Last updated October 2026
We build padel court bases across the UK: excavation, free-draining stone, porous asphalt, the reinforced concrete ring beam and the drainage, ready for the court to be bolted down. On LTA figures from 2025, the base, ring beam, ducting and drainage for one outdoor court cost about £35,000 ex VAT and fees, close to half the all-in court price. Groundworks typically take three to five weeks per phase.
The base is roughly half the cost of an outdoor padel court, so it is the line to check first on any quote.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Courts | Ring beam, base, ducting and drainage | Courts with lights | Total | Base as share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £35,000 | £36,000 | £71,000 | 49% |
| 2 | £78,000 | £70,000 | £148,000 | 53% |
| 3 | £110,000 | £100,000 | £210,000 | 52% |
| 4 | £140,000 | £128,000 | £268,000 | 52% |
Source: LTA Padel Court Construction Guidance Note 2025, indicative delivered costs. The share column is our arithmetic from the LTA lines. These figures are typical, not a quote. Your base price depends on the ground, and we confirm it after a survey.
What base does a padel court need?
A free-draining, frost-resistant stone sub-base topped with porous asphalt, held inside a reinforced concrete ring beam, with internal drainage that runs out through the beam. That is the LTA’s specification for an outdoor court.
| Element | LTA 2025 specification |
|---|---|
| Sub-base | Free-draining, non-frost-susceptible aggregate, average 250mm deep |
| Surface course | 65mm porous asphalt, laid in two separate layers |
| Gradient | No steeper than 1 in 100 |
| Foundation | A ring beam or below-ground foundation |
| Ring beam level | Top finishes level with the court sub-base |
| Drainage | Internal surface water drain with an outfall through the ring beam, designed by a structural engineer |
| Flatness | Within 6mm under a 3m straight edge |
One point to know before you compare quotes. The LTA’s own document gives two different sub-base figures: 250mm of stone under 65mm of asphalt in its construction section, but 150mm of stone with a 40mm binder course and a 25mm surface course in its tender table. The engineer’s design for your ground settles which applies, so ask every contractor which build-up they have priced.
How much do padel court groundworks cost?
About £35,000 for one court on the LTA’s 2025 figures, and much the same per court on a four-court scheme (£140,000 in total). Price guides quote less: the UK Padel Guide gives £15,000 to £30,000 per court.
Why the gap? The LTA line is a delivered project cost covering ring beam, base, ducting for the lights and drainage. The UK Padel Guide’s lower figure of about £15,000 is for level, free-draining sites, with extras added on top. MyBuilder goes lower again, with foundation preparation at £5,000 to £10,000, which is far below either. We budget from the LTA line until we have surveyed, so the first number you see is not the lowest one you will ever hear.
How it works
- 01Tell us where you are up toSite, drawings and any council letters.
- 02Planning routePre-app, the reports and the application.
- 03BuildBase, courts and lights to the approved layout.
What pushes groundworks costs up?
Slope, soft ground, poor drainage, old surfaces to remove, and difficult access. The UK Padel Guide prices the common extras:
| Site condition | Typical extra (UK Padel Guide) |
|---|---|
| Sloping or soft ground | £5,000 to £15,000 |
| Poor drainage | £3,000 to £8,000 |
| Lifting existing tarmac | £2,000 to £5,000 |
| Concrete pump, where a mixer cannot reach | £500 to £1,200 a day |
| Electrical supply upgrade from single phase | £4,000 to £15,000 across the site |
An installer quoted by Curchods Estate Agents adds the costs that are hardest to estimate: “poor access to the site, a lot of ground clearance, the need to take all the spoil off site and the increase of materials in certain ground types.” Back gardens with narrow side access, sites where soil has to be carted away, and clay that needs a deeper dig all land here. A trial pit or ground investigation is how these are found before you commit.
Why does a padel court need a concrete ring beam?
Because the court is a heavy steel and glass structure that has to be fixed into concrete. One installer puts the weight of a court at around 5 tonnes, and says it “needs to be secured into concrete and not into tarmac.”
The LTA treats a padel court with glass walls as a structure, and its foundation must be “a ring beam or below ground foundation”. The steel posts and framed panels stand on base plates bolted to that beam. The foundations also have to resist wind on walls up to 4m high, which is why the LTA asks for engineer-designed foundations that take wind loads into account.
Can a padel court go on existing tarmac or an old tennis court?
Sometimes, as a layer under new work, but never without a ring beam. Whether the old surface stays depends on its condition and falls.
The UK Padel Guide prices lifting existing tarmac at £2,000 to £5,000. Where an old tennis court is sound, one installer’s method is to perforate the existing surface so it drains, cast the ring beam, and overlay new tarmac flush with the beam. The LTA guidance does not cover reusing an old base at all, so it comes down to a survey. Our page on how to convert a tennis court to padel covers the full conversion process.
Who designs a padel court’s foundations?
