphalt court does not simply come
down to the cost of the two materials.
It also comes down to the different
production processes for each.
The third factor in asphalt vs.
concrete is the hardness. Asphalt
is a little softer than concrete, so
consider this if you have ankle, foot,
knee or hip problems. With either
material, you can always choose to
apply a rubberized cushion surface.
California Sport Surfaces makes a
multi-layer rubber coating that offers
the best cushioning for concrete and
asphalt surfaces. The surface costs
a few thousand dollars in material
and application costs, but can be well
worth the investment for your body.
STEP 2. EXCAVATION and PREP
WORK
To price out concrete and asphalt
properly, you need to include the
excavation work required. The process
starts with providing a compacted
dirt base with a 1% slope—ideally
from one side to the other.
After the base is firm and dry, you
can install any retaining walls, French
drains, or heavy landscaping you plan
to have done. Once the court is built,
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Smooth the concrete with a medium broom finish.
you don’t want heavy machines to be
riding on your court.
Now that the covered base is
firm and dry, place 4 to 8 inches
of 2B stone and compact it with a
roller—maintaining the 1% grade
for drainage. When this is complete,
cover the stone with a heavy moisture
vapor barrier.
If you are building a concrete court,
you’ll want to install 2-inch metal
chairs and a heavy wire mesh. The
concrete will eventually fall between
the mesh, making it a much stronger
and stable material. Chairs and mesh
are not used with asphalt.
The final step in prep work is
measuring out the court and, in the
case of concrete, forming the borders.
STEP 3. COURT CONSTRUCTION and
FINISHING
Now it’s time to pour your concrete
or roll your asphalt. The process
takes only a few hours. If you will
be painting your concrete court,
make sure they apply a medium
broom finish to the surface for better
adherence. If you are using asphalt,
the surface is porous enough that
there will be no need to apply any
texture to it.
Once the asphalt is rolled, or
concrete is poured, the court will be
ready for the permanent net posts
and net strap holder to be installed.
For the net posts, holes should be
cut into the surface 2 feet by 2 feet.
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