If you’re crazy about squash and you love the idea of being able to play whenever the urge arises, then maybe it’s time to consider building your own court.
While you can always find a club nearby or at a gym, it would be so much easier to have your own facilities where you can play with family and friends whenever you like.
It can also be an excellent investment to make if you own a gym or sports center and are looking to bring in more members. You’re probably wondering, what would be the cost to build a squash court at home?
Building a squash court can be an expensive endeavor, with many estimates putting the cost in the ballpark range of $50,000, give or take.
If you have the funds, then stay tuned for a breakdown of what exactly the money would go to and the cost to build a squash court.
Given that a regulation squash court is around 9.75m in length, 6.4m wide, 5.6m tall, and has diagonals of 11.6m, you’re going to need to source enough materials for the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Not forgetting, of course, to pay for the labor if you aren’t going to do the work yourself as well as the painting of the lines. You can cut costs by opting for cheaper materials if you wish to keep the project’s overall expense down or spend more on better materials if you want to ensure your court is of the highest quality.
Indoor Squash Court
Most squash courts are contained within a four-walled room.
This includes the front wall, where you’ll play your shots, the side walls, which are for rebounds, and the rear wall to ensure the ball stays in play, and the ceiling.
Each wall will need to be around 4-6m high in order to give you plenty of room to play your shots regardless of player height.
Presuming the squash court isn’t outdoors, you’ll also need to create space for a doorway to get in and out.
For the squash court walls, you should consider using any of the following materials: glass, high-density sand-filled boards, plastered wall, or prefabricated wall panels.
Whatever the material you decide to go with, make sure it fits the key criteria for a squash court.
According to WSF World Squash regulations, each wall should be of the same construction over the playing area, needs an average reflectance of no less than 50%, and should have some surface friction.
Playing Surface
One of the most important surfaces, other than the front wall, is the playing surface.
You have to get the floor of your squash court right if you want to ensure that it’s fun to play on and safe, too.
Remember, this is a surface you will potentially spend hundreds of hours running over, so it really needs to be spot on.
The surface’s length should be roughly 9.5 meters, while the width should be around 6.4m.
Regarding what types of flooring you should consider, you’ll probably be best served to find a company that specializes in sports surfaces.
While you could install a solid wood floor, this comes with the risk of rot due to moisture, so it’s best to leave it to the professionals.
For more information, you can head to the World Squash website for a list of accredited companies that offer flooring options as well as various walls, lighting systems, and more.
It’s a good idea to outsource the installation of the floor because these companies spend their time perfecting the flooring for squash courts.
They design them to have shock absorption, sound attenuation, and structural stability.
These things can be tough to achieve by yourself unless you have a lot of experience working with your hands.
Labor
Believe it or not, it isn’t the materials that will end up being the most significant expense in this project.
It’s the labor that can really stretch your budget since complications can arise and fees may vary.
Plus, you’ll need to hire various professionals in order to pull this project off.
In the beginning, before work even gets started on the court, you’ll need to have a prefabricated structure erected around the space it will be.
Then there are the walls and ceiling, the playing surface, as well as the steel stud frames and metal furring.
The length of the project will also sink into your budget, and this will depend on the materials you choose to use for your squash court.
There’s also the ongoing cost of maintenance since it isn’t as simple as creating a room with four walls.
You’ll need all kinds of odd jobs done from electrical wiring to slab leveling and everything in between.
Finally, there’s the cost of hiring painters to come in and put together the outline on the walls, the tin and service lines, and the T-line.
While you could certainly do the painting yourself to cut costs, you don’t want to get it wrong, as this can make the difference between what looks like an amateur court and a professional one.
Outdoor Squash Court
Even though it’s far more common to see indoor squash courts, building an outdoor squash court isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
In fact, it can be a great idea providing you have the space and the warm weather to enjoy it!
The great thing about an outdoor squash court is that it will be free-standing so that you can have it on any hard surface outside.
One way to do this would be to use glass walls, which are specifically designed to be weatherproof, as well as glass panels for the floor.
Alternatively, you can use the same weatherproof glass but use weather-resistant plastic boards instead.
You can also have lighting fitted too, should you wish to play after the sun goes down.
The most important thing to bear in mind with an outdoor squash court is that you need all of the materials to be up to standard and able to withstand the weather where you live.
It can be risky but providing you use the right materials, immensely rewarding.