Irrigation system installation, designed zone by zone
Irrigation system installation from Rainfall Irrigation gives your lawn, garden beds, and plantings their own watering zones, run by a controller you can pair with a rain sensor so it holds off when it rains. Our licensed technicians design the system around your property and put it in the ground.
- Lawn heads, drip lines, and controls planned as one design
- Installed by licensed technicians, serviced every season after
- Leadership formally trained through the UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture
- More than 1,500 customers served since the first one in 1987
A full irrigation system covers every part of the yard that grows
A full irrigation system is buried pipe, valves, and watering heads split into zones, with a controller deciding when each zone runs and for how long. Lawn areas get spray heads or rotors, and beds, shrubs, and foundation plantings get drip lines that water at the roots.
If only the lawn needs coverage, a lawn sprinkler system may be all you need. An irrigation installation plans the lawn, the beds, and the controls together as one design, so nothing is added as an afterthought.
What it solves
Hoses and hose-end sprinklers never cover a yard evenly, and they only work when someone is home to move them. A planned system puts down the right amount of water in each area, early in the morning, on the days it is needed.
For homes
For homeowners, a new system is often a first system on a new build or a replacement for one that has been patched too many times.
For commercial sites
Builders and developers bring us in while a site is still being planned. Property managers, condominium associations, and commercial property owners bring us sites where lawns and planting beds each need their own zones.
Signs your property needs an irrigation system
If two or more of these sound like your yard, a planned system is worth a site walk. If only one does, the walk will show whether a full system or a smaller fix makes more sense.
- Beds and the lawn share one scheduleShrubs and perennials get lawn-length watering, or none at all, because nothing waters them separately.
- Some areas stay soggy while others dry outOne setting cannot give a shaded bed and a sunny lawn the different amounts they need.
- An old system is more patch than planYears of add-ons, broken heads, and zones that no longer match the yard can cost more to chase than to replace.
- You are building or renovatingPlanning irrigation before walkways, patios, and plantings go in is simpler than working around them later.
Rainfall was the best choice based on price, products, and prompt communication. Matt and his team went beyond expectations and were truly committed to completing the installation to our complete satisfaction. You can tell they take great pride in their work.
Our irrigation installation process, in the order the crew works
As your irrigation installer, we work in this order, from the first walk around the property to the last zone we run with you.
Site walk
We walk the property with you, measure the lawn and bed areas, and note slopes, sun, shade, and anything we need to work around.
Zoning
Areas with similar needs are grouped. Sunny lawn, shaded lawn, and planting beds each get their own zones.
Heads and drip
We choose spray heads, rotors, or drip for each zone and space heads so their patterns overlap with no dry gaps.
Water source
We check the supply and pressure the system will draw from and plan the backflow device that protects your drinking water.
Pipe and valves
The crew trenches or pulls pipe under the lawn, sets the valve boxes, connects each head, and closes the lines back up.
Controller and test
We program the controller, connect any rain sensor or smart controller you chose, and run every zone to check coverage.
Backflow protection belongs on every irrigation system tied to a drinking water supply. The device and any testing it needs depend on your water supplier and town, so we look at what applies to your property during the site walk.
Choosing the parts that fit your property
Most properties use a mix. We match each area to the part that suits it, based on what grows there and its size and shape, then size the zones to the water supply you have.
Lawn heads
Spray heads and rotors cover the turf, each type on its own zones. Spacing and nozzle choice are explained in how we lay out lawn sprinklers.
Drip irrigation
Best for beds, shrubs, foundation plantings, and vegetable gardens. Water goes to the roots, leaves stay dry, and very little is lost to wind or the walkway.
Smart controller
It adjusts run times through the season, so the schedule changes as the weather does. Read more about smart irrigation controller installation.
Rain sensor
Worth adding to any system. It tells the controller to skip a cycle after enough rain has fallen, so the system does not water in the middle of a storm.
What goes into the price of an irrigation installation
We price an irrigation installation after the site walk, once the zone plan shows what the property needs. These are the factors that move it.
| Factor | What we look at | How it changes the job |
|---|---|---|
| Areas covered | Which lawn, bed, garden, and foundation areas are included. | Each added area can mean more zones, pipe, and valves. |
| Lawn and bed mix | How much of the yard is turf and how much is beds, shrubs, or gardens. | Spray heads, rotors, and drip lines use different parts and install differently. |
| Water source | Where the system connects and the pressure and flow available. | Supply decides how many heads each zone can run and what the connection and backflow device involve. |
| Controller type | A standard timer or a smart controller, with or without a rain sensor. | Smarter controls carry a different equipment cost and do more of the scheduling for you. |
What dry summer weeks change about the design
Every system here has to be emptied before the ground freezes, which is the job of sprinkler winterization each fall.
July and August are the real test. A run of hot days without rain browns an unwatered lawn quickly, and that is when zones sized for the water supply and deep, early-morning cycles pay off. A smart controller or rain sensor lets the system ease off when a wet week comes through, so you are not paying to water a lawn that is already soaked.
Rainfall irrigation projectWhat to expect on install day, and the care that follows
On install day
- The crew arrives with the planThe zone layout from the design visit is marked out on the property before digging starts.
- Access to water and powerWe need to reach the water connection and a spot for the controller, often in a garage, basement, or on an outside wall.
- Work moves zone by zonePipe, valves, and heads go in one zone at a time, and each line is closed back up as the crew moves on.
- Every zone is run with youBefore we leave, we run each zone, adjust the heads, and show you how to change the schedule.
After the install
Rainfall Irrigation absolutely earned this review. Matthew Donovan and his crew were outstanding from start to finish. They worked incredibly hard without cutting corners, stood behind their work, and made sure the system operated perfectly. The workmanship, professionalism, and customer service exceeded my expectations.
Questions homeowners ask before an install
Planning a new system on the South Shore? Call 781-679-1388 during office hours and we will talk it through.
It depends on how many areas need different amounts of water and how much water your supply can deliver at once. Sunny lawn, shaded lawn, and planting beds each get their own zones, and the zone count is set during the site walk.
Ask who designs the system, whether the technicians are licensed, how zones will be split between lawn and beds, which controller and sensors are included, and who handles winterization and repairs afterward.
Yes. Pipe runs, valve boxes, and the controller location are easiest to plan before walkways, patios, and new plantings are finished, so bring us in while the site plan is still being drawn.
Yes. Drip lines run on their own zones from the same controller as the lawn heads. Planting beds, shrubs, and vegetable gardens usually do better on drip because water goes straight to the roots and the leaves stay dry.
A standard timer works, but it repeats the same schedule until someone changes it. A smart controller adjusts run times as the weather changes, and with a rain sensor it skips cycles after rain. Either one can be part of your irrigation system installation, and we program it before we leave.
Tell us about the yard you want watered
Send a few details about the property, such as its size, the lawn and bed areas, and where the water comes from, and we will follow up to set up a site walk for your new system.