How to Install a Sunken Trampoline

If you bought your children a garden trampoline for Christmas, or even bought one for yourself to enjoy some outdoor exercise without the need for a gym membership, it’s important that you install it safely and easily. Simply standing the trampoline on your lawn is the simpler way to install it, but it means that you often overlook your neighbours when jumping on it, and if anybody does fall off the trampoline they are very likely to injure themselves. Installing it as a sunken trampoline helps to reduce risks of serious injury (when done properly) and means that it does not dominate your garden as much since it’s just a continuation of the standard ground level.

Installing a sunken trampoline is relatively simple; just follow these instructions to help add the trampoline to your garden ready to use:

1. Decide where you want to place your trampoline and mark the size and position on your lawn – remember to make sure that it is a safe distance from sheds, fences, and any other potential hazards.
2. Move your trampoline and measure the length of its legs – you will need to dig out this depth.
3. Dig! Most outdoor trampolines are quite large, so it’s probably worth hiring a digger or even hiring somebody to do this stage for you, since there will be a lot of earth to move. Consider whether you will be placing the earth elsewhere in your garden or disposing of it and make sure you’re ready to do that before you start digging. Topsoil is good to keep, but you will probably want to dispose of subsoil.
4. Depending on your soil and drainage, you may want to add a mini sump in the centre of your hole by digging down an extra foot and filling that section with rubble. This should not be much more work than the overall digging.
5. Measure again and make sure that your hole is deep enough to fit into the hole without dipping below ground level. You may want to dig it so that the trampoline surface is 2-3 inches above ground level, but this creates a risk of things falling into the hole underneath the trampoline and may create a trip hazard. The hole should be large enough to accommodate the trampoline, but there should not be a gap around the edges.
6. Create a doughnut – this is a safety precaution to mark the trampoline area and to use up some of your excavated soil. Use your excavated topsoil to create a ring around the trampoline with a slope on either side and a flat top.
7. Cover your doughnut with turf – this makes it safe to run on and makes it more attractive.
8. Jump!

Building a sunken trampoline rather than just standing it up on your lawn helps your children to use the trampoline safely and protects it from the wind or stormy weather, so you do not need to worry about the trampoline blowing over or having to be secured to the ground. You may want to put a section of play bark on the inside of the doughnut for an even safer play area.