Custom backyard pickleball courts, built to last in Georgia weather.

Pickleball is the most forgiving court to fit into a Georgia backyard because the play area is small but the run-out matters. A 20' x 44' court plays fine inside a 30' x 60' pad; anything tighter and you lose the baseline rally.

**Common footprints:** minimum 24' x 50' - recommended 30' x 60' - tournament 34' x 64'. Pre-sized modular sport tile court kits are offered at 28'4" x 52'4" and a regulation 30'4" x 60'4".

Every hard-surface court we quote in Georgia is built in the same five stages. What changes between a $18k pickleball court and a $60k tennis court is the size of the footprint, the depth of the base, and the surface system on top.

1. Layout, grading and drainage The contractor lasers the footprint, confirms setbacks and access for equipment, strips organics, and cuts the pad to grade. Georgia clay holds water, so the pad is built with a 1% planar slope in one direction — never a crown — and edge drains or a French drain are added where the yard sheds toward the court.

2. Structural base 4"–6" of graded aggregate base compacted in lifts to 95% density. This is the single most important cost line on the job: a court that cracks almost always failed in the base, not in the coating.

3. Slab or asphalt pad Post-tensioned or fiber-reinforced concrete (typically 4"–5") or 2"–3" of plant-mix asphalt. Concrete is the Georgia default for backyard courts because it tolerates our freeze/thaw and heavy rain cycles and can carry a modular tile surface later without rework.

4. Surface system Either an acrylic system — primer/sealer, acrylic resurfacer, two textured color coats, then textured white line paint — or a modular interlocking sport tile court kit laid over the cured pad. Acrylic gives the classic tour look; sport tile gives instant drainage, zero recoating, and a DIY-friendly install.

5. Lines, equipment and perimeter Game lines to governing-body spec, then posts, nets, hoops or backstops set in sleeves or footings, followed by fencing, netting, windscreens, lighting and landscape restoration.

**Space:** confirm the full pad plus a safety run-out on all sides. For a modular sport tile court kit, the pad must extend at least 2" past the finished kit dimension on every side so the tiles can expand and contract seasonally.

**Slope:** up to about a 3' fall across the pad can be absorbed with grading; beyond that you are into retaining walls or engineered fill, which is where budgets move.

**Base condition:** sport tile can only go over a solid, level surface — new or existing concrete or asphalt. It cannot be installed directly on gravel, compacted stone, or bare ground.

**Existing courts:** a cracked or faded slab is usually the cheapest court you will ever own. Crack fill plus an acrylic resurface, or a sport tile kit laid straight over the old surface, both avoid new concrete entirely.

**Access:** a 9'-wide path for a skid steer and concrete truck reach. Pumping concrete over a house adds cost.

**Permits and HOA:** most Georgia municipalities treat a backyard court as an impervious-surface addition. Expect setback review, impervious-coverage limits, and HOA architectural approval before build.

**Acrylic color system.** The tournament standard: primer, resurfacer, two textured color coats and textured white lines. Contrasting in-bounds and kitchen colors are typical.

**Cushioned acrylic system.** Rubber underlay under the color coats. Worth the upgrade for players over 40 - it takes the sting out of long dink rallies.

**Modular sport tile court kit.** Interlocking sport tile with molded lines and integrated expansion bumpers. Drains immediately after a storm, plays consistently, and takes noise down compared to bare concrete. No recoating cycle. Needs a solid, level pad 2" larger than the kit on all sides.

**Noise control.** Because pickleball paddles are the number one HOA complaint, sound-reduction panels on the fence line are often specified alongside the surface.

- Regulation posts and net, or a professional portable net system - Cushioned surface upgrade - 10' perimeter fencing with gate, or portable divider panels - Sound-reduction panels for HOA and neighbor compliance - LED lighting for evening play - Windscreens, court numbers, sliding scoreboard - Rebound practice wall for solo drilling - Courtside bench, ball caddy, shade canopy