As pickleball popularity rises, North Texas homeowners are building their own courts
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — A lot of North Texans aren't just playing pickleball these days, they're now building their own courts and promoting them when selling their homes.
For 27 years, Keith Kimberlin has been laying concrete and other surfaces as the owner of Surface2Surface, a home improvement business.
Kimberlin says that lately the demand for new patios and pool decks can't compete with the most popular backyard feature.
"The coolest thing going these days is going to be your pickleball court," he said. "I've probably done 20 over the past two or three years."
Pickleball courts are becoming so popular, some homeowers are even building them on their existing driveways according to Lone Star Surface Pros, a DFW-based company that builds sport courts among other concrete flooring projects.
Kimberlin even added one to his own home in Argyle before recently putting it on the market. "I thought, you know, I'm selling my house and I know they're doing it in these big high-end homes, so why not do it in my house?"
A court built from scratch can cost up to $30,000. But will installing one add value to a home?
"I think the jury still out on that," Kimberlin said. "It's really a numbers game."
North Texas realtor Maria Arita-Howard says the courts seem to be very appealing to her buyers.
"It used to be that the first thing people would say when thinking about additional amenities to a house it would be a basketball court or a pool. Now they're saying, 'Wow. We saw that it had a pickle ball court,'" she said.
Before building a home court, Kimberlin encourages customers to use high quality materials and double check that there's enough space for it.
"But most importantly, make sure you're going to build something you're gonna have fun with," he said.