Trampoline size guide for Irish gardens

BERG asks for 2 m of clear space at the sides of a trampoline and 7 m clear above it. Clear means free of fences, walls, hedges, trees, sheds, oil tanks, washing lines and anything else a person could meet on the way off. Overhead, it means branches, cables and the edge of a roof.

The side figure is the one that surprises people. Two metres on each side adds 4 m to the length and 4 m to the width, so the ground a trampoline needs is a good deal bigger than the trampoline.

1. Find the level part. Walk the garden and pick the patch that is flat. Leave out banks, beds and anything that falls away.
2. Measure its length and width. A tape, or long paces at about a metre each, is close enough to start with.
3. Mark what stands on each side. Wall, hedge, fence, shed, tree. Measure from those, since they are where the 2 m starts.
4. Look up. Check for 7 m of open air over the spot.
5. Take 4 m off each measurement. What remains is the largest trampoline that fits. Trampoline size plus clearance equals the space you need.

A worked example: a level patch 9 m by 7 m leaves 5 m by 3 m once the clearance comes off. That is room for a rectangle up to 500 x 300cm, or a round trampoline up to 3 m across, which on our list means the 270cm.

BERG's manual says a trampoline stands on level ground. A patch that looks flat from the kitchen window can fall away by more than you expect, so check it on foot before you measure.

Grass is the usual surface. Ground anchors hold in soil and do nothing in a patio, concrete or gravel, which matters anywhere the wind gets at the garden. If your only flat area is hard standing, ring us before you order.

It is tempting to size up so that brothers and sisters can jump together. BERG's guidance is one user at a time on any size, with an adult supervising, no jumping in rain or wind, and no children under six. So buy for the space and for the years of use you expect, and let the children take turns.

On user weight, BERG rates the Pro Bouncer for users up to 120kg. Ask us for BERG's figure on any other model if an older teenager or an adult will be using it.

Mayo County Council's community plan describes Mayo as one of the most rural counties in Ireland, and many Mayo homes are detached houses on rural sites. Room is often the easy part. The two things that decide the size are the same as anywhere, level ground and shelter, and both can be in shorter supply than the site suggests.

• Level. Around Clew Bay the land is a drumlin field, described in the council's landscape appraisal as sharply undulating, and a site there can have a great deal of grass and very little of it flat. Measure the level part of the garden, not the whole site.
• Shelter. The prevailing wind is between south and west. BERG notes that a fence or hedge lowers a trampoline's exposure to gusts. If the sheltered spot behind the house or the hedge is smaller than the open field side, we would take the smaller trampoline in the sheltered spot.
• Anchoring. Whatever the size, plan to anchor an above-ground trampoline on an open site. The Mayo wind and ground guide covers the storms, the soil and the two anchor kits we sell.
• Getting it in. Delivery is to the kerbside on a pallet, and larger sizes come in long, heavy boxes that you move to the garden yourself. If the house is down a narrow lane or a long unpaved drive, say so when you order. Details are on the Mayo delivery page.

Want it checked? Send two or three photos and the measurements of the level part through the free garden consultation, or ring 091 423 369, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. We compare the space with BERG's manual and reply with a size, a shape and a delivered price.