we are paying $6500 on a .23 rental for:

sod removal and bark installation on large parking strips (corner lot);
sprinklers for the entire lot with controls;
sod removal of a 12 x 100 strip in the back with bark;
weed treatment in back (we will overseed this fall).
tilling a 20 x 30 garden;
placement of RTF sod in front 25 x 40;
hauling all sod and dirt to landfill

as i write this message there are 4 guys on the job working

not sure of the exact name of company. the contact is Glen 801-301-9993. hope this helps.

jim

Tyff, you're in Utah County if I remember right, and you might try Cardon Landscape in Lindon. I used them six years ago. I'm certain prices have gone up since then, but it cost us $4500 to install all the sprinklers and drip irrigation lines (with all the emitters) for a half-acre lot. We had a lot of grading done on our lot, because a slope had to be leveled and turned into two main terraces with rock walls. I can't remember the price for all the earth moving and cleanup, but it probably wouldn't compare to your job anyway.

My only complaint from that experience was that these guys get so busy in mid-summer that they never finish when they estimated that they would. We called them too late -- I think it was mid-June, so we were in line behind some other clients. So, whoever you pick, move quickly before you have to get in line, too!

I could do that whole thing for 2 grand total !
Now Im not talking about you pay me and Ill do it, Im saying I could do the sprinklers and install and dig the ditches for them and level the yard and tap in the wireing for a timer and all of that for less than 2 grand by doing it myself instead of hiring someone.
It seems really high to me.
Iv done several sprinkler systems and none of them cost that much, especialy for that size. I personally think your being ripped off. You can get pvc for about 3 bucks for 10 foot sections, the box about 50, a 9 station timer for another 40, the heads for about 3 bucks each. the auto valves run about 80 bucks for a set of 3. Leveling is alot of work by hand with a long 2x4 and tilling it all to make it soft. It can be done though.
You can find most the info on this website, and anything else you can find from google.
Its alot of work, its worth paying somenoe else to do it but I think your bid is way too high.
Roll up your sleeves, kick your husband in the butt and get to work, or atleast get a few more prices from contractors.

Yeah, back when we bought this house, I wanted to do my sprinkler system myself, since I had done it in California at our previous home. But my wife reminded me that the CA house already had the front yard done, and all I did was add on a few valves for 200 sq ft of sod in the backyard and a drip line (typical tiny CA lot). She also said something like "I want sod down within three or four weeks for the kids -- not three or four months!" I had to agree that it would get done faster if I hired someone, as much as it pained this die-hard do-it-yourselfer.

I did, however, plant all of my 200+ shrubs and 40+ trees by myself, which was a serious job with all the rocks and clay in our soil. Over that two-week period, I lost 15 lbs from all the sweat and labor and developed bronchitis from breathing all the dust (had a few sick days from work at the end of it all!). So, I suppose there are tradeoffs with any decision like this. :-)

Oh yeah, I would add kudos to my awesome neighborhood -- we decided to lay the sod ourselves, but the neighbors said, "Nobody lays sod alone around here!" So, one Saturday morning in July, we had 30 people come over and got 5000 sq ft of sod laid in an hour and a half. It was a great time!

Thanks for the replies. We were talking and are thinking that we should have someone trench for us and install the sprinklers ourselves. I want to install and drip system for the beds and garden area too. I was hoping to get it done before planting time, but I may have to keep the garden spot as it was last year and put in my raised beds with permanent walk ways in the Fall. The problem is if we do it ourselves I may risk it never getting done. My DH is great at starting stuff, but has a hard time finishing projects. I may call around and see if we can get someone to "consult" and help us along the way, rather than do everything for us, and also get some other quotes. We could rent a bobcat and buy a tiller for cheaper than hiring these guys.

Thanks---I'll keep you posted.

Tyff

I'm in Utah County (Provo) and think that's a bit high too.
You get what you pay for is great, if it is a job that's worth that much money--but I really doubt it's going to be that way, unless they have a landscape architect working with you and then when they come in, they do everything perfectly, including clean up and also guarantee your satisfaction, without question.

A few years ago, I got an estimate for water sprinklers for my front 1,500 sq. ft. lawn area. They came in at between, $2,300 & $3,000.

I finally, decided to go 1/2 way with a younger fellow who looked like he could use the money.

