Building a bouldering gym at my university... Where to start?

Hi there! My university has around $15,000 sitting in a project fund and has expressed interest in converting one of our racquetball courts into a climbing facility with that money. Our ASC (student government) president contacted me and asked me to write a proposal including proposed cost, how we would construct it, what it would look like, and other things I may think of. The court is only 20' tall, 40' long, and 20' wide, so Im thinking a bouldering gym would be the best way to go. I have lots of ideas for design, as well as lots of ideas about how to get holds and padding for the floors. What I don't have a clue about is how to build it. Student government wants it to look as good as possible for the budget, so keep that in mind. Im going to get quotes from Walltopia and Enterprise, but I would imagine that they'll both be WAY out of our price range. Presuming we'll end up having to organize construction and design it on our own, what steps would you guys advise taking first? Id like to hire someone who has constructed walls before to help us design it and oversee construction, but past that Im completely lost as to how to start this. We have a group of fairly dedicated climbers here who are willing to put any amount of work in, but we have no construction or design experience. What would you guys recommend? Thanks so much. Also, if your advice is "theres no way youll be able to do that," thats okay. If we'll need to cut corners somewhere or downsize the project, it would be best to start thinking about that now I guess.

We did the same decades ago to a racketball court...it had to be a 'woodie' of some kind. We only covered 2 walls, and did have big ass roofs, and even some toprope areas, not just bouldering. Easy to frame out, not to expensive IF you can get volunteer trained labor to keep costs just for materials. Don't forget the cost of floor padding too.

Sounds like you should hire a carpenter that is willing to use you guys as labor help. If you want it to look pro, it will be worth having professional advice. Where are you located?

Were at George Fox University outside of Portland, Oregon. Thanks so much for the replies! We really want it to look well put together. Do you think it would be worth contacting just normal contractors, or should we look for someone more specialized? Again we have 15,000 dollars and past just random speculation I have no idea how far well be able to stretch that.

One key feature I really like to see is a campus board and hangboard for training. A college rec center type wall is usually not amazing but having a campus board would be phenomenal.

We converted a squash court into a bouldering gym about ten yrs ago at a college in BC on a similar budget. There are a few pics here:
selkirk.ca/student-experien…
For your budget you'll def be building it yourself, need 3 or 4 grand for holds and the same for pads. If you come up with a good design any decent framer will build a bomber wall for you cheap. One mistake we made in design was incorporating too many features- they all blend together and don't climb well, I'd stick to a slight overhang down one side, steep on the other with a roof at the back, and a few prows or bulges thrown in. Hold companies will give you their pro prices if you ask and there is usually local funding sources you should search out too.
go high, 14-16'. And good luck!

We did this in a racquetball court at Carleton College a few years ago, just as I was graduating. I learned a lot from it.
First of all, I agree with the above note about keeping features to a minimum. True. Keep it simple. Ideally, you will have these:
0 degree wall*
15 degree wall*
45 degree wall
60 degree wall*
These degrees are measured from vertical, so a 0 degree is vertical, and a 60 is steeply overhanging. I've asterixed the ones you should prioritize.
Have a nice, sanded 2x6 rail at the top to grab, and 12-14' high for this lip seems reasonable. For shorter, or easier problems, they will finish on a large hold below the top lip. These will be safer for beginners.
Do your best to make the back of the walls accessible. It doesn't have to be comfy back there, but you should be able to get in to replace T nuts (because they will inevitably get shredded). Otherwise, you end up with fewer and fewer usable spots on the wall.
Whatever you decide to do, keep it simple. Walls that have climbing surface less than 8 feet wide will feel ridiculously cramped. 12-16 foot wide surfaces are awesome.
I think it would be best to check out as many surfaces as you can, too. Happy building!

Thank you guys so much! If we get a design ready to go, would you guys recommend contacting construction companies to frame it or should we just try and do it ourselves? Also, what thickness of plywood would you recommend? Lastly, any good places to learn about how to finish the wood and put texture on it? Sorry for all the questions, Im just so lost. You guys are the best!

Don't forget Eldorado; the more quotes the better.

Doing it in house will be cheaper assuming you can find the right person for the job.

Think about future liabilities that may arise depending on who does the construction work.

I would propose seeing if you can't lump this into a future project, speak with administrators (whoever controls the $), secure additional funding, and do it right the first time.

I manage a climbing gym at Nike that was built for visual impact when installed, and now 13 years later we are looking at $250,000 to do it all over. You might never get a second chance.

This might not work, but usually the only negative of exploring these alternatives is getting a "no". Than you are back to your original scope and haven't lost anything. Feel free to PM me if you wish.

@cmagee

I would recommend hiring a contractor that has at least some finishing/trim skills. A framer will get the framing right, but sometimes they do rough work. A finish carpenter will know how to frame, but will also know how to make the walls and joints look good.

Someone with climbing experience will 'get' what you really want a bit more than someone who does not. (ie a climber might understand the desire to dyno to a single bucket hold, and would hence understand the kinds of force exerted on the holds and walls, and thus how heavily to build them).

If I was in Portland I would do it!
Check out the 'what does your woody look like' thread also for good ideas. vertical walls get boring unless you really like slopers.