Manege not menage!
Bit random this one but the TZ hive mind never ceases to amaze so here goes...
We've recently moved house and some previous owners (not the most recent though) were obviously very horsey as they've had a menage constructed in the garden. I have no intention of ever having horses but a tennis court or 5-a-side pitch is likely to get a lot more use.
It looks in good nick and I've been told it was a pretty serious investment so I'm guessing it has all the necessary foundations but as it stand the surface isn't really suitable (or safe) for tennis or football. It's a good size though - 40mx20m with floodlights.
Can anyone advise what it would take to convert it? It would need some fencing and the appropriate nets but in terms of the surface could I just get a load of tarmac dumped on top and flattened down or is it a lot more complicated than that? Would it need digging up and starting again?
it's a bit specialist I know, but does anyone have any thoughts?
Manege not menage!
Would need digging down to a solid base, they can be several layers of porous materials. Have a dig down and see, you will need to take the top layer off minimum - then add your own sub base and top finishing/surface.
I have had tennis courts, AstroTurf pitches and all kinds of sporting facilities installed in my schools over the years.
One thing I’ve learned is that it isn’t a simple as one might think. You need to get it done by proper professionals otherwise you will have all kinds of problems.
Eg - tennis court - different types or surface available, drainage, life expectancy, has to be totally flat or is useless, markings... etc, etc...
Do not be tempted to try and get it done on the cheap by a builder down the road.
Agree with this. Do it properly or don’t bother I reckon. Cost - between £30k and £60k depending on spec.
https://www.elliottcourts.co.uk/tennis-court-prices/
Spending £45k on a tennis court would buy me and my whole family 173 years of membership at our lovely local tennis club (with four newly renovated courts and floodlit). Given all the social and sporting benefits, I know where I'd rather be playing tennis. Good luck with the project if it goes ahead and do keep us updated with photos of how it is converted.
I have three teenage sons, and we have been fortunate enough to have lived in a house with 1/2 acre of garden since the eldest was born.
I can't count the endless hours of fun that we have had with two decent 5 a side nets and a soft football.
It's a great excuse to invite their friends and fathers to have a kick around, and non one cares if there is the odd divot - it's not Wembley.
If it anywhere near flat, just seed it, mow it on a low cut and have fun.
Thanks for the responses... £30k would put it just off the bottom of the list of priorities so doing it properly is a bit of a non-starter...
The surface is basically sand and large lumps of rubber at the moment but I might have a bit of a dig in one corner and see how far down it goes and how easy (or not) it might be to get the top layer off.
Unless you are building a proper tennis court, then I think it will be too frustrating playing on something that is bodged up. Agree with what others have said, that amount of money gets you 'lifetime' membership to a David Lloyd and indoor courts. In addition to this, tennis is about playing people so unless you have a constant stream of friends wanting to play, you will probably end up with a very expensive unused court that ends up looking unloved after a few years.
I'd probably go with the suggestions about just creating a grassy area to play multi-sports on.
If you're massively into tennis then why not put a load of concrete or tarmac down and install a court- it doesn't have to be top of the range, it just has to be functional if you're building it for fun, not to host wimbledon!
There are local free courts near me which are not maintained in the slightest which are concrete with metal 'nets' and they're always busy.
Can also play foot-tennis too
Personally i'd be trying to put down some decent grass for a footy pitch which would give you more options than just tennis - badminton, foot tennis, mini cricket etc
How about a Minaj?
Petanque? Beach footie? Beach volleyball? Softball/rounders or that funny game with the board on a stick? Plenty of fun to be had 'as.is'.
But then they get on their high horse about it...8 horsey terms you’ve probably been getting wrong for years.
I first read this as something with a menage a trois at a tennis court