# DIY Well Irrigation System, Grading Questions on 1 Acre Lot



## jdlev (Sep 14, 2019)

Looking for advice on a DIY home irrigation system that's fed from a well and had a couple questions.

I actually have about 5 major jobs tied into the project: an irrigation system, 400' of fence, flattening/moving some dirt around, a play set for the boys, and building the dark green, lush, soft grass yard I've always wanted. I planned on tackling the job in this order: flattening/grading - hardscapes (any steps/retaining walls/etc), irrigation, fencing, playset, yard (tree removal, new beds, top notch grass). Not sure if I'm putting the cart before the horse in that particular order?

I'm guessing we need to get all the dirt where we want it first. Here's how the lot looks today. It's a corner lot and if you're facing the front of the house, it slopes from the back right corner to the front left corner.















I've considered regrading a few areas or at least smoothing and flattening a few spots. The area just in front of the sidewalk could use a 3-4' wall with some steps on the side, and the left side of the yard could be flattened a bit (in which case, we might extend the retaining wall from the sidewalk all the way to the end of the beds on the left side of the house). Not sure what type of retaining wall to go with, but figured matching the planters we added would be our best bet. We planted a japanese cedar in each last year.

*Question 1: What equipment is recommended?*
I've been considering investing in a compact tractor or at the very least, renting equipment. There's a lot of different uses I have in mind: stump grinding/digging out, grading/moving dirt/mulch, brush clearing, general mowing, digging the irrigation lines, pullin over trees, post diggin for the fence, hauling stuff around the yard...etc. Would like to stay under $5k, but finding something that can do all that doesn't seem very likely. Any recommendations on a compact tractor that's economical and what attachments I should look for besides the mower deck, front loader, rear bucket, auger? I'm guessing $10k is probably going to be more realistic thanks to all the attachments...are there any specific attachments I should look for to help install the irrigation system?

*Question 2: Irrigation System Layout?*
About 2 years ago, we had our well pump replaced. At that point, I opted for the 2HP pump instead of the 1.25HP pump. She'll move some water, but I know I'll still have to plan for multiple zones. 
Our well is on the right side of the yard, just below the driveway. I planned to tie in the irrigation system directly to the well. Should I do it before or after the pressure tank?
Since I'm on a well system, do I need an anti-siphon valve?
The yard itself is huge - between 25-28k sqft, which means I'll need some sprinklers that can broadcast the water a pretty far distance. How should I divide up the zones? By sprinkler head type, total area, gpm?
Certain sections of the yard will be hard to hit, but I prefer to get every area I can. For instance, there's a driveway between the well and the upper right part of the yard. I'd either have to go under that, or perhaps install a separate, second system that sources its water from the house water line. 
I'd like to get a new 'smart' system rather than a timed system. I know the new ones can keep an eye on how much rain you get by tying into the local weather...and would very much like a 'set it and forget it' type system. 
Other than taking the hills into account when determining sprinkler coverage, is there anything else with the hills/grade I should watch out for? I assume I'll need a drain valve at the lower left side of the yard to drain the system when winter comes.

So that's where I'm at, at the moment. This fall, I plan to just throw down some more fescue seed in the area we just cleared (left side of the yard), and then try to get the irrigation system installed. I'm hoping I could do at least one zone per weekend. Then again, I haven't figured out how many zones I'll need nor do I know what type of equipment I'll have access to, so that might be a bit optimistic.

Thanks for any advice!


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## unclebucks06 (Apr 25, 2018)

With a well you need to know your max gpm output and adjust your zones to meet thst max gpm that way your pump is always running and at peak pressure or use a pump start relay.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

Is your well also used as your home's water supply? If so, yes you will want to put a backflow prevention device between the well and your irrigation system.

Use www.irrigationtutorials.com to plan your system - it should answer all of your questions and more.


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## jhealy748 (Jul 25, 2019)

The tractor choice is a hard one. I bought a small Kabota and envisioned doing all of those things as well. I found one for 6000 and bought it, and come to find out it doesn't really have enough power or a big enough bucket to do anything that I wanted very well or very fast. I ended up buying a skid steer and now that I have it I don't think I could live without it. It took a long time to find one cheap enough but they are out there! I paid just over 10,000 for mine and love it! In the area I am at the rental companies get a pretty penny for rent on them and I don't think I could justify renting it. Buy once and if you need to sell it when your done I don't think you would lose any money and would get all your stuff done quick and easy. I think with the attachments you may be just better renting those as you need them. There is an attachment for just about anything you would ever need for a skid steer but I think you would have 100,000 wrapped up in owning them all lol. I definitely have no expertise in retaining walls but it looks like you will have a lot of fill to bring your yard up to even a small slope so definitely look into what it will take to hold all of that in place. It's amazing how much weight that creates on a wall. BTW I love the house and yard! Keep us posted as you do more!


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