How Much Does a Sprinkler System Cost?

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Given the erratic nature of Minnesota weather, one of the most common questions we get is: How much does a sprinkler system cost?

This is a complicated question with a lot of different variables. However, I’m going to do my best to explain some of the general pricing guidelines involved in pricing out a new sprinkler system.

The purchase of a new sprinkler system installation is similar to buying a new car. The price and model of the vehicle can range DRASTICALLY depending on what you need and what you want. If you need a vehicle that can tow boats and trailers, it will cost and look different than a person who needs a vehicle for their 4 children. If you don’t mind high fuel costs, you can get a certain type of vehicle, or you can buy a fuel-efficient car to keep costs down.

There are many factors and choices that need to be considered when you purchase a new sprinkler system. Unlike a car, you can’t return a sprinkler system once it is in the ground. Focusing on only the price of a system is a major miscalculation. When a client only focuses on the price, they sacrifice the maintenance costs, design, quality, aesthetics, and many other factors.

Factors that change sprinkler system cost

Square footage of the lawn area
Number of zones to be installed
Type of soil in lawn
Whether there are plant beds to be watered
Shape of the lawn
Walkways or driveways that need to be dug under
Repairing lawn or plant bed areas
Quality of materials used
Cost range
Type of system controller (wi-fi, small amount of zones, etc.)
Plumb out and back flow outside of house to get water to the system

I’ll organize the prices into three ranges. These aren’t packages that KG Landscape offers. We personalize all of our sprinkler system bids to the specific client that requests them. But for simplicity’s sake, we’ll discuss basic, average, and advanced.

Basic

The cost of a basic sprinkler system would be between $2,000 and $4,000 . This would be a system with easy-to-manipulate dirt and very small plant beds. The irrigation system would be very straightforward and would not require any special considerations like digging under a driveway. Small, urban yards are a perfect candidate for this type of system. The small yard wouldn’t require as much material, so that price would be lower.

Average

The cost of an average sprinkler system would be between $3,000 and $6,000 . An average system has 6-10 zones of sprinkler heads mixed with rotor heads, spray heads, and dripline. The system would possibly require a little bit of digging under walkways and the ground would be a medium difficulty to work with. This range would be for your average suburban yard. A new type of controller could be installed to help reduce water costs. Learn more about smart irrigation controllers at our blog post.

Advanced

The cost of an advanced and large sprinkler system would be between $4,000 up to $10,000 for an extremely large square foot yard. This type of system will have the top-of-the-line materials and will require a lot of materials to fully water all of the turf. The house will have numerous large plant beds to be watered and/or have a driveway or patio that needs to have tubing dug underneath. These types of systems typically have 8-15+ zones.

Different Types of Sprinkler System Materials Affect Cost

Rotor Heads: The usual type of sprinkler head that waters a large area of turf. Least expensive type of sprinkler head.
Spray Heads: Used for smaller turf areas or odd corners.
Dripline: Special tubing that has emitters in the tubing to slowly water plant beds. The most expensive water delivery method.
Stainless Steel Sprinkler Heads: These sprinkler heads will definitely last the test of time. Made to be as durable as possible.
Wiring: Each zone turns on using a valve that has power run to it in the ground with wire. If valves have to be placed far out from the house, the cost will rise because more wire is used.
PVC: Used to go under driveways and walkways when necessary
Brand and Type of Sprinkler Head: Some brands of rotor and spray head cost more than others due to quality reasons.

Special Sprinkler System Costs to Consider

There are special considerations to take into account when planning a Minneapolis sprinkler system. The first one is to make sure the system is blown out each fall. If any water is left in the system, the cold weather will freeze it and break the pipe. You’ll also want to get the area marked out for utilities before digging ANY holes. As the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there are ways to run an irrigation system off a lake (this takes a special pump and possibly permits). This can cut down on the monthly upkeep prices of the system. However, there are a ton of other factors that arise when doing the water intake this way.

Advantages of a Sprinkler System

Talking about pricing can sometimes scare away potential clients, but an automatic sprinkler system can offer SO MANY benefits. By installing a sprinkler system, you can: