Everything you need to know about building a ball court cover

At Central Steel Build we can work with you to custom design a recreational space from ball court covers to indoor sports facilities and clubrooms. We have plenty of experience building Covered Over Learning Areas (COLA)  and can guide you on what is needed to get your recreational cover project underway. To get you started, we’ve put together a list of considerations for building a ball court cover.

Size of your court

To give you an accurate quote for your COLA cover we need to know the exact court size. If you are unsure about the size and type of court you need to cover, here is a list of common Australian sport courts.

What style of ball court cover?

There are three main roof designs to choose from: gable, skillion or curved roof. In most cases, there is no structural benefit in choosing one roof type over another. Clients choose their roof style according to the cost and design preferences.

When deciding on roof style, ask the following questions:

• Do you want the ball court cover to fit in with the architecture of other buildings on site? If so, going for the same style is a good choice
• Do you want the ball court cover to stand out/be a feature? A curved or skillion roof is unique and can be a statement piece of architecture
• Are you looking for the most economical option? A gable roof is the most common and the least expensive. Curved roof covers are slightly more expensive, with skillion covers being the most expensive.

Do you need a planning permit?

When building a COLA cover at a public school, you will not need to obtain planning approval. However, if you are planning to build on a private school you will need a planning permit.

Do you require any other consultants before starting the project onsite?

If you require a planning permit and you do not wish to submit this yourself, you can engage an architect or building designer to do so. Other consultants that are commonly used in these projects are civil engineers for drainage and a landscape designer or architect.

Do you need to locate in-ground services?

If your school does not already have an in-ground services map you will need to have a survey done to locate in-ground services before any construction works take place on site.

Does your site have adequate access?

Site access refers to the entry, exit and turning area for machinery/vehicles where you wish to build. A good way to work out whether you have appropriate site access is to look at the ground area on google earth – are there any obstructions to stop cranes or trucks entering this area?

If you don’t think your site has adequate access you can contact us to discuss how to work around it.

Other elements incorporated in the court cover design

There is a range of different options you can add to the design of your ball court cover. Such as:

• Skylights: These allow natural light to filter into the covered area. This is a more economical form of lighting than installing and running electric lights
• Bird cappings: Do you have a problem with birds nesting at your school? If so you will need to include bird cappings in the ball court cover design
• Eave height: Do you require a particular eave height? This is often the case if clients wish for the court cover roof to line up with nearby buildings
• Do you require a certain clearance under the wall bracing? Most ball court covers have a minimum clearance of 3m under the wall bracing on the side walls (this is off the side of the court – not on the court)

Building over an existing court

CSB can build over existing courts and on new sites (where the ball court surface is not yet installed). When building over an existing ball court you need to consider:

• What the surface of the court is made from and if we can drive machinery on it
• Whether the court level or sloped. Most existing courts have a slope for drainage and can sometimes be greater than expected
• If there are fences around the court and if they will remain in place during construction. If so, this can affect the ease of installation

Our recreational building specialist can help you with your COLA cover project and provide you with an obligation free quote, so get in touch today.