GlassCourtsNorth America's padel boom is being built inside yesterday's retail and warehouse space. The math works for both sides: landlords get a long-lease tenant in space that is hard to fill, and operators skip the cost of a new building. Canada's recent openings — including multi-court clubs in suburban GTA industrial-retail units — follow exactly this pattern.
The non-negotiables
- Clear ceiling height: padel's lob game needs height. Aim for 8 m+ clear under structure and lights; 6–7 m is playable but limiting, and anything less will hurt you with experienced players. Measure to the lowest beam, duct or sprinkler line.
- Floor slab: courts mount on a flat, level concrete pad. Check slab condition, load capacity and whether levelling is needed.
- Column spacing: wide clear spans are gold. Every column inside a court footprint is a problem to design around.
- Footprint: each court needs roughly 22 m × 12 m including run-off and walkways, plus reception, change rooms and social space. A 4-court club typically wants 25,000 sq ft or more with amenities.
The checklist before you sign
- Zoning: indoor recreation / assembly use permitted? Change-of-use process in your municipality?
- Sprinklers & fire code for assembly occupancy; washroom counts.
- HVAC: heating a high-ceiling box through a Canadian winter is a real operating cost.
- Acoustics: padel is loud — ball, glass, players. Neighbours and lease clauses matter.
- Parking and evening/weekend access; signage rights.
- Lease length: court payback needs years, not months — negotiate term + renewal with conversion costs in mind.
Costs
See the cost guide: roughly $40,000 per court installed (planning figure) plus leaseholds, with published facility-opening estimates starting around $250,000. We don't do conversions ourselves — the builders directory lists the companies that do.