Sprinkler system? (how much, houses, live)

[DvlsAdvc8]

Seeking advice...

I'm having a house built and thinking about installing a sprinkler system. The builder is sodding the ~acre yard with bermuda grass. The additional cost would be about $3000 for the system and another $600 for a separate water meter.

I guess my question is: is it worth it?

I look around my area and see plenty of houses along the main road(s) with large green yards and no sprinkler system. I'm also concerned that a sprinkler system might get in the way of my plans to build an extended patio and pergola, as well as plant some trees and a garden.

On the other hand, I don't want to be lugging hose across an acre yard all the time, and I don't want to have a yard full of dead grass.

Am I to assume all these lush green lawns I see here in the country are going to burn up in the summer? If not, what's the secret?

Naturally, the folks who are "selling" me on the sprinkler system also benefit from my choosing to install one. So I thought I'd get a second opinion.

[boilrmkr]

I don't have one so I don't know first hand about them. My neighbor where I previously lived said they save so much money on their water bill with the sprinkler system. Another neighbor wanted was thinking about getting one and the 2 compared water bills. I think the sprinkler system house had a water bill half of what the other did.

I had no idea they were that expensive. I'd love to have one.

[DvlsAdvc8]

How much do you need to water your lawn down here? I've spent most of my life up north.

[Charles]

I think everyone has a sprinkler system. If you don't get one, you would probably be the odd one out. Everything is green now because we've had so much rain. I still haven't used my sprinkler system.

Is there any way you can blow off the bermuda and go with something that stays green all winter like fescue or rye or something? Bermuda is so ugly from october to april. I don't know why anybody plants that stuff. It's all brown and it gets patches of green non-bermuda grass in it. Yuck. I overseeded my bermuda with fescue and it looked great all winter and I mowed it maybe once a month if that. If you are stuck with bermuda, overseed in october, it is really easy and it will look great all winter.

So yes, get a sprinkler system. It is worth it. You still have to think about your patio plans though.

[DvlsAdvc8]

Charles, I WISH I could get them to do something other than bermuda! Not only the problems you mention, but it also has a tendency to develop this sort of brown carpet layer underneath, and often those little brown seed tips.

I want to say someone suggested centipede grass...

[DvlsAdvc8]

Originally Posted by boilrmkr

I had no idea they were that expensive. I'd love to have one.

Well to be fair, we have a 1 acre lot so it is more expensive than most.

[Charles]

Late at night, when no one is looking, adjust your neighbor's sprinkers so they circle around and spray your yard.

[DvlsAdvc8]

lol

[friday13]

IIRC MAdison City had a ban on lawn watering last summer (or the summer before?) due to excessive drought conditions. As someone said before, this year we caught up three years worth of drought in three days of heavy rain back in March/April.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by DvlsAdvc8

Seeking advice...

I'm having a house built and thinking about installing a sprinkler system. The builder is sodding the ~acre yard with bermuda grass. The additional cost would be about $3000 for the system and another $600 for a separate water meter.

I guess my question is: is it worth it?

It's a ~one acre so I guess it it worth it, especially if you don't want to bothered with lawn duty on weekends. But as a FYI, I polled several long time local residents (whom I've known for 10+ years) and NONE have sprinkler system. They said it rain enough here that grass stay green, maybe the month of August is when you'll need to water them.

BTW, you can order a separate water meter from the water department and they''ll install it for you. The lawn water is not being charged a sewer fee so it's cheaper.

As for Bermuda grass, I was told by a local seed company that I can add Kentucky Rye in the fall, it will co-exist with Bermuda, and it will stay green all winter.