How does this design look?

[Lawnworks]

This is my final design for this house. You guys have critiqued my earlier designs. I am doing this for a customer for experience, and I am basically just covering my costs.
http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47760&stc=1&d=1137541669

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47761&stc=1&d=1137541669

[tiedeman]

what is the pressure at the house?

[Lawnworks]

It is 80 psi.

[tiedeman]

for me, now I am not that greatly knowledgable in installation, but the first thing that pops out to me is it looks like the bottom of the first picture could use three more heads.

[Broker]

for me, now I am not that greatly knowledgable in installation, but the first thing that pops out to me is it looks like the bottom of the first picture could use three more heads.

What's up are you advertising for gopher?? Give us the 411 on the software.

[tiedeman]

What's up are you advertising for gopher?? Give us the 411 on the software.

what do you mean?

[Lawnworks]

for me, now I am not that greatly knowledgable in installation, but the first thing that pops out to me is it looks like the bottom of the first picture could use three more heads.

There is a ditch between the zone and the street.

[PurpHaze]

Your front yard design looks a lot better than when you first posted this a couple of months ago. The back yard doesn't look bad but could use a little work but it could be because I'm a little confused as to the exact configuration. In the front lawn page you show a line on the left going up and into the back yard. Hard to tell what is turf area and what is hardscape.

I think your left side yard needs some work and the jogs in and out on the back yard. You're assuming that the end spray of sprinklers will be adequate to cover these corners when in reality they won't.

[Lawnworks]

The left side of the yard may need one more head, but it is a shady area that will not need much water. I might could use one more head at the corner of the drive, but right now there is alot of junk there.

If I decided to run a sprinkler out by the road, could I just use funny pipe to get it there?

[Wet_Boots]

The main front yard is still kind of wack. I'd start there with a sprinkler in each corner, then work on "connecting the dots."

[Broker]

what do you mean?

Do you use the Gopher software?

[Lawnworks]

The main front yard is still kind of wack. I'd start there with a sprinkler in each corner, then work on "connecting the dots."

There is a sprinkler in the each corner minus the ditch. Maybe this design will help. I have been given the go ahead on this project, but I just want to double check w/ you guys. I am planning on using Hunter PGP rotors on most of it, and pop-up sprays on the side yard. I am figuring all my costs to be about $2000.

[Wet_Boots]

We can't see the front lawn, and the ditch, so we can only guess at the dimensions and slope. If the scale is five feet per square, is the ditch area a full 25 feet in width? How deep is it? Do you really want to throw water into it? It almost looks like the water will overthrow the ditch, and onto the street. Not enough information.

[Lawnworks]

Yes 5 ft per square. I will get a pic of the ditch for you. Thanks for the help so far.

[Lawnworks]

...........................................................................

[Wet_Boots]

Where I've done work near ditches, the slope was severe, and no water was thrown into the ditch, and none was desired where it sloped back up to street level. I would use head-to-head spacing, which would allow the heads to be a few feet from the edge where the slope starts. That means four heads across, on a hundred-foot-wide lawn. The object here is not to use an absolute minimum of heads. Counting on the next row of heads to fill in the gaps gets you in trouble when a tree or two gets planted.

[Broker]

I would add them along the road about 3ft off to be safe.

[Lawnworks]

Where I've done work near ditches, the slope was severe, and no water was thrown into the ditch, and none was desired where it sloped back up to street level. I would use head-to-head spacing, which would allow the heads to be a few feet from the edge where the slope starts. That means four heads across, on a hundred-foot-wide lawn. The object here is not to use an absolute minimum of heads. Counting on the next row of heads to fill in the gaps gets you in trouble when a tree or two gets planted.

I was trying to keep cost down for this guy... I am not doing it for a profit, but I need the experience. I guess it really needs 4 heads on those two zones closest to the street. Better to have too much than too little right?

[Lawnworks]

I would add them along the road about 3ft off to be safe.

Would you use funny pipe on to get to the other side of the ditch?

