DIY In Ground Trampoline

Wow, this project took hours and hours and hours of digging. If the ground had been hard or rocky like our last yard; there is no way I would have dug this hole with a shovel. NO WAY!!! I estimate this took 20-24 hours of digging. I considered it my exercise for the week :)

Total project cost about $100 for supplies, plus the cost of the trampoline.

The first thing I did was decide where I wanted the trampoline in the ground. I chose an area away from the house; an area with good drainage; a location away from sprinklers and trees. I also chose the location because it will be shady in the morning and when our little fruit trees start growing, it may be shady in the evenings too.

Ron decided what type of frame he wanted to surround the trampoline. After all that digging, we didn't want to end up with cave-ins and have to re-dig. He bought treated wood and secured it to the trampoline. We left space at the top for air to escape and give us a good bounce underground. (It worked really well).

He bolted each section together and then fastened wire fencing around it as well.

Even the baby helped!

Then Ron attached cardboard to the wood to create a weed barrier and to help reform the dirt around the trampoline. I tried helping him lift everything into the hole, but it was too heavy for me. Ron grabbed a neighbor and the two of them drove it to its new home, where I hope it will stay for a very long time.

Our next plan is to plant woolly thyme around it and possibly a couple of junipers behind it. The back side slopes down from the trampoline quite a bit. (Better drainage and less digging!)

My kids LOVE it!!! And their screams of joy can be heard all through the neighborhood.