How to Make a Tennis Court in Your Backyard

When you need an answer to how to make tennis court in the backyard you can very easily come up stumped. Tennis courts are large, and usually fenced in but yours doesn’t have to be it can be however you want to make it as long as it’s the proper size.

Thankfully building a tennis court is less frustrating than it seems though it is going to take some patience and tenacity on your end. Building a tennis court, be it for yourself, your family, or your friends can be a wonderful experience that gives the joys of tennis every time the court gets used.

Finding the Space

If you want to build a regulation-sized tennis court you’re going to have to have quite a bit of space to work with. This space should be flat, otherwise, you’re going to have a rolling tennis court and no one wants to play on a court that isn’t flat.

If you have an abundantly large backyard you’re not going to have an issue of space when trying to answer the question of how to make tennis court in the backyard. If you don’t have a lot of space though, you may need to accept either a smaller than a regulation-sized court or let go of the idea of having your own court altogether.

Overall building a tennis court is a little like building a batting cage, but the things you need to pull together to be successful are a little different.

Cost of a Court

The cost of a court depends on the kind of court you want to make, specifically with a focus on the floor. Do you want it to be an asphalt court or a concrete court?

Would you prefer it to be on the grass instead? Each of these is going to have it’s own pros and cons, and one of those cons may be the cost.

If you’re wondering how to make tennis court in the backyard you will need to take cost into account, do you have the right amount of money or a budget for installing a court in your backyard?

Note that professional-grade courts with asphalt or concrete on the bottom can run upwards of 50 thousand dollars. It’s very important to note that this is not your only option when picking out how you want your court though.

If you’re determined to build a professional full-sized court you’re going to have to spend much more money than you would if you were building something as simple as an ice skating rink. Thankfully there is the option to build a functional, but less than professional tennis court in your backyard.

A Simple and Functional Court

These courts are usually created just for family, friends, and fun, you can measure and mark out a double or singles court in the grass and play against your loved ones to get better.

First, you must measure out the area you want for your court, take into account if you want a single or doubles court, you’ll be able to work from there. Measure carefully and note the edges and boundaries.

Next, you’ll need to remove any obstructions like rocks or other such debris. These could easily trip up players and divert the ball into unwanted places making the game more difficult.

You can achieve this by digging out the area you have for play, removing the grass or sod you have in that area and picking out the stones in that manner.

Some people rent out a rammer to pack in the dirt making it more solid of a foundation to work with. This makes the playing field more reliable and less likely to be manipulated.

Once it’s all clear you can easily add grass seed to the dip in the ground and water according to the directions. This will encourage the grass to grow long and thick giving you great playing grass.

From there you should see the grass grow and at 19mm it’ll be ready to play on. Mark out the boundaries with spray paint hashes.

Don’t forget to purchase and install a net as well, its very difficult to play tennis without a net so it would be wise to invest in one as soon as you possibly can.

A More Expensive Course

If you’re trying to find out how to make tennis court in the backyard this kind, of course, is going to require that you use heavy machinery to move about and add different things as needed. We do not suggest investing a large portion of finances and time into a tennis court on your own.

Instead, we encourage you to talk to a contractor and get an estimate first before thinking about trying to create a complex and expensive tennis court on your own.  These courts usually have concrete or asphalt and can last much longer than dirt courts can giving them longevity that is unrivaled.

Regardless of the course of action you take for your court, sometimes you just don’t have the time to build it yourself. If that’s the case you can always reach out to a contractor.

Hiring a Contractor

If you want to build a tennis court in your backyard, but you don’t want to actually do the work of putting it there it would be wise to look into getting a contractor. These people are paid to do specific work, like landscaping, or perhaps putting into a tennis court.

You will pay more in the long run if you take this route, but if you’re willing to fork over some money to ensure the building part isn’t’ your problem no one is judging. It can be hard work, and some people have busy lives, so for some taking time to build a tennis court just isn’t a logical or feasible action.

Some contractors may not build courts like this so it would always be wise to call in advance, even if it’s just for a quote to help you make up your mind. This will let you know if the contractor is open to working with you, and how much it would cost.

Permits or Permissions?

Usually, you don’t need to get any permits or permissions to build your tennis court, they’re so low profile that it’s not necessary to get these kinds of permissions.

There are several circumstances where you would need to get permissions of some kind though.

If your planning rights have been revoked for some reason is one thing that would require you to get permissions. You also may need permissions if your home is in a national park, or if the tennis court would take up 50% of your yard space or more.

There are a few more reasons you may need permissions, but usually, they aren’t applicable to those building a tennis court in their backyard. It’s much easier to build the court than you think, and you don’t even need to ask anyone to do it!

Final Thoughts

If you were wondering how to make tennis court in the backyard now you know. Tennis courts can be a stunning addition to any backyard and have the ability to put family and friends in awe. They open up a world of competition, fun, engagement, and unity to a group of family and friends.

You’ll need to at minimum measure out a flat section of land, dig a little, and work with some machinery to make a functioning court or even a functioning singles court. Doing this though can bring activity to your backyard that will be sure to cure many forms of boredom with excitement and delight.

The only question is when are you going to put your tennis court in your backyard? It’s not going to magically appear, if you want a tennis court you’ll have to get to work!