[Wet_Boots]

Ah, now I see the photo. Definitely have a row near the street. You could probably do an effective job on a 100x100 lawn with three rows of four rotors each. The rotors along the drive, and on the opposite side can throw as far as they want, and the intermediate ones need only throw 34 feet, which means you can probably reduce their distance of throw. This may also allow you to get away with using all 3 gpm nozzles in each head, assuming you want to hold to that 12 gpm flow rate.

[Lawnworks]

Alright well that is what I will go with. 4 rotors to a zone and I will add one more zone to the street. Thanks for the help!

[Wet_Boots]

3x4 may do the trick - definitely 4x4 will, and will pretty much allow a tree to be planted anywhere on that lawn without messing up the coverage. If the ditches are just unlined depressions, you simply hand-dig your way across. The poly pipe users have an easier time with this sort of thing, simply bending the tubing to fit the curve.

[Broker]

Would you use funny pipe on to get to the other side of the ditch?

It is up to you. I try to stay away from 5ft or more if possible. But u da boss.

[Wet_Boots]

With 3 gpm heads, the length of funny pipe wouldn't be an issue - you'd lose only 0.06 psi per foot. At 6 gpm, the loss increases to 0.21 psi per foot. It takes at least 10 feet of funny pipe to give you a pressure loss equivalent to the loss from a 3/4 inch funny pipe elbow. (these numbers are from a Toro spec page)

[Lawnworks]

Alright I will go with 4x4. Backyard look ok?

[bicmudpuppy]

Just one extra thought. That ditch.......how much flat ground is there between the ditch and the ashpalt? I would strongly encourage you to place those heads 3-4 feet from that ashpalt and let the pattern extend to behind the heads. If/when curb and guttering shows up, unless you are 2-3' away from the edge of the proposed edge of the street, then the heads will have to be re-set. If curb and guttering isn't an issue with the property owner, then 1' or so from the street to prevent auto impact.

[Dirty Water]

ashpalt? Thats a way of spelling it that I have never heard before heh....and I'm the king of making up words with my spelling.

[bicmudpuppy]

ashpalt? Thats a way of spelling it that I have never heard before heh....and I'm the king of making up words with my spelling.
King? I screwed it up the same way twice. Take notes and when you can compete with a master, then call yourself king :gunsfirin

[PurpHaze]

The poly pipe users have an easier time with this sort of thing, simply bending the tubing to fit the curve.

Hey now!!! I'm an expert PVC bender. :p

[PurpHaze]

If the ditches are just unlined depressions, you simply hand-dig your way across.

Are you telling me that a plow wouldn't negotiate that small swale? :rolleyes:

[Dirty Water]

Are you telling me that a plow wouldn't negotiate that small swale? :rolleyes:

Small bumps suck on plows that have solid axles (which I think they all do), you end up with the plow blade either diving 18" down or pulling up to 4".

[bicmudpuppy]

Are you telling me that a plow wouldn't negotiate that small swale? :rolleyes:
Excellent observation of the conversation. I wouldn't "dig", I would "slice" much like the cable guys of old do in a sod yard. Use a 10" square garden type spade, straight down and then pry up and back and forth to create a small slit. insert pipe and walk the slit back closed. With an 18" blade on a small foot machine like a mini-sneaker or skid steer, I might try and pull the swing pipe, but slicing would almost be easier.

[PurpHaze]

Bet you a :drinkup: I could trench it. :p

[PurpHaze]

Excellent observation of the conversation. I wouldn't "dig", I would "slice" much like the cable guys of old do in a sod yard. Use a 10" square garden type spade, straight down and then pry up and back and forth to create a small slit. insert pipe and walk the slit back closed. With an 18" blade on a small foot machine like a mini-sneaker or skid steer, I might try and pull the swing pipe, but slicing would almost be easier.

I did my entire house system with a shovel. Too lazy/cheap to rent a trencher and had the time.

