Convert a Basketball Court to Pickleball: Fit, Cost and Checks

New lines and portable nets on an old barangay slab. The lines are the cheap part; the slab under them decides how long they last. Illustrative photo.

Short answer: yes, an old basketball court, a driveway or a plain concrete slab can usually be turned into pickleball courts, and the slab's condition matters more than the paint. A pickleball court is 20 × 44 ft (6.10 × 13.41 m); the USA Pickleball rulebook gives 30 × 60 ft (9.14 × 18.29 m) as the minimum playing surface, and 34 × 64 ft for new construction. Inside the 28 × 15 m court markings of a FIBA-size basketball court that fits one court (28 ÷ 18.29 = 1, 15 ÷ 9.14 = 1). On the full 32 × 19 m floor, with its 2 m run-off lane, three fit when turned across the width. For the calculator's default case, a 28 × 15 m slab (420 sqm) in fair condition, repainted with a silica-sand paint system and one portable net, the AEDO 2026 planning range is about ₱166,700 to ₱267,700, roughly ₱397 to ₱637 per sqm of slab. Lighting, fencing, a roof and structural repairs are extra. If the slab is cracked, sinking or ponding, that number is not yet the real number: check the slab first.

The calculator below works out how many courts fit your slab and a budget range with line items. After it: the official sizes and the layout working, what to check on the slab, what may be in the way, the resurfacing options with the prices we can source, nets and lines, lighting and fences, noise, the permit position, and the mistakes we see.

1. How Many Courts Fit: Official Sizes and the Working

Two rulebooks give us the numbers. No Philippine code sets a pickleball court size, so we use the sport's own rules. Here is what is official and what is our layout arithmetic.

The 30 × 60 ft area is the 20 × 44 ft court plus 5 ft beyond each sideline (30 − 20 = 10, halved) and 8 ft beyond each baseline (60 − 44 = 16, halved). The rulebook is silent on how neighbouring courts share those margins. We count each court with its own full area, which is the safe reading.

The working, one slab at a time

Take the module as 9.144 × 18.288 m (30 × 60 ft). For a slab L × W, count floor(L ÷ 18.288) × floor(W ÷ 9.144) with the court's long side along L, then the same with the long side along W, and keep the larger.

Two things stand out. First, a plain 28 × 15 m basketball court gives you one court, not the two or three people hope for; the extra courts come from the run-off lane, if your slab includes it. Second, 20 × 10 m and 24 × 12 m slabs are also one-court slabs, and a 10 m width is 36 cm short of the 34 × 64 ft new-construction width (10.36 m).

Don't pack bare 20 × 44 ft courts edge to edge. On 28 × 15 m that arithmetic gives four (28 ÷ 13.41 = 2, 15 ÷ 6.10 = 2), with nowhere to step past a baseline or sideline. It's on paper only. If you want two courts on a tight slab, ask an engineer to draw it with the real net posts and the real margins, and understand you are then below what the rulebook calls the minimum playing surface.

2. Check the Slab First

Paint and lines are a skin. On a basketball court that has carried 20 years of play and rain, the skin is the last thing to worry about. Walk the slab with a tape, a 3 m straightedge, a bucket of water and your phone before anyone quotes paint:

• Cracks. Hairline cracks that you can barely catch with a fingernail are normal shrinkage and can be routed, sealed and painted over. Cracks wide enough to take a coin edge, cracks with one side higher than the other, or cracks running in a line across the whole slab are movement, not shrinkage. Map them with chalk and photograph them with the tape in the frame. Our crack repair guide explains how to tell the types apart.
• Settlement. Slabs sink where fill was poor, where a drain pipe leaks under them, or where a nearby tree or trench changed the soil. A slab panel that rocks when you stand on the edge, a step at a joint, or a gap between the slab and the perimeter curb are all signs. Our sinking floor guide covers repair options and costs. Paint and mats don't cure a void under the slab.
• Slope and ponding. Pour water at several spots on a dry day and watch where it goes, then look at the slab an hour after real rain. Puddles that stay for hours mean flat spots. Water that runs quickly in one direction means the slab has a fall. Pickleball has no slope limit in the USA Pickleball 2026 rulebook court section we read, and we found no Philippine standard for it. AEDO's own planning practice for an outdoor court is a gentle fall of about 1% (1 cm per metre) in one direction, off the court, into a drain or lawn. That figure is our practice, not a code. Ponding deeper than a coin is a levelling job and goes beyond a repaint.
• Thickness and subgrade. A driveway slab is usually thinner than a court slab should be. For reference, AEDO's Manjuyod court slab is 100 mm (4 in) of Class A concrete on 50 mm compacted gravel, with 10 mm temperature bars at 400 mm both ways and saw-cut contraction joints, on an engineered compacted fill. You can measure thickness at a broken edge, a cut, or by coring; our core testing guide covers what the code accepts, and a core costs ₱3,500 to ₱8,000 per core on AEDO's 2026 practice band, excluding access equipment and out-of-town mobilisation.
• The old surface. Scrape a test patch. Old paint that comes off in sheets will lift your new paint too, so it has to be removed or ground. Dusty, chalky concrete needs grinding or a penetrating primer. Oil stains from parked vehicles on a driveway have to come out first.
• Edges and drains. A crumbling perimeter curb, a blocked outlet or a leaking roof gutter draining onto the court will undo your new surface within a season.

