Planning an Irrigation System for Your Lawn

Many people think that planning an irrigation system for your lawn is a hard, and complex procedure. These people couldn't be more wrong. All you need to do to properly plan a successful and efficient irrigation system for your lawn is take a little time, and do a little advanced research. If you are considering installing a sprinkler system, or some other lawn watering system, for your yard take out a piece of paper and follow these suggestions. While you are thinking of each of these, write down or draw the answer. But the time you have finished working your way through the list, you will have planned for the best possible irrigation system for your lawn.

• Type of irrigation. Before you do anything else, you need to consider what kind of irrigation system you will want. Do you want to have a system that has popup sprinklers? Would you rather have a drip irrigation system installed in your yard? Maybe you want a static sprinkler system? You need to consider what kind of system you will want in your yard since it will dramatically effect everything else that you do.
• Cost. Each different system, whether it is a simple oscillating sprinkler that you pick up from your local home improvement or gardening store, or it is the latest and greatest drip irrigation system, will cost you to install. Be sure that you have enough money to pay for what ever you plan on getting. Take time to go through your finances and develop a budget for your project, before you begin the project.
• Design and layout. Measure the dimensions of your yard. Write these dimensions down, and then draw out a little map of your yard. This map will help you to envision where you want your sprinkler heads to go, where the pipes that will be laid can go, the watering dimensions and so on. This will be invaluable, since you will be able to create the optimal system for maximum watering.
• Who is going to do the work? Perhaps the single greatest factor in planning your irrigation system will be who is going to do the work. This is important since the price will change dramatically depending on whether you do the work yourself, or if you hire someone else to do it for you. While you are deciding on who will do the work, keep in mind your own skill level, and do not be afraid of the cost associated with hiring someone. Will you be able to do the work necessary? Be sure that you can either afford to pay the professional, or that you can adequately do the work required yourself, before you begin your project. You don't want to be halfway through it, and find out that you can't do either—you don't want to end up with a torn up, dead yard after all.