New tennis and sports court builder

Private homeowners with larger gardens, tennis clubs, schools, councils, hotels and housing developers.

Fixed price per project, normally paid in stages. Larger jobs carry more margin but need money up front for materials and plant hire.

• Groundworks or construction experience
• Quoting, project planning and managing subcontractors
• Reading drawings and meeting site requirements

• New courts may need planning permission, especially with fencing or floodlights, so check with the local council
• Construction health and safety rules (CDM) apply, so check what you must have in place for each project
• Public liability and employer's liability insurance, plus cover for hired plant
• Clubs and schools often want accreditations such as CHAS or SafeContractor, and sometimes sports body approval, so check requirements
• Cash flow risk from large material bills, late payments and retentions held back by clients
• Ground conditions and drainage problems can push costs up, so survey carefully before quoting

Startup costs are typically around £15,000 to £60,000, depending on your equipment, insurance and how you set up the business. Plant can be hired rather than bought, and large material bills can strain cash flow, so plan for that.

Monthly revenue is typically around £6,000 to £30,000, depending on how many projects you win and how big they are. These are estimates rather than guarantees, and material costs, subcontractors and late payments will affect what you keep.

New courts may need planning permission, especially with fencing or floodlights, so check with your local council. Also check what construction health and safety (CDM) rules require for each project, and any accreditations such as CHAS or SafeContractor that clubs and schools want.