In-ground, above-ground or deck: which trampoline is better?
It depends on your garden, not the bounce. All three use the same handmade 2-string bed and 11-inch springs. In-ground sits flush with the lawn and gives the lowest fall height, but needs a pit, drainage and three to five days of work. Above-ground stands about 1.0 m tall, goes up in an afternoon and can move house with you. Deck bolts to a structural wall for a flush finish.
What’s the difference between in-ground, above-ground and deck?
Same trampoline, three ways to stand it up.
| In-ground | Above-ground | Deck | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it sits | Flush with the lawn, over a pit. Short legs are concreted into the ground. | Free-standing on braced legs, about 1.0 m high. | Flush with the deck or ground. The frame has no legs: it bolts to a structural retaining wall or engineered deck. |
| Spring cover | Rubber surround | 20 mm weather-proof padding | Rubber surround |
| What the site needs | A pit, drainage, and concrete for the legs | Level ground | A pit with a structural retaining wall, or an engineered deck |
| Kit price, inc GST | from $9,725 | from $12,150 | from $8,595 |
Kit prices are for the Family size. Every size in every mounting is on our compare page.
Not a standard yard? Plenty aren’t. A large share of what we build is custom: frames and beds made to fit the space, for homes as well as venues. One family had theirs built into the deck of their new house, and called it “a perfect custom solution for a compact space.” If none of the four standard sizes fits, tell us about the space.
Is an in-ground trampoline safer than one with a net?
We don’t call any trampoline the safest, and we don’t rate one mounting as safe and another as unsafe. Here is what each choice actually changes.
Fall height. An in-ground trampoline sits flush in its pit, so a misstep toward the edge lands on a surround at ground level, not a drop of about a metre from an above-ground frame. Of our three mountings, in-ground gives the lowest fall height. A deck model sits flush with the deck around it.
Covered springs. On every Mr Trampoline the springs are fully covered, by rubber on in-ground and deck models and by padding above-ground, so feet can’t slip between them. The cover is not a landing pad.
The bounce draws you to the middle. Long springs, densely set on a large rectangular bed, draw a jumper back toward the centre, away from the frame.
Nets. Nets are not part of our model, on any mounting. We design for one jumper at a time, landing in the centre of the bed, with children supervised.
There is always some risk in bouncing. In our experience it comes down to the person and their ability far more than the equipment. The rules are the same on every mounting:
- One person at a time.
- Land in the centre of the bed.
- Stay off the rubber or padding.
- Supervise children, especially those aged about 2 to 5.
How soon can we be bouncing?
Sooner than you’d think, at least on our end. All four standard sizes are held in stock in green or blue, and we typically ship the next business day. Other colours and custom sizes are made to order.
Better still, come and get it. Pickup from our Carnegie workshop is same day, and it’s the way we like best: you see where it’s made, and we meet the family it’s going to. We’re at 966–968 Dandenong Road, Carnegie, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. A kit is a single skid of 230–250 kg, so call ahead and we’ll have it ready. One customer who collected theirs: “the owner dropped everything he was doing and walked us around the plant.”
Not in Melbourne? Freight is quoted live from your postcode on each kit page, to your address by forklift or to a freight depot near you.
The ground is the slow part. An in-ground install takes three to five days of site work. An above-ground model takes two people two to three hours.
What does each one cost to put in?
The kit is the easy bit. The hole is where the money goes.
- In-ground: a mid-priced kit, but the most site work of the three. Someone has to dig the pit, concrete the legs, sort out the drainage and set the frame. Most in-ground customers have their own builder or landscaper do it, working from our drawings.
- Above-ground: the highest kit price, because it includes the legs, bracing and padding, but there’s no digging at all.
- Deck: the lowest kit price, because the frame has no legs. The cost is in the pit and the structural wall or deck it bolts to, which your builder designs and builds. Ask us for deck quoting.
No kit includes excavation, the pit, drainage, concrete, timber decking, a retaining structure, installation labour or freight. Our installation page sets out what in-ground installation and above-ground setup cost, model by model.
You can install any of them yourself. It isn’t difficult, just specialised. In Melbourne and regional Victoria we can usually connect you with an installer who’s happy to do the work. Elsewhere in Australia, ask us and we’ll tell you honestly what’s possible for your area.
How much digging and drainage does an in-ground trampoline need?
Water always finds the lowest point in the garden. Dig a trampoline pit and you’ve just made one, so plan where the water goes before anything else.
The frame is set level at ground height, its 600 mm legs are concreted in, and the pit is dug inside it, with sloping walls and a base that falls toward a drainage point. A mini excavator makes short work of it. Expect roughly three truck loads of soil from a Family pit, four from an Olympic and four to five from an Olympic Elite.
