When high winds knocked down the trees in Dan Falotico’s back yard three years ago, the Arlington Heights nature lover tempered his disappointment by turning the loss into an opportunity: He installed a multipurpose recreation court.
Now his children can spend the day shooting hoops without leaving home–and Falotico says the court is worth every penny of the $30,000 cost.
“Our original intent was to enjoy our back yard as more of a natural landscape, but a thunderstorm storm literally crumpled all of our trees,” Falotico said. “Everything was devastated and turned into wood chips. We had to make a decision about what to do with the area that was destroyed.”
His solution was a 45-by-70-foot athletic court. Such courts have become increasingly popular among parents who want to create a safe place for their children to play–and an amenity that the entire family can enjoy.
“People want to keep their children closer to home,” said Craig Polte, owner of Sport Court of Chicagoland in Elmhurst. “And I think that because of 9/11, a lot of people didn’t go on vacation. They invested their resources in other things, such as home entertainment.”
The courts that Polte’s company installs range from 1,000 square feet up to a full-size regulation tennis court, which is 7,200 square feet.
“You’ll have a basketball hoop, tennis, women’s volleyball,” Polte said. “And the surface is great for roller-blading, or simply hopscotch. You can truly give someone a court they can play 15 different games on.”
While Polte has installed some full-size tennis courts for $80,000, he said most jobs cost $10,000 to $20,000.
“That money gets you the court that you can play all the different sports on,” he said. “Its something for everyone.”
Mike Scalet, vice president of Gem Game Courts in McHenry, said interest has been strong in the multipurpose courts and golf greens his company installs.
“I’m shocked by the amount of inquiries I’ve had,” Scalet said. “… I get one to three [calls] a week on putting greens, and one or two for a course.”
Scalet said his company charges $12 to $18 a square foot for the average putting green.
“We’re doing one right now for more than $30,000,” Scalet said. “We also put in a number of 45-by-70-square-foot combination basketball and volleyball courts. All of these add value to the home and put a new dimension in the back yard. And it keeps children at home.”
Falotico said his court helps him and his wife to feel more secure about where their children–Mark, 6, and Lauren, 9–play and socialize.
“We have parks that are relatively nearby, but the kids being the ages that ours are, you can’t just drop them off at the park and leave them there for a day,” he said. “We can go out with them now and play with kids in back yard, without having to pack a car and water bottles and make a whole day trip out to park.”
Falotico’s court has a concrete base with a polyethylene tile system for the surface.
In Lake Forest, Conrad Theodore installed a sports court on his 1 1/2-acre property two years ago and said his children–ages 6, 8 and 10–grow more enthusiastic about it every day.
“You become the most popular family in the neighborhood when you get this, because all the kids come to your house and play,” Theodore said. “Which is a good thing, because you can keep an eye out for your kids and always know where they’re at.”
Theodore said he paid around $15,000 for the 35-by-50-foot court–and he considers it a solid financial investment.
“If we were ever to move, I’m sure that would be a big resell thing for the house,” he said. “But we got it for us. I know we’ll get a number of years of use from it. When I was growing up, we just had a basket stuck to the garage door. It probably cost about $80. We got so much use out of it, we were out there all year round. So I can just imagine how much use we’re going to get out of this as the years go by.”
Last summer, Lou DePasquale Jr. of Orland Park installed a 35-by-65-foot sports court with tennis, volleyball and one basketball net, as well as a 16-by-35-foot putting green in his back yard. Location and convenience, he said, were two factors that prompted his decision.
“We’re in the suburbs, so there aren’t really places our kids can get to with their bikes,” DePasquale said. “This is something right in our back yard. I help coach the local basketball team, and we’ve had a few practices on the court. That’s great, since court time is at a premium these days.”
As much sense as it makes to him now, DePasquale said he was reluctant at first about installing a court, in part because of the cost.
“We tried to scale back because of the initial sticker shock, but that was until we visited some people in the neighborhood who have a court,” he said. “After we returned from their place, I sat down with my wife and said we needed to do it all, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense. It was too nice.”
Long-term investment
In the end, DePasquale said he had no qualms about plucking down tens of thousands of dollars for the court.
“It’s definitely a long-term investment. We’re not going anywhere, so if the little guy–who is 5 now–is here until he’s 20, that’s 15 years,” said DePasquale, whose other children are 9 and 11. “Over that period of time, in my view, it’s nothing.”
Mats Jonmarker, chief executive and president of Swiss Flex Stores America in Kewane, said home courts appeal to safety-conscious parents.
“These days, for security purposes, you might not want to send your kids out on their own,” Jonmarker said.
“Kids can develop their sports skills on a multipurpose court from a young age up to the high school and college level without sending them across town to a YMCA or a public facility,” he said. Swiss Flex manufactures custom back-yard multipurpose courts that range from $2,500 for a small basketball court to $50,000 for a full court–combination basketball, paddle tennis and volleyball.
Chuck Fricke, owner of Turf Masters of Chicagoland in Lincolnwood, said a putting green can be perfect for a golf enthusiast.
“I knocked eight strokes off my handicap since I bought this business, because I’m chipping and I’m putting. That’s 65 percent of the game,” said Fricke, an authorized dealer for the Mirage Putting Green Turf System. “If you don’t have an opportunity to practice the chipping and the putting–which most golfers don’t do much of when on a course–you’ll never get any better at short game.”
Fricke’s fees range from $15 to $20 per square foot, based on factors such as turf type, the manufacturer, installation and frills like fringe, long grass or synthetic turf. In higher-end installations, the turf is glued to the base, “creating a more rigid, smoother base.”
The average putting green, he said, is 300 to 600 square feet.
“If someone has the property, they’ll put in anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet,” he said. “I think it’s a better value for the entertainment dollar than a swimming pool, which is limited to seasonal use. …A putting green can basically be used year-round.”
