A Sprinkler System That Actually Keeps Your Lawn Alive
$3,000 to $6,000 for a complete system. Smart WiFi controllers that adjust to weather. Zones matched to your grass type. Rain sensors that keep you SWFWMD-compliant. Installed in 1-3 days with minimal lawn disruption.
Why Hand-Watering Does Not Work in Florida
St. Petersburg gets 50 inches of rain per year. Sounds like plenty. The problem is 70 percent of it falls between June and September in concentrated afternoon storms. The other 8 months? Your lawn is on its own.
Hand-watering with a hose is unreliable, uneven, and nobody actually does it consistently at 4 AM when SWFWMD rules require it. Hose-end sprinklers miss corners, overwater the center, and depend on you remembering to move them. The result is a lawn that looks decent in the rainy season and slowly dies from October through May.
A properly designed irrigation system waters the right amount at the right time in the right zones. Your front lawn St. Augustine gets a different schedule than the Zoysia under the backyard oaks. Your flower beds get drip irrigation instead of overhead spray. Your controller checks tomorrow's forecast and skips the cycle when rain is coming.
The result: a lawn that stays green through dry season without wasting water. Most of our clients see 20 to 40 percent lower water bills after switching from manual watering because they stop overwatering the easy-to-reach areas while underwatering the rest. For seasonal settings and controller adjustments, check our summer lawn prep guide.
WiFi Controllers That Think for You
Every system we install includes a smart controller -- not a basic timer that runs the same program whether it rained 3 inches yesterday or has not rained in two weeks. Smart controllers connect to your WiFi and pull real-time weather data for your ZIP code.
What that means in practice: the controller checks temperature, humidity, wind, recent rainfall, and the forecast. It adjusts each zone's run time automatically. Storm dumped an inch of rain this afternoon? Tomorrow's cycle gets skipped. Been 95 degrees with no rain for a week? Run times increase to compensate for evaporation.
You control everything from your phone. Adjust zones, run manual cycles, see water usage history, check the schedule from anywhere. Most homeowners spend about 2 minutes per month on irrigation after initial setup.
- Rain Bird ESP-ME3 -- Commercial-grade WiFi, up to 22 zones, weather-based adjustment, phone app
- Hunter Pro-HC -- WiFi with Hydrawise platform, predictive watering, EPA WaterSense certified
- Rain sensors -- Required by Florida law. Overrides controller when rain detected. Installed on every system
- Flow sensors (optional) -- Detects leaks by monitoring flow per zone. Phone alerts if flow exceeds normal range
Every Part of Your Yard Gets the Right Water
A one-size-fits-all system wastes water and kills plants. Your front St. Augustine needs different water than the Zoysia under the backyard oaks. Your flower beds need drip, not overhead spray. The strip along the driveway has different sun exposure than the back fence line.
We design every system with matched precipitation rates per zone. Each zone delivers water at the same rate per square foot, regardless of head type or spacing. This eliminates the common problem where spray zones get twice the water they need while rotary zones get half.
Typical zone layout for a St. Pete property:
- Zones 1-2: Front lawn -- Rotary heads for even coverage across open turf areas
- Zones 3-4: Back lawn -- Rotary or spray depending on yard size and shape
- Zone 5: Landscape beds -- Drip irrigation to roots, not leaves. Prevents fungal issues
- Zone 6: Specialty areas -- Custom heads for palm bases, container areas, narrow strips
From Design to Running System in 1-3 Days
1. Property Survey
We map your property, test water pressure and flow rate, identify sun and shade zones, catalog plant types, and measure distances. This data drives the zone design. Low pressure? We address it before installing anything.
2. System Design
Each zone gets specific head types, spacing, and run times matched to your water pressure. Low-pressure properties get specific low-flow heads rather than standard heads that will not pop up fully.
3. Trenching and Pipe
We pull pipe through the ground to minimize lawn disruption. Main lines run from water source to valve boxes. Lateral lines feed from valve boxes to heads. All commercial-grade fittings -- no push-fit connectors.
4. Heads and Valves
Heads installed at precise spacing for head-to-head coverage -- each head throws water to the next head's location. This eliminates dry spots. Valves go in accessible, labeled boxes for future maintenance.
5. Controller Setup
Smart controller gets wired, connected to WiFi, and programmed with zone-specific SWFWMD-compliant schedules. Rain sensor mounted and calibrated. We walk you through the phone app before we leave.
