Has anybody ever installed a

[Pheidippides]

sprinkler system before?

The missus is going out of town for three weeks shortly. I have a list of projects that I am going to do (I will take photos):

1. Build a pergola on my back patio

2. Landscape my back yard (new flower beds and a corner fire pit)

3. Put in a sprinkler system.

4. Put wood flooring in the house (maybe, if I get that far).

I think #2 should come before #3.

I know about flow rates and zones and such generally, but I'm still a bit in the dark here. Has anybody done this before, and if so do you have tips?

[DU Ute]

sprinkler system before?

The missus is going out of town for three weeks shortly. I have a list of projects that I am going to do (I will take photos):

1. Build a pergola on my back patio

2. Landscape my back yard (new flower beds and a corner fire pit)

3. Put in a sprinkler system.

4. Put wood flooring in the house (maybe, if I get that far).

I think #2 should come before #3.

I know about flow rates and zones and such generally, but I'm still a bit in the dark here. Has anybody done this before, and if so do you have tips?

I've put one in. My one recommendation is to rent a trencher. Just make sure you get the power and gas lines marked before you start digging.

[Katy Lied]

You'll get #1 done and maybe a third of #2.

[Pheidippides]

You'll get #1 done and maybe a third of #2.

I actually view #2 and #3 as the same thing. I have to have the outline of the flower beds in before I get started with the sprinklers, but I have to also put in the sprinklers before the bed is finished. I'm definitely starting with the pergola first, as it's the easiest thing to do.

[Uncle Ted]

You'll get #1 done and maybe a third of #2.

I was thinking that he will most likely only get #4 given it is summer time and he lives in Hell Houston.

[wuapinmon]

I was thinking that he will most likely only get #4 given it is summer time and he lives in Hell Houston.

It's not August yet. He still has a few weeks before the devil sets up his winter quarters.

[creekster]

I installed one a long time ago. Metal pipes. Hand dug trenches. We had to cut and hand thread the pipes. It was not a pleasant job. I assume you will use that sissy plastic pipe? that is a lot easier, I tell you what.

[cougjunkie]

It is really not that hard. Go to any sprinkler supply store with a plat map of your property, they will map everything out for you for free and then tell you exactly what you need.

[bluegoose]

I didn't know that you needed auto sprinklers in Houston. When we lived in Nebraska, I was surprised to learn that very few people had them until i saw how much it rained and how humid it was in the summer. Aren't they also pretty rare on the east coast for the same reason?

I've put sprinklers in my backyard. We've got a decent sized yard and ended up putting several hundred feet of pipe in the ground. Unless you live in an area with soft, river loam soil, definitely get a trencher. If your ground is as rock solid as mine, you may need a second person to help keep the trencher from running wild across your yard.

What CJ says is not a bad idea, if can find someone that will do it for you. Its not hard to map it out yourself, but it can take time, especially if you've never done it before. Getting the right sprinklers for the right coverage in the yard is a big deal.

[cougjunkie]

What CJ says is not a bad idea, if can find someone that will do it for you. Its not hard to map it out yourself, but it can take time, especially if you've never done it before. Getting the right sprinklers for the right coverage in the yard is a big deal.

I forgot to add as long as you buy the supplies from them.

[FN Phat]

I actually view #2 and #3 as the same thing. I have to have the outline of the flower beds in before I get started with the sprinklers, but I have to also put in the sprinklers before the bed is finished. I'm definitely starting with the pergola first, as it's the easiest thing to do.

Have you built a pergola before? It is more involved than it looks. I am not doubting your ability of your diligence, but I have to ask...are you planning on taking off the three weeks from work that your wife is gone? How many migrant workers are you going to hire? As others have said, rent a trencher. This is a huge time saver as well as a back saver. I would not start the flower bed before you do the sprinklers. If you need to have a visual, you can use white spray paint and outline the flower bed. Depending on your landscaping, you will need to supply the beds with a source of water as well. How large is your backyard? Is your pergola going to be over a patio? Give us the details, NIKU!!

[landpoke]

I installed one a long time ago. Metal pipes. Hand dug trenches. We had to cut and hand thread the pipes. It was not a pleasant job. I assume you will use that sissy plastic pipe? that is a lot easier, I tell you what.

Here comes grandpa to tell us how we're all soft and "Back in my day" and all that.

[kccougar]

I hate how one project leads to another. A few years ago a broken dishwasher eventually ended up as a complete kitchen remodel. Now it's the leaky window that is on its way to being a complete exterior makeover - including landscaping!

Now that we're committed to the new siding on the house, I'm looking at my pathetic sprinkler system. I've always complained about the poor design and uneven coverage. Now I'm seeing how much of a soaking the outside of the house takes in some areas because of that poor design, and I'm getting that familiar "while I'm at it...." feelings.

I made drawings of my landscaping a few years ago but never took them to a sprinkler shop. I think I'll do that to let them design the new system then install it myself. I'm already planning on a trencher. Beyond that, it really shouldn't be very hard, right? Right?

Also, I'm going to rebuild my deck. I'm also wondering about pressure-treated wood or redwood. The current deck was done with cedar, and it has weathered reasonably well for 26 years and inadequate maintenance. I'm not going to the expense of using composite material.

[creekster]

Here comes grandpa to tell us how we're all soft and "Back in my day" and all that.

Well, it's true, dadgummit!

[Pheidippides]

It's not August yet. He still has a few weeks before the devil sets up his winter quarters.

Unlike most people, I'm fine working all day long in the horrid hot humidity of Houston. If I can run 15 miles in it, I can work in it.

Have you built a pergola before? It is more involved than it looks. I am not doubting your ability of your diligence, but I have to ask...are you planning on taking off the three weeks from work that your wife is gone? How many migrant workers are you going to hire? As others have said, rent a trencher. This is a huge time saver as well as a back saver. I would not start the flower bed before you do the sprinklers. If you need to have a visual, you can use white spray paint and outline the flower bed. Depending on your landscaping, you will need to supply the beds with a source of water as well. How large is your backyard? Is your pergola going to be over a patio? Give us the details, NIKU!!

The more I look at things, the less sure I am that I will get past the pergola. I have not built a pergola before. However, I am very experienced in setting posts at correct heights in concrete, what with the farm upbringing at all. The rest is easy so long as my design work is up to snuff. The pergola will be over my current patio (made of pavers). Once the flowerbeds are in (admittedly a longer task, as I agree with you on the sprinklers) we'll have climbing ivy or vines or something on the pergola. The flowerbeds have already been outlined in marking paint. They will have a drip sprinkler system in them. We will probably contract out the wood flooring job. My back yard is reasonable for the suburbs, but not especially large (big enough for a pool in addition to all I'm putting in, though, so long as I take out the current playset).

Actually, this Handyman Niku thing has been very odd for my wife. The entire time we've been married, we've rented - up until this house. The visit to my parents' farm earlier this month reminded me that I didn't grow up some mechanically inept bookworm nerd. No, I'm a bookworm nerd that grew up on a farm as the son of a machinist, and I know my way around fixing/building stuff. I just had to remind myself.