BTW... Get off the Internet right now! I just looked outside and it looks like Kansas weather. You're sending your traditional stuff to us. Dang... I think I'll get a shower and crawl under the electric blanket.

[Wet_Boots]

Are you telling me that a plow wouldn't negotiate that small swale? :rolleyes:I don't encounter little 'ditches' like those. The few I've worked around were ones you could lose a truck in. I expect this system might be done with a trencher, anyway, given where it is.

[PurpHaze]

I don't encounter little 'ditches' like those. The few I've worked around were ones you could lose a truck in. I expect this system might be done with a trencher, anyway, given where it is.

That's why I called it a swale. Then we have ditches, canals, creeks and rivers. :)

[sheshovel]

I thik you would be WAY-WAY overwatering the strip between the ditch and the street

[Lawnworks]

I thik you would be WAY-WAY overwatering the strip between the ditch and the street

Well that strip will all be on one zone so I can set the timer to adjust or I could use different nozzles. I definately think rotors on the otherside of the ditch is a great idea, and it shouldn't be hard either.

[Dirty Water]

Well that strip will all be on one zone so I can set the timer to adjust or I could use different nozzles. I definately think rotors on the otherside of the ditch is a great idea, and it shouldn't be hard either.

Is the ditch on the street easement?

[Lawnworks]

I imagine so... it is in a neighborhood though. why?

[Dirty Water]

Don't put heads on a easement. Next time the city needs utility work done, they will bust those to pieces and not give a crap about fixing them.

[Lawnworks]

Don't put heads on a easement. Next time the city needs utility work done, they will bust those to pieces and not give a crap about fixing them.

but they will have to pay me to come fix it right? payup

[PurpHaze]

Don't put heads on a easement. Next time the city needs utility work done, they will bust those to pieces and not give a crap about fixing them.

but they will have to pay me to come fix it right? payup

I don't think he'll have to worry about anything along there unless it's major work. The picture shows grass right up to the street. The good thing about the whole issue is that if some type of major work is done along the easement it'll be easy to cut and cap the lines to those sprinklers. Then they can be moved and/or replaced after the work is completed. It's a gamble but not a real costly one such as having a major system component located in that area.

[Wet_Boots]

Easements can be like sidewalks, as a maintenance nuisance for homeowners. The town installs the sidewalk, on the easement portion of your front yard, whether you asked for it or not, and come wintertime in the colder climates, it is the homeowner's legal obligation to keep it clear of snow and ice. I always put heads in the easement portion of a front lawn, because customers want corner-to-corner green grass, and rotors spraying away from a street are the easiest way to accomplish this. If there was a curb, that would serve to protect the heads from traffic. Without a curb, you have to give yourself a little more space between sprinkler and pavement, and allow head-to-head spacing to cover the gaps. If you have four individual funny pipes crossing the depression to the sprinklers near the street, you allow for anything happening in the easement, with as little repair work as possible, for the sprinkler repairman.

[PurpHaze]

I thik you would be WAY-WAY overwatering the strip between the ditch and the street

I don't think the turf will be overwatered but I think the ditch itself could end up getting sloggy. I think he will have to watch and see how much water actually gathers in the ditch. If that end of the front yard is overwatered a different problem of standing water, weeds, slime, insect breeding or even runoff to another place in front of a neighbor's house might occur. He's going to have to play with the controller so the ditch area gets enough water to support the turf but isn't excessive enough to cause other unwanted problems.

[Lawnworks]

I am planning to start the job on the sixth of February. I can't wait. How long would this job take you guys... a day or so? What would you charge for labor?

[PurpHaze]

I am planning to start the job on the sixth of February. I can't wait. How long would this job take you guys... a day or so? What would you charge for labor?

In our area I think the labor is around twice what the parts total. However, sometimes it's best to quote even more since you may run into unexpected problems. (Maybe Tom can chime in because this is more in line with what he does.)

Install time is another thing because it depends so much on what you run into and how many guys are doing it and what method you're using.