Natural drainage, a pipe carrying water to a lower point in the garden, is the simplest. On a high water table or poorly draining ground, a sump pump goes in a small pit at the low end. It needs a power point, which a licensed electrician must install.
Rendering the pit walls over mesh is optional, but we recommend it. It keeps weeds and roots out from under the bed and means fewer pit cleans.
A deck model needs a pit too, lined with a masonry-block or timber-sleeper wall that your builder or engineer designs. An above-ground model needs no digging, just level ground.
The pit depth, wall slope and drainage detail for each model are in our installation guides, free to download and written to hand straight to your builder.
Which one suits my yard?
In-ground suits a garden where the trampoline should be part of the lawn rather than sit on it. It’s the model most of our customers choose, and the one landscape designers ask for by name. It suits young families who want the lowest fall height, and a spot you’re happy to make permanent. You’ll need machine access to dig the pit.
Above-ground suits a rented home, a garden you may change, ground you can’t or don’t want to dig, or a family that wants to be bouncing this weekend. You need level ground and room for a frame about a metre high.
Deck suits a new deck, terrace or retaining wall that’s being built anyway, with the trampoline designed in for a flush finish. The wall or deck must be structural. If you’re not sure, talk to us before you order.
Somewhere in between? That’s what custom work is for. Tell us the space and we’ll tell you what fits.
Whichever you choose, measure against the frame’s external size, not the mat: from 4625 × 2820 mm for a Family to 5250 × 3070 mm for an Olympic Elite. Allow at least 5 m clear overhead and, ideally, 2 m around it. An in-ground trampoline can sit closer to fixed objects.
And if you’re weighing it up against a pool, one dad of three has a view: “I would put in 50 trampolines before I would install a pool.” (Andrew Quayle)
Can I move it later?
An above-ground goes where you go. An in-ground stays with the house, and the next family rarely complains.
Above-ground: yes. It’s free-standing, so it can move around the garden or come with you when you move house. With some modification, an above-ground frame can also be converted to in-ground later. Ask us what yours would need.
In-ground and deck: treat them as permanent. The legs are concreted in, or the frame is bolted to its wall. If you might want to take it with you, choose above-ground or talk to us first. One family selling up after more than fifteen years with theirs told us it was “ready for another young family to enjoy for years to come.”
Whatever the mounting, the parts that wear are replaceable: beds, springs, clips and surrounds are stocked for all four standard sizes. In Victoria we’ll come out and service it. Interstate, we can find contractors we’ve dealt with who’ll do the job properly.
Does the mounting change the bounce?
No. Each size uses the same woven 2-string bed and the same 11-inch springs in every mounting: 98 springs on a Family, up to 114 on an Olympic Elite. Every frame is 100 × 50 mm Australian steel, hot-dip galvanised after fabrication. Set into the ground or bolted to a wall, the frame has nowhere to go, so your energy goes into the springs and the bed and comes back to you.
Choose the mounting for the yard and the size for the family. The bounce takes care of itself.
What should I look for in an in-ground trampoline?
It’s going in the ground for a long time, so kick the tyres before you dig.
- The frame. Ours is 100 × 50 mm Australian steel RHS, C350, with a 2.5 mm wall on in-ground frames, hot-dip galvanised after fabrication.
- The springs and bed. Long springs and a woven bed give a deep, smooth bounce. Ours are 11-inch springs and a 2-string bed woven on our own looms. We are the only weaver of 2-string beds in the Southern Hemisphere.
- A spring cover made for in-ground. A rubber surround that sits flush and covers the whole spring zone.
- Parts you can replace. Beds, springs, clips and surrounds stocked for every standard size, so the trampoline gets serviced, not thrown out.
- A written warranty. Ours is 30 years on the frame, 8 years on the bed (conditional on re-coating with our rubberised paint every 3 years) and 5 years on the rubber surround, for the original purchaser.
- An honest bed life. The 8-year warranty is the formal promise; real life is longer. Loved and looked after, re-coated every 3 years, a bed can be expected to last 20–25 years. Unloved and never re-coated, 10–12.
- Drawings your builder can work from. Our in-ground guide carries the pit dimensions, the concrete detail and the drainage requirement, and we’re happy to talk to your builder directly.
- Who made it. We are the longest continuously operating trampoline manufacturer in the world, on the same Melbourne site since 1949.
Still deciding?
Tell us about your garden, and send a photo if you can. We’ll tell you honestly which mounting suits it and what the site work involves. Or call the workshop on (03) 9571 5711, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.