Planning

Ok so, personally I would say planning is one of the most
important parts of trail building (especially if you have a
small place to build them in). If you plan your trails
wisely you will be able to fit a lot more jumps into a small
area. Firstly you have to find a spot. Now there are several
elements that make a spot good and not good. Here are
a few:

1) Type of soil. Try for good quality soil. Not sand but
soil that will pack down well. That is an important part
of getting good jumps.

2) Location. This is a tough one for a lot of people. Most
people don't have enough room on their own land to
build a good set of jumps. So if its not your land basically
it has to be on other people land. This brings a lot of
issues with it. If you build it on other people land, be
prepared to have them dropped with a bulldozer at any
time. Especially if you haven't asked prior permission.
That is why it is a good idea to ask before you build. It is
not usually that they don't want you to have fun but that
they don't want to get sued if you break your arm or
something. Try and build them in an area that is away
from the prying eyes (aka little shits) who might want to
wreak them for fun.

3) Space. You want a place that will allow you to have
a good starting run and be able to build your trails so
that the jumps will link as the area grows. You also
want a pretty much flat area. Having them on a slight
hill can help as well for drainage. It also helps keep
your speed when riding them.

4) A good supply of water is essential for a good set of
trails. Helps them become hard and dust free. Near a
stream helps. But remember you will get attack be midges.

Ok so now you have found a spot. Time to plan out
where you want everything to go. Make sure you think
ahead. Don't just do things randomly. Remember that
hopefully later on you will be getting bigger and better
jumps that will link together for one smooth run with
different options. Its also really important to have the
right kind of jumps for your ability. There is a list of
jumps here.

Next: Preparation