Well, he did. Except, he used "pick-up," or left-over parts, put in inferior sprinklers, placed the supply laterals in some places, such that they were 1" below the soil. covered the whole thing over before I could map it out. --I guess that's what I get for trying to be nice--or maybe it was ok, and he just didn't know what he was doing, but he said he did and had done many jobs and was licensed.
Later, I learned that you don't have to be licensed to install sprinklers, just have a business license.

If you can do the work yourself that's great, but it is a great deal of work. My yard still isn't in. just bare soil, with weeds.

I had a backhoe come in a do a grading, but when I checked, the grade still runs towards the house...and I'm just too tired to fight with them anymore. So, make sure that whoever does the work, if you go that way, will not give you any hassels, if it doesn't meet your expectations. And while you're at it, get a drawing, with the exact type/size of pipe, sprinklers, heads being used--make certain drains are installed properly; and have the put in a larger (more station) control box than you need at this time. The few dollars more spent now, will come in handy, when you want to expand or do some different things, later on.

btw: if any one knows someone--a landscape contractor who is good, reasonable, stands behind their work, and might be able to give me a free estimate on what I need to do, please send me a message.

Good luck on getting it in. Look around for some more estimates. --it's sort of like shopping for replacement windows: I had a few estimates at >$20,000!. Then they droped to 18K, then to 12K, but still too much, when most people were coming in between $4,000 to $6,000. --I know a high end window cost lots (I don't need a high-end window), but $22,000 for windows? It pays to look around.

Bob

I've gotten several estimates this week and so far the best is one for $7000 that includes sprinklers and a drip system, leveling, a couple of truck loads of top soil, and removing the weeds and trash in my yard. He said he would guarantee the sprinklers for a year. The guy used to work with my next door neighbor who is a brick mason. He started doing landscaping which he enjoys much more. They are 3 brothers and a cousin and seem like decent guys. They speak mostly Spanish, which is fine since we both speak Spanish. It is a lot of money, but probably a lot cheaper than a divorce. ( ; I'm kidding, but really having the yard done will take some strain(7 yrs worth) off of our marriage. I just want it done. It is hard to keep a decent garden when the rest of the yard if filled with weeds, and all of the bugs that hide in them.

Tyffanie

I hear you Tyff -- we paid someone so my wife would be happy, too. Our twins were two then, and she didn't want them playing in a dirt backyard. It was something I had to cave in on to keep the family (i.e., the *wife*) happy!

The pricing they are giving you does seem a little much, I do this kind of work for a living so i could get it done for a much better price. If you would like you can email my company directly at aaashamrock@yahoo.com we can arrange to give you bid. Good luck to you.

Jim

I'd say that's a pretty good price actually. Most homeowners are shocked at how much it costs to put in a yard. Heck, I've been shocked and I'm a pro- I should have known better!

We are DIY'ing ours though I do work for a landscape contractor (I can't afford us! LOL!) I've spent $2,000 just on parts for our sprinkler system and that's at contractor's pricing. It will cost me $15,000 to put in our yard at wholesale cost and doing most of the work ourselves. If I were to pay a landscaper, it would be in the $50,000 range but it would be done in 3 weeks rather than the 3 years (so far) it's taken us and I'm not even to the part where I get to do all the planting yet. My yard is about 1/3 acre.

At least you don't live in a city which requires you to put it all in within a year. We get a lot of calls from freaked out first-time homeowners in Herriman and South Jordan. We don't even call them back because we are pretty sure they have no idea what it costs and we don't want to waste our time bidding. To be fair though, we do mostly large jobs.

If I were going to spend that much, rather than installing an irrigation system, I would install native sod and forgo watering.

That's part of our problem. There is no way that we have the patience to pull out all of the existing yard to start from scratch, but there are some limitations to what we want to do. The debate is whether we can make some small changes that will improve the overall look and feel, but that just gets us back to not having an overall master plan. I think it would be easier on the front yard, since it is much smaller on our pie-shaped lot, but I'm focused on the backyard where I want to establish fruit trees, strawberry beds, more raspberries, and, of course, include some flowers in the view from the house.

Cycler,

Do you want to start a new thread about your landscape plans that I saw on your blog? I would have a few comments, but I don't want to have it buried in this thread which is about a different topic. I'm sure Kliddle and others will chime in, too.

Steve