Three ways to do it
Blended lines
Keep the tennis court. Add two pickleball courts in a second line color, one on each side of the tennis net, using portable nets. Cheapest option by far and the usual answer when one person in the house still plays tennis. The pickleball courts run across the tennis court, so the tennis net is in the way and gets lowered or a portable net goes in front of it.
Two dedicated courts plus walkways
The tennis lines go away. Two pickleball courts with permanent posts, wide walkways between and around them, room for a bench and a shade sail. The right answer when the court is for a family, not a league.
Four dedicated courts
The full conversion. The 60 by 120 pad splits into four 26 by 52 bays, each with its own permanent net, and a fence divider runs down the middle so balls stay in their bay. This is the HOA and club layout and it works for homeowners who host.
The work
- Evaluate the pad. Asphalt or concrete, crack pattern, low spots, drainage. An old asphalt court with alligator cracking across the service boxes needs membrane work before anything else. A concrete court with a displaced crack may need the crack cut out and repoured.
- Remove tennis posts. Cut, core out, fill the holes flush.
- New sleeves. Core the slab for each pickleball net, set sleeves in epoxy.
- Resurface. Same process as a tennis court resurfacing: wash, repair, resurfacer, two color coats. A conversion is the moment to go two tone.
- Lines. Four full pickleball layouts, or blended lines over the tennis layout.
- Fence. Divider fence for four court layouts. The existing 10 foot perimeter usually stays.
One to three weeks depending on the pad condition and the weather. Dry season preferred for the same reason as any coating job here: the afternoon storm.
Cost
| Conversion | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Blended lines, portable nets, no resurfacing | $1,200 to $2,500 |
| Blended lines with a full resurfacing | $8,000 to $13,000 |
| Two dedicated courts, permanent posts, resurfacing | $10,000 to $18,000 |
| Four dedicated courts, posts, resurfacing, divider fence | $18,000 to $30,000 |
Compared with a new pickleball court from bare ground at $22,000 and up for one court, four courts for under $30,000 is why conversions are the most requested job in the Orlando market right now.
Permits
Lines and coatings do not need a permit. New net post sleeves generally do not either. A divider fence over 6 feet does, and the HOA will treat a visible change to the court as a change to the property. If the court is an association amenity, the HOA and community courts page covers how a conversion goes through the board.
Straight answers
Can I keep playing tennis after the conversion?
With blended lines, yes. With two or four dedicated courts, no; the tennis lines and net are gone. Most families pick blended lines first and convert fully once nobody has touched a racket in a year.
How many pickleball courts fit on a tennis court?
Four with dedicated nets and a center divider. Two if you want wide walkways and shade. Two with blended lines if the tennis court stays.
Does the old asphalt court need to be replaced first?
Usually not. Cracked asphalt gets membrane repair and a resurfacer. Asphalt that has heaved or sunk in sections is a base failure and that is a rebuild conversation.