Playing Padel in Private
Playing Padel in Private
The challenge
Keen sports enthusiast frustrated about the lack of available padel courts locally and the poor state of his own private tennis court, which was not fit for purpose.
The solution
To repair the existing tennis court and lay down a new surface as well as design and install a single high-spec padel court for private use.
Key facts
- 2EW anti-bacterial sand
- 150m new path & patio
- Energy-efficient LED lighting
- New retaining wall
- Recycling 40yr old astroturf
Project overview
With the demand to play padel far outweighing the number of courts available, we have seen a surge in enquiries from private clients who are choosing to install facilities on their own property. While the issues of planning permission and access can sometimes be more of a challenge as there may be neighbours involved and narrow driveways, one of the biggest issues for us on this particular project was ensuring that we were never on site when the owner was in residence. Sometimes that gave us a very small window in the day to get work done but we pride ourselves on being fast and efficient so saw this as an opportunity, not an obstacle.For the padel court itself, we did all the groundworks, laid a tarmac surface and built a new retaining wall with foundations. 75m of patio and pathway was also installed. Since this was an outdoor facility, the client chose a full panoramic glass surround and a smart forest green powder coated finish on the steel to integrate tastefully into the rural location. We dressed the court with premium 2EW infill sand to add weight to the floor so it stays flat and avoids ripples. The sand also helps to protect the court in high winds, offers good drainage and increases its longevity. Its anti-microbial properties help prevent the build-up of mould, mildew and bacteria, which is why it’s a popular choice for any artificial sports surface.
Despite its drainage properties, the sand cannot get wet during installation or it may clump together so not only did we have to ensure we avoided being on site when the client was at home, we also had to ensure we avoided the rain, which was quite the challenge!
Upgrading the client’s tennis court was almost as big a task as installing a new padel court. We talk a lot about the importance of putting a servicing plan in place to maintain the quality of our structures and increase their longevity but some wear over time is inevitable. We didn’t install this tennis court originally but we’re not precious about that, we’ll happily offer our expertise to restore and preserve any indoor or outdoor sports facility.
We removed all soft spots, installed new net posts, replaced old expensive and non-eco halogen lights for the latest LED fittings to 600 lux and replaced the 40-year-old astroturf with the latest TigerTurf Tennis Ace artificial grass. Since old synthetic grass isn’t currently being recycled, we rolled it up and took it back to use in the yard, which the donkeys seem particularly happy about. The rest, we gave to a local farmer who has ingeniously turned it into an essential runner leading up to his slurry pit. This was an expensive solution to the question of what we do with all the unwanted astro but ultimately much much better for the environment!
