Also planning new irrigation - Completed
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Also planning new irrigation - Completed
I just got a bid for a sprinkler system yesterday. It has taken me 22 years. My excuse has been my wife and her ever expanding garden beds.
I didn’t want to hijack his thread but it brought up some questions on the wide discrepancy.
http://aroundtheyard.com/irrigation/pla ... 20963.html
My area is similar to Bentleyvt with about 12K of lawn and probably a little less than ¾ of an acre. His quotes are less than half the one I received. The number of heads and zones are a clear reason why but curious why my design is so different. Possibly due to the winding gardens, wrap around lawn, terraces, etc. I included a google earth snip that offers a bird’s eye view. Much of the garden area and the lawn in the backyard are obscured by trees.
My bid on the other hand is about $14,000. It includes a
Hunter i-Core Controller
35 ea. Hunter ProSpray 4” Pop Up,
76 ea. Hunter Pro Spray 12” Pop Up,
14 ea. Hunter Gear Drive Pop Up, 16 ea. Rainbird DVF Electric Valve (Zones),
5 ea. Valve boxes,
1 ea. 1” Double check valve.
I didn’t want to hijack his thread but it brought up some questions on the wide discrepancy.
http://aroundtheyard.com/irrigation/pla ... 20963.html
My area is similar to Bentleyvt with about 12K of lawn and probably a little less than ¾ of an acre. His quotes are less than half the one I received. The number of heads and zones are a clear reason why but curious why my design is so different. Possibly due to the winding gardens, wrap around lawn, terraces, etc. I included a google earth snip that offers a bird’s eye view. Much of the garden area and the lawn in the backyard are obscured by trees.
My bid on the other hand is about $14,000. It includes a
Hunter i-Core Controller
35 ea. Hunter ProSpray 4” Pop Up,
76 ea. Hunter Pro Spray 12” Pop Up,
14 ea. Hunter Gear Drive Pop Up, 16 ea. Rainbird DVF Electric Valve (Zones),
5 ea. Valve boxes,
1 ea. 1” Double check valve.
Last edited by GeorgeH on September 13th, 2016, 7:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-
- Posts: 2260
- Joined: May 11th, 2014, 5:22 pm
- Location: RI
- Grass Type: Bewitched, Blue Velvet, Prosperity
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
You're in a different part of the country so it could be that. It could also be the look of your landscape. Contractors will bid different for houses that look like they can afford a higher price. And it could be the reasons you stated.
Just get a couple quotes and see if they are in the ballpark or not. I paid $2700 for 36 heads, so your quote is higher than I paid per head but not by a ton. I also got all 4inch popups and have fairly simple shaped yard..
Just get a couple quotes and see if they are in the ballpark or not. I paid $2700 for 36 heads, so your quote is higher than I paid per head but not by a ton. I also got all 4inch popups and have fairly simple shaped yard..
- HoosierLawnGnome
- Posts: 9591
- Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Advanced
Re: Also planning new irrigation
you're getting charged more because you have a nice property imo
[ Post made via Android ]
[ Post made via Android ]
- Michael Wise
- Posts: 4554
- Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 10:36 pm
- Location: Hensley, AR
- Grass Type: Tifway 419
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Also planning new irrigation
That looks like a fairly complicated layout if we are talking about irrigating all that grass on the other side of that hedgerow and beds by the road.
Lotta curves.
The right side of the house has lots of little nooks and cranny's too.
I also wonder where your water service is. Looks like it could be quite a ways from your house.
I don't see in your post where you specified pipe size, or whether the installer would be looping the mainline around the house.
A lot of factors here.
Personally, I would probably charge more for a pristine finished landscape such as yours, too. It's going to take a lot more work and attention to detail to get it back in shape after the install. Trencher or puller.
But I'm not a professional irrigation installer, so I don't know how to bid a job.
Lotta curves.
The right side of the house has lots of little nooks and cranny's too.
I also wonder where your water service is. Looks like it could be quite a ways from your house.
I don't see in your post where you specified pipe size, or whether the installer would be looping the mainline around the house.
A lot of factors here.
Personally, I would probably charge more for a pristine finished landscape such as yours, too. It's going to take a lot more work and attention to detail to get it back in shape after the install. Trencher or puller.
But I'm not a professional irrigation installer, so I don't know how to bid a job.
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Mainline is 1" PVL Sch 40 (sp?)
1" Poly Pipe, 100 psi for lateral lines. NSF approved, rain sensor and blowout connection included.
Connection is on the right side of the house towards the rear where the water main enters the house.
Watering the garden beds is more of a challenge than the grass.
Thank you Mr. Wise
1" Poly Pipe, 100 psi for lateral lines. NSF approved, rain sensor and blowout connection included.