Good news is common: a slab with hairline cracks, a fall to one side and a worn surface is a routine resurfacing job. Bad news is also common: a slab with a settled corner and a puddle in the middle is not. Section 9 explains when it is worth paying for an assessment before you buy the paint. Our structural assessment report guide shows what a report contains.

3. Roof, Columns, Backboards and Posts

Count what is standing on the slab. The USA Pickleball 2026 rulebook defines a permanent object as any object on, above or near the court that can interfere with play, and its examples include ceilings, walls, fencing, lighting fixtures and net posts. A ball that hits one is a fault (7.E.3, 10.C.4). We read the rulebook for a minimum ceiling height and did not find one. So the practical test is yours: stand at the baseline and serve a high lob. If the ball hits the roof, it's too low.

• Basketball hoops and poles. FIBA Article 2.2 says the 2 m lane around the court must be free of obstructions, so a FIBA-compliant hoop stand stands outside the 32 × 19 m floor. Many barangay courts don't follow that, and their poles stand at or inside the baseline, where they can fall inside a pickleball play area. Portable-base hoops can be moved; fixed poles cost money to cut and core out. If you keep the hoop, lay the pickleball courts so no pole falls within the play area.
• Roof columns and truss lines. On a covered court, columns often stand on the sidelines of the basketball court, right where a pickleball baseline would land. Overlay the column grid on the 30 × 60 ft modules before you count courts. Our covered court cost guide covers how those halls are framed and our clear height guide covers height in general.
• Walls, fences and bleachers. A wall 1 m behind the baseline is a hazard as well as a playing limit. You can leave it and accept a house rule, but you can't count that court at full size.
• Lighting and fans. Fixtures are permanent objects too. Low-hung lights or fans over a covered court are in the ball's path as well.

If the roof is what you want to build or upgrade, our covered pickleball court roof guide covers the structure and cost. If a roof is already there and old, ask for a structural check before you add lights or fans to it.

4. Resurfacing Options and Prices

The pillar guide, pickleball court construction cost, covers new slabs. This section is only for a slab that already exists. Prices come from two sources: AEDO's Manjuyod contract, and AEDO 2026 planning ranges. The planning ranges are our own working numbers for budgeting. We did not find Philippine supplier price lists for sport-court systems, so anything that is not from the Manjuyod job is labelled a planning range and needs a quote before you commit.

Real numbers: the Manjuyod job

AEDO's 2-court open court in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental has a court pad of 352.63 sqm. The contract prices, all-in (materials, labour and equipment) at provincial Negros Oriental rates, are:

Polishing plus painting is 135.82 + 221.64 = ₱357.46 per sqm. These are prices for a new slab that AEDO poured. On an existing slab the prep is different: it can be less (the slab is already cured) or more (old paint, stains, cracks, spalls, high spots). That is why the calculator adds a separate prep line by slab condition. The whole Manjuyod job is a fixed price of ₱1,100,000, and it includes footings, pedestals, backfill and a retaining wall for a raised pad, so don't divide it by area for a cost per sqm of resurfacing.

Prep on an existing slab (AEDO 2026 planning ranges)

A poor slab has no reliable price until someone has looked at it. If it has to be replaced, AEDO's Manjuyod new-slab price of ₱814.71 per sqm is a reference for the concrete alone. That is ₱342,178 for 420 sqm, before demolition, fill, drainage and finishing.

The six systems compared

The table gives the surface cost per sqm and for one 30 × 60 ft area (167.2 sqm). Prep is extra and is priced in the calculator by condition.

