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In a home that has an "irrigation system"... does this mean inground sprinkler system? Is this a necessity in NC in order to keep your yard looking decent? Also, with water conservation laws there, are these "irrigation systems" useless or forbidden to be used during certain parts of the year?
An irrigation system is the same as an in/undeground sprinkler system. It is not a necessity for a decent looking lawn though. I guess it depends on the size of your yard and how much lwn care you are willing to do to make it look like what you think is decent.
I didn't have an irrigation system at my old house, and it was about .30 acres. I did all the "yard stuff" (except for mowing and aerating) on my own and was not too diligent in watering it, but I did have a sprinkler that you just stick on the end of the hose and move around as needed. My yard looked great and even with the drought last year, and not having a company come and do stuff to it (like a few of my neighbors, whose lawns didn't make it btw), it is still one of the two best looking lawns in the neighborhood.
Every couple of years, there are restrictions that will kick in in cases of drought. Bu that doesn't happen too often.
I guess you could have your system "winterized" and not ever use it if the house you choose has one and you fel like you don't need or want to use it.
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I'd hate to see what my yard would look like in August if I did not have an irrigation system> My yard does not have too many trees so I suspect a wooded lot would do fine. Most of the newer homes have Kentucky Blue Grass which does not stand up to the heat, drought as well as Bermuda grass. Union county allows watering 2 days/wk., I believe Meck county has removed restrictions...for now. Even with watering I need to overseed in the Fall.
We've lived in our house for over 2.5 years and never been able to use our irrigation system due to the water restrictions. B/c of the drought the past couple years, our grass dies by June and they only let you water one day a week and there is no way you can keep grass alive.
If you want winter/spring grass to live in July/Aug/Sep and you have sun and more than a postage stamp, you need one.
While the more mentality astute can consistently move a sprinkler around, my challenges, make it so I will water one spot for 5 hours, and forget the next spot completely. And the next week completely, too!
The botton line is "in for a dime, in for a dollar" or as the Brits would say, "in for a penny, in for a pound." Don't think you will get a "GREAT" yard in Charlotte without one.
IMO irrigation is vital to having a great lawn. It makes watering effortless and I had my system installed right after I moved into my new construction. In fact if you drive around you can tell who has irrigation. You program it to water when and how long each zone. It will actually save you water because you don't have to worry about forgetting your sprinkler is on or go out and move it around all day. With the water restrictions you just change your programming to water on the days allowed.
We had it when we lived in California, but as I am not familiar with NC weather and seasonal conditions, I wasn't sure if it was really a necessity or a luxury. Sounds like I would probably prefer to have it as a feature in my house.
While the more mentality astute can consistently move a sprinkler around, my challenges, make it so I will water one spot for 5 hours, and forget the next spot completely. And the next week completely, too!
lln
LOL. My husband is the same way, and he's in charge of lawn care. He'll water on the day it is suppose to rain, and water the same spot for hours, and then forget about watering in August when it's hottest and dryest.
We have one and there are times I'm not sure it's worth it, but I suppose over the long run it is. We are required to have Bermuda grass (HOA takes care of the lawn), but we still have some bare spots that look bad. We have had it for not quite a year, so from March 2008 when we closed through May 2008 it was on it's own (we hadn't moved there yet) so maybe it didn't get a good start.
One thing I will stress to everybody who has one is to make the company who installs it give you a schematic diagram of the position of all the heads and pipes in the lawn. About a month ago I decided to get a shepherd's hook to hang some plants and a hummingbird feeder. When the company came back to summerize it they discovered that although I put the thing in the middle of our postage sized back yard, I managed to pick the ONE spot to damage the pipe. I figured the pipes went from head to head around the edge, but nope they actually must have put one right through the middle of the yard. So now I have to spend almost $100 to get it fixed. I have now demanded they give me a schematic and will continue to call and request it until the day it shows up.
We have one and there are times I'm not sure it's worth it, but I suppose over the long run it is. We are required to have Bermuda grass (HOA takes care of the lawn), but we still have some bare spots that look bad. We have had it for not quite a year, so from March 2008 when we closed through May 2008 it was on it's own (we hadn't moved there yet) so maybe it didn't get a good start.
One thing I will stress to everybody who has one is to make the company who installs it give you a schematic diagram of the position of all the heads and pipes in the lawn. About a month ago I decided to get a shepherd's hook to hang some plants and a hummingbird feeder. When the company came back to summerize it they discovered that although I put the thing in the middle of our postage sized back yard, I managed to pick the ONE spot to damage the pipe. I figured the pipes went from head to head around the edge, but nope they actually must have put one right through the middle of the yard. So now I have to spend almost $100 to get it fixed. I have now demanded they give me a schematic and will continue to call and request it until the day it shows up.
Good suggestion. But if you are handy you could fix it yourself for probably less than 20. Just turn off the water, dig out where the hole in the line is, cut off about 2 inches each side and bring the piece of pipe to Lowes or Home Depot plumbing dept and tell them what you did. They will help you get what you need.
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