6. Full System Test
Every zone runs while we verify coverage, adjust heads, check for leaks, and fine-tune spray patterns. You walk the property with us. We adjust anything that does not look right on the spot.
Stop Guessing. Start Watering Correctly.
A properly designed system protects your lawn investment and drops your water bill. Free on-site estimate with pressure test and zone design included. Most systems installed in under 3 days.
Request a Free Estimate$220/Month Water Bill Fixed in Clearwater
A homeowner in Clearwater called because their water bill had topped $200 every month for a year. They had a 20-year-old system with a mechanical timer, no rain sensor, and spray heads that watered the sidewalk as much as the grass.
We audited the existing system and found 14 broken or clogged heads, three zones with mismatched head types causing uneven distribution, and a timer running every zone for the same duration. No rain sensor meant the system ran through every summer storm.
We recommended a full replacement rather than patching a two-decade-old system. New 6-zone design with matched rotary heads on lawn zones, drip on beds, Hunter Pro-HC smart controller, rain sensor, and flow meter. Total: $4,200. Installed in 2 days.
First month water bill: $85. Down from $220. The weather-based scheduling and rain sensor cut cycles by roughly 40 percent without a single brown patch. The system paid for itself in just over 10 months of water savings.
Built to Follow Pinellas County Water Rules
The Southwest Florida Water Management District enforces irrigation rules that every Pinellas County property must follow. Violations result in fines. Every system we install is designed around these requirements:
- Two-day schedule -- Odd addresses water Wed/Sat. Even addresses water Thu/Sun. No watering 8 AM to 6 PM. Controllers pre-programmed
- Rain sensor required -- Florida law mandates functioning rain or soil moisture sensors. Installed and calibrated on every system
- New sod variance -- 30-60 day daily watering allowed for establishment. We handle the paperwork
- New landscape variance -- 30-day establishment variance for new plantings. Same process
- No runoff -- Head placement and run times prevent overspray onto sidewalks, driveways, streets
Already have a system violating these rules? A broken rain sensor or over-programmed timer can be fixed during a quick irrigation repair visit.
Irrigation Installation Questions
A new irrigation system runs $3,000 to $6,000 for most residential properties. A 4-5 zone system for a standard lot costs $3,000 to $4,000. Larger properties with 7-10 zones, drip irrigation for beds, and a premium smart controller cost $4,500 to $6,000. Includes trenching, pipe, heads, valves, controller, rain sensor, and programming.
A smart controller connects to WiFi and adjusts watering based on real-time weather. It skips cycles when rain is forecast and increases run times during hot dry stretches. Most St. Pete homeowners save 20 to 40 percent on water bills versus a standard timer. Adds $150-$400 to the system and pays for itself in under a year.
Typical St. Petersburg properties need 4-6 zones. Larger lots with multiple grass types, gardens, and separated areas need 7-10 zones. Zone count depends on yard size, water pressure, plant variety, and sun exposure patterns. We determine this during the free on-site survey.
Yes. Florida law requires all automatic irrigation systems to have a functioning rain sensor or soil moisture sensor. We install and calibrate one on every system. Smart controllers with weather-based scheduling also satisfy this requirement automatically.
Most residential installs take 1-3 days. Small properties with 4-5 zones can be done in a single day. Larger properties with complex layouts and drip irrigation take 2-3 days. We pull pipe to minimize lawn disruption rather than open-trenching.
Before or at the same time. New sod needs consistent daily watering during establishment, and hand-watering a full yard is unreliable. Bundling saves money since excavation work overlaps. Zones get matched to your specific grass variety from day one.
Rain Bird and Hunter exclusively. Commercial-grade components rated for 15-20 years in Florida. Smart controllers include Rain Bird ESP-ME3 and Hunter Pro-HC. We do not install builder-grade or big-box components that fail in 3-5 years.
We minimize disruption by pulling pipe rather than open-trenching. Most lawns show minor disturbance that fills in within 2-3 weeks during growing season. All areas are repaired before we leave. If you are getting new sod at the same time, there is zero concern since the lawn is being replaced.
Complete Your Irrigation Setup
Irrigation Repair
Broken heads, leaking valves, controller issues. Same-week service for existing systems that need attention.
Learn More →
Water Management
Smart controller upgrades, rain sensors, drip conversion. Cut your water bill without sacrificing lawn health.
Learn More →
Sod Installation
Bundle new sod with irrigation for the best results. Zones matched to grass variety from day one.
Learn More →