Sources for the table: ₱221.64, ₱135.82 and ₱357.46 are AEDO's Manjuyod contract prices (new slab, Negros Oriental, all-in). Every other figure, including the ₱300 and ₱450 upper ends, is an AEDO 2026 planning range that we set for budgeting; it is not a supplier price list, and the ranges for multi-coat acrylic, cushioned acrylic, epoxy and tiles match those in our construction cost guide. We searched for Philippine supplier prices for court systems (Boysen, Davies and Nippon Paint Philippines price lists and listings) and found no unit price for a court system, so none is quoted. We give no re-coat life because we have no manufacturer figure. Areas are 167.2 sqm per court. Foreign court prices are not used. Get a written quote and the manufacturer's data sheet for whichever system you choose.

Why repainting looks so much cheaper than the ₱500 to ₱900 acrylic in the construction cost guide: the Manjuyod price is one paint system with silica sand on a slab AEDO had just poured, while the ₱500 to ₱900 range is a multi-coat sports acrylic (crack filler, resurfacer, colour and textured coats), which is the second row of the table. Same slab, different scope of coating, so compare like with like.

How to read it: for a sound slab, repainting is where most of the value is, and the difference between it and polished concrete plus paint (about ₱136 per sqm) is worth paying only if the surface really needs grinding to get paint to hold. Cushioned systems and tiles are comfort upgrades. They are also the two where we can't give a solid Philippine price, so get quotes, not our range.

5. Lines, Nets and Posts

Lines. USA Pickleball 3.A.4.e has lines 2 inches (5.08 cm) wide, all the same colour and clearly contrasting with the playing surface; per 3.A.2, measurements go to the outside edge of the perimeter and non-volley zone lines. On a shared basketball court the old lines are still there. Paint pickleball lines in a colour that stands out from both the surface and the basketball lines, or use removable tape if the court will keep both games. Tape is the cheaper way to share; it wears out and has to be re-laid.

Nets. Per 3.B of the rulebook, posts are 22 ft (6.71 m) apart, inside to inside, within 1 inch; posts are at most 3 inches (7.62 cm) in diameter; the net is at least 21 ft 9 in long and is edged with a 2 inch white tape binding; the top is 36 inches (91.44 cm) high where the net crosses the sidelines and 34 inches (86.36 cm) at the centre, each within a quarter inch. Portable net systems and permanent posts both meet that.

• Portable nets suit a shared court: they can be moved off, they need no coring, and they cost less. AEDO 2026 planning range: ₱8,000 to ₱25,000 per court. Check that the base is heavy enough on windy days.
• Permanent posts in sleeves suit a dedicated court. They need core-drilled or cast sleeves through the slab, set to a proper position, and the slab has to be thick enough to take it. AEDO 2026 planning range: ₱25,000 to ₱60,000 per court. Have the sleeve position checked against the slab's reinforcement before coring.

Don't hang a net from a basketball hoop, a pole or a roof column. The net height tolerance is a quarter inch, and a post that moves in the wind will not hold it.

6. Lighting, Fence and Roof

• Lighting. AEDO's Manjuyod contract includes ten 100 W anti-glare LED floodlights for two courts, mounted on the owner's roof columns, in a lump-sum item (₱136,038) that also carries mobilisation, contingencies and overhead, so it is not a lighting price and we don't use it to set a rate. The proposal excludes poles. On a slab with no roof or columns, poles and their footings are usually the largest lighting cost. The calculator uses the planning range from our lighting guide for a bare court with pole-mounted fixtures at 300 lux, wiring and a panel: ₱170,000 to ₱380,000 for one court. (The guide's ₱164,000 to ₱371,000 per court is the average for two courts, which share one panel; a single court carries the whole panel.) It excludes the utility service and meter. It is much lower where fixtures can go on an existing sound roof frame. The pickleball court lighting guide covers lux, pole heights and the power supply, and our electrical service sizing guide covers whether your service can carry it.
• Fence. A perimeter fence keeps balls on the court and is a big part of the neighbour question. We did not price it: height, footing and wind exposure vary too much. Our CHB perimeter fence guide gives a starting point for a masonry version. A fence over 1.80 m has a permit angle; see section 8. Ask for a quote.
• Roof. A new roof over an existing slab is a structural job with wind load, footings and permits, and often costs more than the surface. See roof structure cost, NSCP wind load and our wind lookup tool. The pre-engineered steel building guide and concrete vs steel frame compare framing choices. Not priced in the calculator.

7. Noise and Neighbours

The sound of a pickleball paddle on a hard ball is short and sharp, and it repeats every few seconds for hours. Neighbours notice it. In the Philippines this is mostly a local question. Secondary sources point to a 1980 national ambient noise standard by area class (NPCC Memorandum Circular 002, enforced by DENR), which we could not open and read, so we don't quote its limits or say how it applies to a sports court. Many LGUs and subdivisions also have their own noise ordinance, curfew and HOA rules, and we did not find one that names pickleball. Ask your barangay hall, your LGU and your HOA before you build. Practical steps we suggest, from experience and not from a code: keep the courts as far from bedrooms as the slab allows, agree playing hours in writing, add a solid fence or planting on the side facing houses, and don't put lights on after the agreed hour. If you are a subdivision or resort, put the hours in your house rules from day one.