A structural engineer. The LTA asks for engineer-designed foundations with a design warranty and professional indemnity insurance, and says a structural engineer “must be engaged to design the drainage for the courts.”
The engineer’s design covers the ring beam size, reinforcement, the sub-base depth for your ground, the drainage outfall and the wind loads. If a canopy is planned now or later, tell us at the start. A canopy needs its own foundations and drainage, which the LTA prices at about £20,000 for one court and £56,000 for four. Designing the base with the canopy in mind avoids digging twice.
How long do padel court groundworks take?
Three to five weeks per phase, according to the UK Padel Guide. Court installation then takes about a week per court once the base is ready.
| Stage | Typical time (UK Padel Guide) |
|---|---|
| Groundworks | 3 to 5 weeks per phase |
| Court kit lead time | 8 to 14 weeks from order |
| Court installation | About 1 week per court |
| Commissioning | 1 to 2 weeks |
The kit lead time is the longest wait. We place the court order once planning permission is granted, so the base is built while the kit is being made. Weather matters too: asphalt and concrete need suitable conditions, which we plan around in the programme.
Do groundworks need planning permission first?
Yes. Start digging only once permission is granted, because courts built without it have been stopped. Two courts in Harrogate were put out of use by an enforcement notice in October 2025, and the follow-up application failed in April 2026. In Sheffield an abatement notice stopped play at Ecclesall Lawn Tennis Club before the club withdrew its retrospective application.
The planning application also shapes the groundworks. Councils may ask for acoustic barriers, which need their own footings, and the LTA notes that greenfield sites need 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. Our padel court planning permission service handles the application and the noise and lighting assessments from our consultants, so the base is designed to the approved layout.
What’s included
- Site survey and levels, with a trial pit where the ground is unknown
- Engineer-designed ring beam, sub-base and drainage
- Excavation and removal of spoil
- Ring beam, stone sub-base and two-layer porous asphalt to the LTA specification
- Ducting for floodlight cables
- A level check against the LTA tolerance before the court goes up
What’s not included
- An electrical supply upgrade, quoted separately when needed
- Canopy foundations, unless a canopy is in the scope
- Acoustic barrier footings, unless the planning permission requires them
- Repairs to drains or services found outside the court area
Illustrative example
Illustration only, priced from the base and extras tables above. The project is invented.
A two-court project on a gently sloping field. The LTA base line for two courts is £78,000 ex VAT and fees. The UK Padel Guide adds £5,000 to £15,000 for sloping ground, and the survey shows whether that applies once or to each court. A concrete pump for three days, at £500 to £1,200 a day, adds £1,500 to £3,600. The survey and engineer’s design turn those ranges into a written quote for your site.
Who does the work
Padel Court Build is a SustainPlan Ltd service. One team runs the project from enquiry to handover. A structural engineer designs the foundations, our groundworks team builds the base and ring beam, and our installers then bolt the court down and lay the turf, so one programme covers the whole build.
Often needed alongside
- Padel court installation: the court kit that sits on the base
- Padel court cost: base, kit, lights and canopy prices together
- Padel court flooring: turf laid on the finished base
- Padel court canopy: foundations to plan in from day one
FAQs
Can you build the base and let another firm install the court?
Ask us about it. The base would be built to the LTA specification and the court supplier’s fixing details, which are needed before the ring beam is cast.
Is concrete better than porous asphalt for the playing area?
The LTA specifies porous asphalt over stone inside the ring beam, so water drains through the surface. Concrete is used for the ring beam itself.
How big an area do you dig for one court?
The LTA enclosure for one court, including a 400mm ring beam, is 20.80m by 10.80m. Allow extra working room around it.
Do you need to bring in large machinery?
Usually an excavator and lorries for stone and spoil. Where a mixer truck cannot reach, a concrete pump is used at £500 to £1,200 a day on published figures.
What happens to the soil you dig out?
It is removed from site unless it can be reused for landscaping. Spoil removal is one of the costs the Curchods installer lists as hard to estimate, so we price it after the survey.
Will groundworks damage my lawn or access route?
Plant has to reach the court, so we agree the access route at the survey, along with how it is protected and reinstated.
Sources
- Base specification, ring beam, drainage, gradient, flatness, engineer design, wind loads, cost table, canopy foundation costs, enclosure size, BNG: LTA Padel Court Construction Guidance Note 2025 and LTA Padel Court Data Sheet (read 17 Oct 2026)
- Per-court groundworks, extras, electrical upgrade, timings: UK Padel Guide, 13 Oct 2026
- Foundation preparation figure: MyBuilder, 21 Aug 2026
- Court weight, concrete not tarmac, cost drivers, perforate-and-overlay: Curchods Estate Agents, 12 Oct 2023, quoting a padel court installer
- Harrogate: The Stray Ferret, 28 Apr 2026
- Sheffield: Sheffield Star, Oct 2026