Lawn irrigation systems represent a dual investment for southern NJ homeowners. The tangible gain is the beautification of your property, ensuring it’s an asset you can enjoy, can look forward to returning to without the burden of unnecessary upkeep.
The intangible is time. Large amounts of time are saved by installing an automated lawn irrigation system.
Time Isn’t Just Money
Credited to Benjamin Franklin, “time is money” is one of the oldest clichés in the book. For good reason; there’s always something else to do. Who wants to be standing in the yard, holding a hose and staring blankly at nothing in particular, when that hour could be better invested elsewhere?
There’s a trade-off, though. To save time by not having to water your lawn every day, you need to make an initial investment, and the right lawn irrigation price can be tough to arrive at.
How much will it really cost to install a lawn irrigation system?
Initial Lawn Irrigation Installation
Let’s start out with the obvious: each homeowner has a different set of expectations from every purchase they make. Lawn irrigation can be a necessity, a lifestyle statement or simply a tool toward increased convenience.
The nature of that primary driver will affect the lawn irrigation price in numerous ways. Equally, every property is different, thus a variety of physical components must be tailored to address unique requirements.
Yard size, for instance, doesn’t just impact the amount of pipework and number of sprinkler heads. It’s usually the case that larger properties mandate zoned installations (meaning different areas receive water at different times). This allows for sometimes-meager water pressure to saturate large areas that it would otherwise fail to adequately serve.
Another consideration has to be addressed well before work begins. Do you spend more at set-up, or expect to spend more later on? Inferior components equate to increased repairs. As an example, the electronic timer/system controller is likely to be your most conspicuous single investment. Better quality equipment is likely to carry a better warranty, and to last longer, but it will of course increase the lawn irrigation price at outset.
Lawn Irrigation Maintenance and Upkeep
Lawn irrigation systems are complex constructs, involving pipes, delivery devices and control equipment. Once your system’s up and running, maintenance is a must and diagnostics and repairs are very likely to be required from time to time.
Sprinkler heads comprise seals which eventually wear out, and complex gear drives that power the rotation. Even the best timer equipment can ultimately fail. Landscaping grows, and new yard equipment — fences, for instance, and sheds — come along, all necessitating alterations to your installation. Costs will be created in dealing with these eventualities, impacted by factors such as:
- System Complexity. Aside from physical considerations, a sprawling system can require more time in leak location, in winterization and in maintenance.
- Nature of Issue. Simple issues are inexpensive to address. Changing a faulty sprinkler head is neither time-consuming nor are the parts expensive. Electrical issues typically involve greater outlay. Changes in your landscaping or irrigation requirements — establishing a vegetable garden, for instance, where once was only a lawn, or rerouting the driveway — can be the most costly because the installation must be redesigned then altered accordingly.
Ongoing costs should be considered to be a part of the lawn irrigation price.
Water Doesn’t Grow on Trees
Efficient water use is imperative. Effective conservation begins with optimal system design, continues with equipment that effectively manages water usage, and ends with fine-tuning adjustments to the installation.
Ponding water indicates that too much is being delivered to a specific location, as does overspray onto non-vegetated areas (walls, pavements, patios and decks). Both equate to wasted money. Getting delivery right may involve a one-time fee, but getting it wrong results in unnecessary expense year after year.
Winterization
Most homeowners are familiar with the risks when indoor plumbing freezes. The expansion of water as it turns to ice splits open pipes. Because sprinkler system pipework is typically buried in fairly shallow trenches, external installations are even more vulnerable. Problems include:
- Brass fittings can shatter.
- PVC pipes can split into shards, or tears can appear that run for many feet.
- Sprinkler heads can physically split open along the assembly seams.
To avoid these issues, there’s another lawn irrigation price; proper winterization of your system.
The Upside of Investment
When spring arrives, it’s also a good idea to have the system switched on again by a professional provider.
Responsible irrigation contractors knows where, and how, to look for potential problems. They can then be addressed before evolving into costly emergencies.
Without this service, poor system performance will almost certainly degrade your lawn and landscaping. Playing catch-up is typically far more costly than establishing a regular maintenance contract.
Subterranean repairs can be expensive, time-consuming and will almost certainly disrupt the look of your landscaping. Prevention is better than cure.
The Right Provider
You need a lawn sprinkler installation company in every aspect of irrigation, from design and planning, through installation and set-up to ongoing maintenance. There will be a cost for great service, but — once again — the determining factor requires putting a tangible value on that most valuable of intangible assets, your time.
The Nitty Gritty
Every customer is different, as is every property. Those two considerations combined mean that most usage patterns are unique, also. Putting a dollar figure on the question posed in the title — How Much Will it Really Cost? — is effectively impossible without consulting with a professional lawn sprinkler company.
That’s a fact, not an evasive disclaimer, but here’s an industry-insider’s rule of thumb:
- All moving parts can be expected to expire within the 15-year lifespan of a typical installation; this will involve both hardware and labor costs. Non-DIYers need to factor in maintenance, winterizations and spring start-up costs. This usually amounts to a total outlay representing approximately one-and-a-half times the cost of the original installation.
To get concrete figures, get a series of estimates that include everything discussed above. Be sure to factor in unseen expenses such as permitting processes, if permission to alter your acreage is required by your local authority. With all the figures in, only you can put an accurate value on your own time.
Images Courtesy of Hunter Industries.
