It started like any other home improvement project that we have tackled. Careful planning resulted in a materials list and one quick trip to Home Depot in our truck for the required parts. Sure.
Actually, our irrigation system HAS been a topic of discussion for some time. I just failed to spend much time planning. Ultimately, we woke up on Saturday eager to make the most of our three day weekend. Tired of the weeds and dirt in the front yard, the decision was made to install an irrigation system. I scratched a few things out on a sheet of paper. Took a few measurements, made a few more notes, and we headed out. The first trip wasn’t so bad. We ended up with most of the pipe that we would need along with several of the fittings. Notice that I did not say that we had everything. Ultimately, my wife had to make three more trips back to the store to get more pipe, additional fittings, and finally, one last trip for a $0.48 fitting that was required for the last step. The finished project exceeded our expectations and we cannot wait to plant some sod.
This project was a good reminder to me that it is important to spend time planning an irrigation system. We were fortunate – in addition to the fact that I have had a formal irrigation design course, this was not the first time I had installed a system. That saved us a lot of time and resulted in a final product that I am proud of.
Here is a blog post from my wife that has her take on the project: Make it rain, or how to install your own DIY irrigation system.
Here is a time-lapse video of the installation. If there is sufficient interest, I will create a “How-To” for installing your own irrigation system.