Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What irrigation system installation is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
Irrigation system installation means a background-checked local pro designs and builds an automatic watering system for your yard: measuring water pressure and flow, dividing the yard into zones by plant type and sun, trenching pipe, setting valves and heads, adding a backflow preventer and wiring a controller. Irrigation System Installation in Portola Valley is booked through pros who cover its 1 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as Westridge, Ladera, and Brookside. In Portola Valley, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain. Each pro sets their own price and warranty.
What a irrigation system installation visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Site survey, water pressure and flow test
- Zone design for lawn, beds and trees
- Trenching, pipe, valves and heads installed
- Controller and rain sensor setup
- Backflow preventer and shutoffs
- Testing, adjusting and homeowner training
Pick what is on your irrigation system installation list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Design and testing
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a irrigation system installation job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
Choosing how each area is watered
Different plants and surfaces need different delivery. Most yards use two or three of these on separate zones. Tap an option to compare, then add your pick to your job notes.
What is not part of irrigation system installation
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- A full irrigation build that reaches $1,000 in labor and materials is done by a licensed contractor, and NorTech flags it at booking.
- Tapping the main water line, moving the water meter or work on the drinking supply: a licensed plumber or the water utility.
- Running line-voltage power to a controller location or new outdoor circuits: licensed electrical work.
- Repair of an old system, which has its own service on NorTech under sprinkler repair.
- New lawn, sod or planting. Those are separate services you can book with the same pro.
- Well pumps, pressure tanks and rainwater storage systems.
License and permits for irrigation system installation
Irrigation work crosses several trades: pipe and valves are landscape or irrigation work, the connection to the drinking water supply and backflow device fall under plumbing rules, and any line-voltage wiring is licensed electrical. Pros who take the licensed portions hold the license for them.
Many areas require a permit or inspection for a new backflow device or a connection to the water supply, and some for new systems in general. Annual testing of the backflow device by a certified tester is common. Rules differ widely, so ask your pro and your water supplier.
Look for license details on each pro profile, ask for the permit and backflow test report, and keep both with your house records.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking irrigation system installation works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book irrigation system installation
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Find your shutoff and meter
Locate the main water shutoff and the meter, and take a photo of each. Pros need them to measure pressure and to tie in, and the photos help bids come back more accurate.
Check your water rules
Look up your water supplier watering schedule and any controller or backflow rules. Sharing them in the booking lets the pro design a system that passes inspection the first time.
Mark what you plan to plant
Walk the yard and sketch where lawn, beds, trees and a vegetable garden will go. Zones follow plant groups, and irrigation is far cheaper to place right now than to change later.
Choose a controller location
Pick a dry spot near power, such as a garage wall, and say whether you want smartphone control. Wiring runs from there to every valve, so a good spot saves wire and time.
Know what is underground
Share any buried items you know about, such as old sprinkler lines, dog fences, septic fields and low-voltage lights. Pros request utility locates, but your history helps avoid breaks.
Ask who handles the backflow test
Ask whether the quote includes the first backflow test and permit, and who reminds you of the yearly test. It is easy to forget after installation.
Say where in Portola Valley you are
Add your neighborhood, for example Westridge, Ladera, and Brookside, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes irrigation system installation
Best time to book irrigation system installation
Soil is easier to trench when it is not frozen or rock-hard from summer drought, and a system in place before the hot season protects new planting. In freeze-thaw climates install after the ground thaws and before the first hard freeze. In Portola Valley, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain.
Together
Book irrigation system installation with your neighbors
Every home on the street gets the pro’s neighbor rate, and each one books and pays on its own.
Start a Street Day- Start one
Pick the job, your street, a day and a pro who offers a neighbor rate.
- Share the link
Send it to neighbors. Only the city is ever shown publicly, never your street.
- Neighbors join
Neighbors on your street book the same pro on the same day.
- Everyone saves
Each home gets the pro’s neighbor rate, a percent off the pro’s own price, and books and pays on its own.
Often booked together with irrigation system installation
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
Adding drip zones and a smart controller makes a new system more efficient from the start.
An older system can be repaired instead of replaced, and a pro can tell you which makes sense.
New sod needs the zones working before it is laid so it never dries out in the first weeks.
Planting and watering plans work best when they are drawn together.
Around Portola Valley
Where in Portola Valley the work happens, and the cities close by.
Irrigation System Installation across Portola Valley
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near Portola Valley
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in Portola Valley
Each one has its own page for this city.
Ember-resistant vent replacement, deck-gap sealing, and combustible-clearance work to current CAL FIRE standards — what insurers and the fire district look for.
See pros in Portola ValleyClearing dry leaf and needle debris from gutters and roof valleys is essential fire-season prep on Portola Valley's wooded lots.
See pros in Portola ValleyHillside decks checked for structure and refinished with sealers suited to strong sun and fire-zone exposure.
See pros in Portola ValleyWeather- and ember-aware exterior finishes for ranch and hillside homes.
See pros in Portola ValleyEstate and ranch maintenance lists handled in one visit, with before-and-after photos.
See pros in Portola ValleyLandscape design and installation by a licensed landscape contractor: planting plans, hardscape, irrigation, lighting and finishing touches for a yard that fits your life.
See pros in Portola ValleyTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
Portola Valley homeowners
Irrigation System Installation reviews in Portola Valley
Verified irrigation system installation reviews from Portola Valley homeowners will appear here.
Be the first irrigation system installation review in Portola Valley
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell Portola Valley how your pro did.
Book Irrigation System Installation in Portola ValleyFrequently asked