The Ultimate‘ Great’ Room
When the Andersons built their dream home, they didn’ t stop at an open floor plan— they added a full-size indoor pickleball court.
by MATTHEW SCHWARTZ
When Marina and Eddie Anderson want to play pickleball, they don’ t fight traffic, pay a membership fee, stack paddles or sit and wait. They walk to the lower level of their home and onto the court— giving new meaning to“ home-court advantage.”
“ When we were looking to build a house [ in 2022 ], we had a pickleball court as a priority,” says Eddie, who is 66 and owned a successful used car business in Florida for 20 years. He sold it in 2019 and then fell in love with pickleball.
“ There were no indoor options between Tampa and Orlando, so we thought a court would be ideal. Central Florida weather is often challenging to play in. Court availability is limited at peak times. Having a private indoor option is amazing.”
It is also rare. While there is no database tracking the number of private homes with indoor courts, recent real estate data shows it is a growing niche in luxury homes in Florida, Arizona and California. An indoor home pickleball court requires a significant amount of money and space.
Marina says,“ We couldn’ t be more thrilled with the result, and it is fun to have friends and great players from all over come stay and play at our home!”
The Andersons call their court simply“ Home Court.” It took 10 months to build and was finished in November 2023, about the same time the house was completed. Eddie estimates that the total cost for the court and luxurious amenities was between $ 250,000 and $ 300,000. It added 3,000 square feet to the Andersons’ home, making it 7,700 square feet. The ceilings are 21 feet high. There is a distance of 10 feet behind the baselines and 8 feet on the sidelines. A lighting team did a study to find the ideal placement to eliminate glare and dark spots. Acoustic panels surround the perimeter to absorb sound. Four coats of paint on the walls, which are dark blue, enhance ball contrast and visibility. The kitchen is fire-engine red, and the rest of the court is royal blue. A
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MARCH / APRIL 2026 | MAGAZINE 47