Connection is on the right side of the house towards the rear where the water main enters the house.
Watering the garden beds is more of a challenge than the grass.
Thank you Mr. Wise
Michael Wise wrote:That looks like a fairly complicated layout if we are talking about irrigating all that grass on the other side of that hedgerow and beds by the road.
Lotta curves.
The right side of the house has lots of little nooks and cranny's too.
I also wonder where your water service is. Looks like it could be quite a ways from your house.
I don't see in your post where you specified pipe size, or whether the installer would be looping the mainline around the house.
A lot of factors here.
Personally, I would probably charge more for a pristine finished landscape such as yours, too. It's going to take a lot more work and attention to detail to get it back in shape after the install. Trencher or puller.
But I'm not a professional irrigation installer, so I don't know how to bid a job.
-
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: April 25th, 2014, 11:11 pm
- Location: Macomb County Michigan
- Grass Type: Front/Side - Emblem, Back - Panterra V
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Those planting beds are what's pulling the price up.
- Michael Wise
- Posts: 4554
- Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 10:36 pm
- Location: Hensley, AR
- Grass Type: Tifway 419
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Also planning new irrigation
I can't help but think that going to drip vs. spray heads throughout would drop the price.LoneRanger wrote:Those planting beds are what's pulling the price up.
If nothing else, the installer could install the valve and leave the stubs so George could then build the above ground portion of the drip himself.
George, definitely look into LoneRanger's suspicion and see if the beds are indeed the reason for a high price. I think he's right.
-
- Posts: 87
- Joined: September 6th, 2012, 5:34 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Grass Type: TTTF
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Wow. Gorgeous property. I have to agree, you are probably paying a premium because your property looks like you can afford it I also am just worried about covering the lawn areas.
When the irrigation comes out for final plans tomorrow, I'm going to ask how much it would cost for drip irrigation in the beds, but given that many of the plants are pretty hardy so I dont think I 'need' it.
When the irrigation comes out for final plans tomorrow, I'm going to ask how much it would cost for drip irrigation in the beds, but given that many of the plants are pretty hardy so I dont think I 'need' it.
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Thanks all for the replies.
Curious how deep most irrigation contractors bury the pipe. My quote is for a depth of 8” which seems a little shallow. Freezing at that depth is highly unlikely and the system will be flushed anyway but I had expected a deeper trench.
While I am not so cynical to believe the contractor would charge more because I have a nicer yard than average, I do feel he takes in to consideration the fact I have high standards and would not be satisfied if the work did not do justice to the yard.
The garden beds are probably more important than the lawn. Those tall evergreens seem to drink every bit of moisture in the ground. The hydrangeas’ are the first to wilt and let us know the beds need water before the rest of the plants get stressed. An irrigation system is needed and I want it done right.
Curious how deep most irrigation contractors bury the pipe. My quote is for a depth of 8” which seems a little shallow. Freezing at that depth is highly unlikely and the system will be flushed anyway but I had expected a deeper trench.
While I am not so cynical to believe the contractor would charge more because I have a nicer yard than average, I do feel he takes in to consideration the fact I have high standards and would not be satisfied if the work did not do justice to the yard.
The garden beds are probably more important than the lawn. Those tall evergreens seem to drink every bit of moisture in the ground. The hydrangeas’ are the first to wilt and let us know the beds need water before the rest of the plants get stressed. An irrigation system is needed and I want it done right.
-
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: April 25th, 2014, 11:11 pm
- Location: Macomb County Michigan
- Grass Type: Front/Side - Emblem, Back - Panterra V
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
I absolutely agree. If you're going to make that type of investment, make sure it's done right.GeorgeH wrote:An irrigation system is needed and I want it done right.
- Michael Wise
- Posts: 4554
- Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 10:36 pm
- Location: Hensley, AR
- Grass Type: Tifway 419
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
+1 to both.LoneRanger wrote:I absolutely agree. If you're going to make that type of investment, make sure it's done right.GeorgeH wrote:An irrigation system is needed and I want it done right.
- ken-n-nancy
- Posts: 2571
- Joined: July 17th, 2014, 3:58 pm
- Location: Bedford, NH
- Grass Type: Front: KBG (Bewitched+Prosperity); Side: Bewitched KBG; Back: Fine Fescue Blend + Prosperity
- Lawn Size: 10000-20000
- Level: Experienced
Re: Also planning new irrigation
8" seems pretty typical. It seems to me that the pipe is usually buried to about the depth of the bottoms of the rotor cans. That seems to be the depth of most of the pipe to which our irrigation system was buried. There's a few places that it's more shallow than that (as little as 4") due to the pipe going over boulders in our lawn. (I encountered one of those two years ago when re-grading the back lawn; managed to fix it a bit by shifting the (flexible) pipe around the edge of the boulder instead of over the top of it.)GeorgeH wrote:Curious how deep most irrigation contractors bury the pipe. My quote is for a depth of 8” which seems a little shallow. Freezing at that depth is highly unlikely and the system will be flushed anyway but I had expected a deeper trench.
