1. Planning the layout
We look at the yard, the water supply, and the pressure, then group areas into zones. Lawn goes on spray or rotor zones, and beds, shrubs, and trees usually go on drip. Heads are spaced so each one reaches the next, which keeps coverage even.
2. Installing
Utilities get marked before trenching. Then come the main line and backflow device, the valve manifold, the lateral lines, heads or drip, and the controller wiring. Each zone is flushed before the heads go on, and the trenches are backfilled and settled.
3. Setting the controller
The controller is programmed to your address’s days and hours: three days a week with no Mondays in Fresno, Clovis, and Madera in the warm season, and one day a week in Fresno and Clovis from November through March. A smart controller can handle weather skips.
What affects the cost
The size of the yard, the number of zones, lawn versus drip, how hard the ground is to trench, the controller you choose, and whether old pipe has to come out all change the price. We give a free estimate after seeing the yard, with the scope written out.
We install new systems in Fresno, Clovis, Madera, and Madera Ranchos.
Safety first: if you can’t stop the water, close the shutoff valve for the irrigation system, or the main shutoff to the house. Before you dig anywhere, call 811 to have buried utility lines marked.
Written by ACRE Landscape Co., Fresno & Clovis. Updated October 26, 2026.