Be aware of this planning window that catches a lot of development teams off guard.
AUSTIN, Texas – Apr. 7, 2026 – There’s a timing dynamic on multifamily court projects that consistently surprises development teams, and it has to do with when certain decisions need to be made relative to the rest of the construction schedule.
The window most teams miss:
The court scope needs to be defined before the sitework package goes out to bid. Not because the courts are complex, but because three elements of the court scope directly impact work that happens before the courts are installed:
The slab specification. The concrete pad for the court area needs specific engineering: anchor bolt locations for enclosure posts, conduit routing for integrated lighting, drainage slope, and reinforcement specifications. These details come from the court scope, and they need to be in the civil engineer’s package before the slab is poured.
The conduit routing. If the court facility includes integrated lighting (which most do), electrical conduit is routed through the slab during the pour. This is a minor addition during slab work, maybe a few hundred dollars of incremental cost. But if the conduit isn’t routed during the pour, adding it later means trenching into finished concrete, a disruptive, expensive retrofit that costs orders of magnitude more.
The foundation design. The structural glass enclosure anchors to the slab through engineered base plates and anchor bolts. The bolt pattern and foundation depth depend on the enclosure height, wind load requirements, and local building codes. These specifications affect how the slab is designed, which means they need to be known before the slab is engineered, not after.
What this means for your timeline:
If your project is in schematic design or early design development, the window is open. There’s still time to scope the court facility properly, get the specifications to your civil engineer, and have everything included in the sitework package from the start.
If your project is approaching sitework bidding, the window is narrowing. The conversation about court scope needs to happen soon, not because of sales pressure, but because the construction sequence requires it.
The planning principle:
The best time to scope the court amenity is when the rest of the amenity package is being designed, during the same window when the pool, fitness center, and common areas are being specified. The court is an infrastructure investment that integrates into the site’s foundation, electrical, and structural systems. It should be planned alongside those systems, not added on top of them after the fact.
If your sitework package is still in development, it’s worth having the scoping conversation now so the court specifications can be included from the start. That’s the most cost-effective and schedule-friendly path. We’re here to walk through it whenever the timing works for your team.
About PICKLETILE™
PICKLETILE™ is the leading design-build firm for premium pickleball court construction and the Official Court Builder of USA Pickleball.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, PICKLETILE™ simplifies the complex construction process by offering turnkey solutions for residential, commercial, and club-level projects. The company is also the creator of PICKLEGLASS™, a patented soundproof glass wall system engineered to reduce noise by 50% while offering panoramic views and wind protection. For more information, visit www.pickletile.com.