However, with you having a lot of 12" heads, I guess I'd expect the pipe to be deeper, so that the flexible lines don't have to go down to the heads.
However, in all honesty, I speculate the depth to which the pipe is buried is probably mostly dictated by the depth of the pipe-pulling knife on the ditch witch!
In our area, there's no way the irrigation system gets buried below the average freeze depth, which is about 36" for Southern NH. Blowing out the irrigation system before winter is an absolute necessity here.
-
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: April 25th, 2014, 11:11 pm
- Location: Macomb County Michigan
- Grass Type: Front/Side - Emblem, Back - Panterra V
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
They're most likely using side inlet bodies.ken-n-nancy wrote:However, with you having a lot of 12" heads, I guess I'd expect the pipe to be deeper, so that the flexible lines don't have to go down to the heads.
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Ouch, writing that 50% down check today hurt!
At least I was able to observe and get to know the crew that just completed a system for my neighbor.
They hope to start September 8th. Now I need to figure out what to do with all my timers, hoses, sprinklers and other miscellaneous devices.
At least I was able to observe and get to know the crew that just completed a system for my neighbor.
They hope to start September 8th. Now I need to figure out what to do with all my timers, hoses, sprinklers and other miscellaneous devices.
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Day two of installation still in process. A really good group of hard working guys; they start arriving around 6:30 AM and work until 8:00 or so.
4 trucks/men on day one, two most of today with a third showing up around 3:30. Hard to know but two or three more days at least.
It is causing some damage since my grass is so young but it is not too late to over seed in the PNW and they are putting things back just the way they found it. The design only has one head in the lawn itself, the rest are around the perimeter in the garden beds.
Overall very happy so far.
4 trucks/men on day one, two most of today with a third showing up around 3:30. Hard to know but two or three more days at least.
It is causing some damage since my grass is so young but it is not too late to over seed in the PNW and they are putting things back just the way they found it. The design only has one head in the lawn itself, the rest are around the perimeter in the garden beds.
Overall very happy so far.
-
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: April 25th, 2014, 11:11 pm
- Location: Macomb County Michigan
- Grass Type: Front/Side - Emblem, Back - Panterra V
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Are there separate zones and heads for the turf, along with zones and heads for the beds?
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation
Yes, they think there will be 16 zones with separate heads for the beds and lawn.LoneRanger wrote:Are there separate zones and heads for the turf, along with zones and heads for the beds?
- GeorgeH
- Posts: 154
- Joined: May 24th, 2014, 5:47 pm
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Grass Type: By seed weight to 10 % SRO Puritan Colonial Bentgrass, 40 % SR 5250 Strong Creeping Red Fescue, 50 % SR 5130 Chewings Fescue.
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation - Completed
My system is done and my bank account is empty but it was well past time after over 22 years in my house. One of the hardest working crews I have witnessed. Gentlemen all that took pride in their work and made every effort to leave everything just the way they found it and for the most part succeeded.
Final judgement will be how reliably it runs and how quickly they resolve the inevitable issues but for now my wife and I are thrilled.
Final configuration was 20 zones, 9 zones for lawn and 11 zones for the garden beds. 148 total heads and two soakers for the front terrace. My original quote was honored with no charge for the upgraded controller and additional heads and zones.
33 spray heads and 15 gear heads for the lawn. 100 spray heads for the garden beds.
Hunter I-Core Controller with Wireless rain/Freeze-Clik system.
Final judgement will be how reliably it runs and how quickly they resolve the inevitable issues but for now my wife and I are thrilled.
Final configuration was 20 zones, 9 zones for lawn and 11 zones for the garden beds. 148 total heads and two soakers for the front terrace. My original quote was honored with no charge for the upgraded controller and additional heads and zones.
33 spray heads and 15 gear heads for the lawn. 100 spray heads for the garden beds.
Hunter I-Core Controller with Wireless rain/Freeze-Clik system.
-
- Posts: 2692
- Joined: April 25th, 2014, 11:11 pm
- Location: Macomb County Michigan
- Grass Type: Front/Side - Emblem, Back - Panterra V
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation - Completed
Sounds like a professional job you'll be happy with, for many years to come.
- Michael Wise
- Posts: 4554
- Joined: August 3rd, 2010, 10:36 pm
- Location: Hensley, AR
- Grass Type: Tifway 419
- Lawn Size: Not Specified
- Level: Not Specified
Re: Also planning new irrigation - Completed
Awesome, George! Enjoy the new system.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests