So you want to make an inground Trampoline?

You are in luck, we just did it and are here to share what we learned. Some people may wonder, can you put an above ground trampoline in the ground?

The answer is yes!

There are several options. Here’s how we did ours for under $100.

Definitely the easiest way to get the pit is to hire the digging out to someone with equipment or rent the equipment like a backhoe or a mini excavator. Depending on where you live, this can cost $200 – $500 to rent.

DIY Trampoline Pit

If you’re really determined and very much into saving money and DIY you can dig it by hand.

My husband dug this completely by hand. He’s amazing right? I thought it was a little crazy and not possible, but he treated it like his workout and did it every day for about two weeks.

He then used the extra dirt to create a greater slope away from the foundation of our house and make a hill to build a fish pond and waterfall for a later project.

So it is possible by hand and you can do it even with hard desert ground, just know what you’re getting into.

Sunken trampoline problems

The ground seemed so hard we decided not to put up a Trampoline retaining wall. Then a few months later, our neighbor’s water main broke and all the water drained into this pit. The sides weakened and then collapsed.

We knew we had to put up a retaining wall of some sort, but left it for the next spring.

Building a Retaining Wall for a Trampoline Pit

This article is on how to create a retaining wall using corrugated metal, because it’s cheap and easy. At the end of the article I will share all the other ways we considered before we began.

How Corrugated Metal Can be Used as a DIY Inground Trampoline Pit

Pros it’s inexpensive, the curved horizontal lines create a strong surface for a retaining wall.

Cons it may rust, it is sharp on the edges.

First you’ll want to dig out enough dirt for the metal sheet to slide into place.

This is what it looked like digging out the collapsed walls.

Fit Corrugated Sheets Around the sides of the Inground Trampoline Pit

We used 4’x10′ corrugated metal sheets. This allowed just enough room to bend around the middle poll while both edges fit behind the first and last poll. They run about $10 a sheet bringing the cost to just under a $100 for materials.

Tip : wear working gloves. As you are fitting the metal into place you will need to push down on the edges, which are sharp.

Bending Corrugated Metal For a Trampoline Pit

We tried two methods. Bending it before we put it in and bending it while we put it in. Both had successes and failures.

Both bends highlighted below were done by bending while we put them in place. As you can see sometimes it worked very well. However our worst bend job also came from bending while putting it in the pit.

We then tried bending it before by having our kids stand where we wanted it to bend while we pushed the sheet up. We got mediocre bends.

Ultimately we decided to just chance it and bend as we went.

A long metal pipe may work better, we just decided to wing it.

How to Avoid Sharp Edges on Trampoline Retaining Walls and How to Create Air Flow

As has been noted, corrugated metal is sharp on the edges. A friend’s daughter slipped on their tramp while jumping and cut her leg. Not a bad cut, but still not desirable.

We decided to combat this by having the metal sit well below the edge of the trampoline and have the earth slope down to the metal.

Eventually grass will grow towards the metal retaining wall and slightly cover the metal edge.

The added bonus of having this slope is it will also allow air to escape which creates a greater bounce. If the trampoline comes flush to the ground the air won’t move out of the way and will create a belly flop, hard bounce.

In ground trampoline drainage

We don’t have a nifty drain in the middle, that would be really smart and we may do that one day. But we do have a down spout draining field right in the trampoline pit.

My husband discovered it while digging. It’s basically a pile of rocks, to prevent erosion, covered with dirt.

We left the whole thing where it was. Eventually we will put up some 2x4s to reinforce the sides where the drain field is.

It also works as a handy slope to get in and out of the pit.

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but I came through with a rake and built up the sides with a slight decline towards the middle.

This will help reinforce the bottom edge of the corrugated metal and any water that does make it in can drain to the middle and evaporate.

How Well Does a Trampoline Retaining Wall Hold up?

We came up with a corrugated retaining wall out of necessity. After the walls caved in, the erosion kept going. Our other neighbor’s garden irrigation was slowly eating away at one side.

If you have alot of erosion from water first put up the wall, then fill with gravel then dirt. The gravel will help filter the water and reduce the erosion effect.

The section I have circled here has been up over a year and is still going strong. No bulging or signs of giving way.

Alternative Spring Covers for an Inground Trampoline Pit

The heat and wind desinegrated our trampoline pad. We wanted something that wouldn’t blow away, but would also protect our kids from spring pinches.

Pool noodles were the thing we needed. They fit the spring with just enough room to slide.

Fitting Pool Noodles for Trampoline Springs

First get these on clearance at the end of summer. This measures the whole inground trampoline package really come to under $100

Next cut noodles with a serrated knife about 5″ or the length of the spring stretch section leaving the metal loops exposed.

This will make for easier assembly onto the frame.

Slide the springs into each pool noodle section.

Put all the springs onto the frame, then begin to put the trampoline mat in place.

How to Assemble a Trampoline

The trampoline mat can be difficult to get on the frame. You will want to have these cool tools that grip the spring and allow you to pull it onto the trampoline mat ring.

Towards the end when it’s really difficult, we found it worked best for me to pull the ring of the trampoline mat while my husband used a long flathead screw driver from the loop on the spring and connected the two together.

And it’s done!

The kids love jumping, we love them getting the exercise and being outside. The longer we’ve had the trampoline the more comfortable and daring our children have become.

So we’re coming up with rules to keep kids heads in place.

What are go – to rules that have kept your kids safe on the trampoline?

Here are some other inground trampoline ideas we also considered

Buying a Trampoline Retaining Wall Kit

They will run you $800 at Trampolines Down Under.

Pros it’s all set up meant to fit your trampoline.

Cons I’ve still seen these bulging, they’re not fail safe. But to be fair to Trampolines down under its possible they weren’t installed correctly.

Check out this design from their company. The curved sides give it added security.

Using a Cut Off End to a Grain Silo for an Inground Trampoline Retaining Wall

Runs you a few hundred. The idea is you buy the whole silo and cut them into sections. You can get 4-5 out of one silo, sell off the rest to pay for it.

Pros it’s one big, heavy duty circle. No bulging from dirt, no rust.

Cons it’s hard to find one.

Build a Trampoline Retaining Wall Out of Brick

The only version I saw of this had a huge 1′ gap all the way around. Which was built that way on purpose so kids could climb under and get things that had fallen. All I saw was my toddler tripping on it and face planting on the springs. It also is a lot of money for brick.

Pros it can look really classy

Cons it can be a hard place to fall.

Well that’s the inground trampoline pit info. We ultimately chose the corrugated metal because we tested it and saw it was working.

I hope this helped as you make your inground pit.

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And have a great day!

Natalie