8. Permit: What Applies

We read the 2004 Revised IRR of PD 1096 (the National Building Code). This is what it says, and where we can't tell you what your Building Official will decide.

• The general rule (Section 301, item 1). No person may construct, alter, repair, convert, use, occupy, move, demolish or add to any building or structure, or any part of one, without a building permit from the Building Official.
• The exemption (Section 301, item 3.b.v). A building permit is not required for repair or replacement of flooring, provided the work doesn't violate the Code. The exemption is listed under minor constructions and repairs, "provided these shall not violate any provision of the Code". On our reading, cleaning, patching and repainting or resurfacing a slab is flooring work and likely exempt. Item 3.a.v also exempts footpaths and driveways. That is our reading; the Building Official decides, and the exemption does not cover a new slab, roof or structure.
• Occupancy (Rule VII). The IRR groups pelota, tennis, badminton and basketball courts under Group J, Division 3, and says an occupancy not named goes into the group it most nearly resembles by life and fire hazard. Pickleball isn't named. It plainly resembles the courts that are. Section 702 (change in use) bars changing a building's use into a different division or group unless it complies with the requirements for that division or group, and the Section 212 fines list includes changing use without a Certificate of Change of Use. Turning one court type into another within Division 3 is unlikely to trigger it, but a hall converted into a paid commercial facility may.
• What does need a permit path. A new roof, new columns, retaining walls, lighting poles and a raised pad are construction, not flooring repair. Section 301, item 2.b.ii lists fencing not exceeding 1.80 m as an accessory permit; Group J, Division 2 covers fences over 1.80 m as their own item. Ask about both.

The Amended JMC 2021-01 covers how construction-related permits are processed. We could not open the official file and did not read RA 11032, so we can't say whether either changes the Section 301 exemption list. Treat the above as the 2004 IRR position and confirm with your OBO. If you do need a permit, our guides on why plans get returned and commercial fit-out permits show what OBOs actually ask for.

9. When a Structural Assessment Pays Off

AEDO's Structural Assessment is ₱5,000 flat per the services page: a licensed-engineer site visit, an NSCP 2015 evaluation and a written report within 5 business days. Testing such as cores, if the report calls for it, is scoped and quoted separately. It is worth it when:

• the slab has wide or stepped cracks, a settled corner or a rocking panel;
• you plan a roof, posts, walls or lights on it, because you'll be loading it and its footings, not just painting it;
• you don't know the thickness or what is under it and the court is for a club, school, resort or subdivision that will have many players;
• you are spending more than a repaint, such as cushioned acrylic, tiles or a roof, on a slab you haven't checked.

It isn't needed for a sound slab that only needs new paint. Site visits are listed for Negros Oriental, Cebu, Luzon and NCR; elsewhere in the Philippines we work remotely from your photos and plans, and design and review from there. What the report finds decides whether you resurface, repair first or replace. AEDO builds only in Negros Oriental, so outside it the work itself goes to your own contractor, and our Project Oversight checks their milestones from ₱7,500 per visit. If you'd like a fee reference for design work, see our structural engineer fee guide.

10. Mistakes We See

1. Painting over a failed slab. The cracks come back through in a season, and the paint peels with them. Fix or assess first.
2. Ignoring the fall. A court that ponds after rain can't be played for hours. Standing water is also a slip risk. Test with water before you order paint.
3. Counting courts from the basketball markings alone. A 28 × 15 m court is one pickleball court. The extra ones are on the run-off, and only if it's paved and clear.
4. Forgetting the poles. Fixed hoops and roof columns eat the play area. Overlay them on the plan.
5. Sharing hoops and nets badly. Hanging a net from a hoop pole, or leaving a portable net where basketball is played, shortens the life of both. Use portable nets and removable lines on a shared court, or dedicate the court.
6. Lines that don't contrast. Pickleball lines the same colour as the basketball lines confuse everyone. The rulebook wants a colour clearly contrasting with the surface.
7. Polished concrete with no grit in the paint. A smooth surface can be slick when wet. The Manjuyod paint system carries a silica sand mix in the paint.
8. Buying by the lowest per-sqm quote. Ask what prep is in it. Grinding, crack repair and priming are where the two quotes really differ.
9. Skipping the neighbours. A quiet chat before lights and paddles saves you a barangay hearing.

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