Figuring Out Sport Court Pricing Was Wild
Ok so yesterday it hit me – I wanna know how much these sports courts actually cost. You know, tennis courts, basketball courts, that kinda thing. Sounds simple? Oh boy, it wasn’t.
First thing I did was grab my phone and just started googling like crazy. Typed in “build a tennis court price” and got about a million different numbers staring back at me. Felt like everyone was pulling numbers outta thin air. Saw one site saying $30K, another yelling about $100K. Total head-scratcher moment right there.
Next step? Calling around local places. Picked up the phone, dialed some sports builders, got stuck in phone tag hell. Either nobody picked up, or I got bounced between departments. “Oh sorry, pricing is handled by Jim. Jim’s out til Tuesday.” Seriously? One guy finally picked up. Started rambling about sub-surfaces and polymer-modified resurfacing. My eyes glazed over. Just tell me the number, dude!
After hanging up frustrated, I pulled out a notebook – old school style. Scribbled down three main things makin’ prices go bananas:
- What the stupid ground underneath is like (rock? clay? nightmare dirt?)
- That fancy surfacing stuff (green? blue? multi-color madness?)
- All the extras nobody tells you about (lights? fencing? those nets?)
Realized I needed real examples. Went deeper into community forums, found folks who actually built courts. One guy poured his concrete slab himself to save cash, ended up with cracks like spiderwebs after one winter. Another paid extra for top-tier lighting, complained about eagles nesting near the poles messing up games. Wild stories.
Finally sat down with my notes feeling overwhelmed. Pieced together a rough picture:
- Basic backyard tennis court? Starts around $40K-$60K if you get lucky.
- Want decent lights and fencing? Add another $10K-$20K. Easy.
- Found out resurfacing happens every 3-5 years? Costs thousands each time.
What a mess. Makes you understand why public courts look beat-up sometimes. Bottom line? If someone gives you one flat price for “a court,” run away fast. The devil’s in the dirt, the paint, and those sneaky extra costs.
