Top Tips for Digging a Trampoline into the Ground

Installing an in-ground trampoline is easier than ever, but a bit of careful research and planning will help make your project a great success and you'll have problem-free trampolining for years to come.

If you do nothing else, make sure you get the following right & avoid the pitfalls that some people make.

You should carefully check the following:

• You don't have a high water table - this can be done by digging a trial hole about 3ft deep and waiting 24 hours to see if it fills up. Also installing an in-ground trampoline in an area prone to flooding or lying water is not a great idea!
• You don't have any water, drainage, gas or electric cables running close to the surface where you want to site the trampoline.
• You have sufficient run-off space (preferably 2 metres) around the trampoline before coming to anything hazardous such as fences and walls. Kids use in-ground trampolines differently to normal trampolines and you need as much space as possible around the trampoline to get as much benefit as possible.

The cost of upgrading to a good specification trampoline is not that much in relation to the overall cost of your project. Chosing a higher quality trampoline means it will last longer in the ground, be safer, and always have spare parts available to you.

The unique combination of the vented, high-performance jump mat used on the North Inground Trampoline PLUS our vented safety padding not only looks like a design feature in your garden, but means the kids get a truly great bounce!

Size? You should also look to buy as large a trampoline as possible - kids grow up quickly and of course lots of friends will use the trampoline. More space means more room to play, hang out and make games.

Many people think that they can lose their dug-out soil in their gardens e.g. in flower beds, in borders, behind sheds. Soil expands as much as 3 times when taken out of the ground and there's a surprising amount of earth that comes out of a trampoline hole.

If you're using a skip then for most trampolines you'll need to hire a medium-sized (8 yard or 10 yard skip) to remove all the soil.

The problem of water collecting in the hole and creating a pond cannot be ignored but really isn't as big an issue as is often made out. If you have porous, sandy soil, then you probably won't need any drainage.

If you're in any doubt, then it's best as a minimum, to put in a soak-away at the bottom of the hole. If you're really concerned, then ask a drainage expert.

Drainage can be sorted out after the trampoline has been installed. All you'll need to do is take the jump mat off (10 minutes work) to access the hole again. So our advice is to use some common sense, don't spend a fortune on drainage upfront. inspect the hole after it's rained a lot.