Spring across the GTA is renovation season — new patios, garden bed redesigns, pool installs, mature trees coming down, fresh sod going in. And almost every homeowner thinks about their sprinkler system in the wrong order: after the renovation is finished, when the landscaper hands them an invoice plus a list of "we hit a few of your sprinkler lines, you'll want someone to come look at that." Here's how to do it the way the pros do — sprinklers planned and prepped before the first shovel touches the ground.
Why your sprinkler system has to come first
Three reasons. All learned the hard way:
- Landscapers don't mark unmarked irrigation lines. They mark gas, hydro and water main because those are required by Ontario One Call. Sprinkler lines aren't on those records — they're private installations. If your contractor doesn't know where they are, the excavator finds them the rough way.
- Heads in the wrong place are worse than no heads. A sprinkler aimed at a brand-new patio doesn't just waste water — it creates years of staining, mineral deposits and freeze damage to your $20,000 hardscape.
- Coverage gaps after a reno are nearly invisible until July. Remove a tree, add a bed, reshape the lawn — and suddenly there's a 6-foot section that gets no water until the heat wave arrives and the brown patch makes itself obvious. By then it's mid-summer and a re-design is twice as disruptive.
The fix is a 30-minute pre-renovation walk-through. We come out, look at the planned changes, mark every head with a flag, and tell you (and your landscaper) what needs to be capped, what needs to move, and what needs to be added. Most pre-reno plans cost between $200 and $600 to execute — versus $800 to $2,400 to fix damaged or wrong-place irrigation after the fact.
"Last May we got a panic call from a customer in King City. Their landscaper had finished a beautiful new patio the day before — and severed three lateral lines in the process. The patio install was done. To repair the irrigation we had to lift two stones, dig a 4-foot trench under the new walkway, and re-route. Cost: $1,800. The pre-reno walk would've been $120. Every time."
The 5 most common reno scenarios — and what each one means for your sprinklers
Recognize any of these on your spring plan? Here's what we'd do for each.
New patio or walkway
Anywhere a new hard surface is going in, the sprinkler heads currently spraying that lawn area need to be either capped (if the area is now hardscape) or relocated to the new lawn edge.
Drip line often gets added in adjacent garden borders that the landscaper is creating around the patio.
Pre-reno: cap + relocate + add dripTree removal
The tree is gone but the sun is still there — and now it's full sun on a section that used to be shade. Watering needs change immediately. Heads may need re-aiming, runtime needs to go up, and a new fill-in zone may be needed.
Also: if you had a tree zone (RZWS, drip ring, bubbler), it now needs to be capped or repurposed.
Pre-reno: cap tree zone + re-aim & re-programNew garden beds
Spray heads were never the right choice for beds — they soak the foliage and waste 40% of the water to evaporation. New beds want subsurface drip line installed before the mulch goes down.
Easiest moment to do this is during the landscaper's bed prep, before topsoil and plants are in.
Pre-reno: install drip line under mulchPool install
The biggest reconfiguration there is. Excavation eliminates entire zones, the pool deck consumes more lawn area, and new gardens around the pool surround create new watering needs.
Plan to redesign 30-50% of the system. Coordinating with the pool contractor's schedule is essential — once the deck pours, options shrink fast.
Pre-reno: full zone re-design + main line tapTurf reduction (lawn → bed conversion)
Reducing lawn for sustainability or maintenance reasons. The replaced lawn area needs different irrigation than what's currently there — usually drip in the new beds, with overhead heads either capped or aimed away.
Smart Hydrawise programming handles the watering split easily once the hardware's in.
Pre-reno: convert spray zones → drip zonesFresh sod install
New sod has very different watering needs than mature lawn — frequent shallow watering for the first 2-3 weeks, then transitioning to deep infrequent. Your existing schedule will either drown the new sod or starve it.
We re-program for a "new sod establishment" mode and walk you through the transition timing.
Pre-reno: schedule re-program + check coverageThe pre-renovation walk-through — what we actually do
30 to 45 minutes on site. Here's the checklist we run:
- Run every zone. Mark each active head with a flag so you and your landscaper can see them.
- Photograph the system layout. Including valve box locations and main line entry. We send you the file for your records — and your landscaper's.
- Identify changes. Walk through the planned reno together — where's the new patio going? Which trees are coming down? Where are the new beds?
- Build the action list. X heads to cap, Y heads to relocate, Z new drip zones to add. Written quote on the spot.
- Coordinate timing. Some work happens before the landscaper arrives (capping, mapping). Some happens during (drip line under new beds). Some happens after (re-program, fine-tune coverage).
Cost of the walk-through: $120 flat. Credited 100% toward whatever sprinkler work follows.
Renovating this spring? Book the pre-reno walk now.
30 minutes on site, written action plan in your inbox same day, $120 (waived if you proceed with the work). Way cheaper than fixing it after.
Book the pre-reno walkWorking with your landscaper
The smoothest renovations are the ones where the irrigation contractor and the landscape contractor talk to each other. Here's what we offer to make that easier:
- Free 10-minute call with your landscaper after the walk-through, to confirm where the irrigation lines are and what needs to be flagged on the site plan.
- On-call availability during the dig. If the excavator hits something unexpected, we can usually be on-site within 4 hours during business days.
- Hand-off coordination. If the landscaper installs hardscape or beds, we follow up within a week to do the irrigation modifications cleanly.
You don't need a separate project manager. We talk to them, they talk to us, you don't have to relay every message.
Planned vs unplanned costs — the actual math
Same property, same renovation, different sequence of work:
You called us first
Pre-reno walk: $120 (credited)
Cap 4 heads, relocate 3, add drip in 2 new beds: $480
Re-program Hydrawise: included
1-week coverage tune-up: included
$480 totalYou called us after
Emergency repair of 3 cut lateral lines: $620
Lift & reset patio stone to access damage: $340
Cap 4 heads now buried under hardscape: $180
New drip in beds (now have to dig back up): $560
Re-program + 2nd coverage tune-up: $90
$1,790 totalThe ratio is roughly 3.5x. And that's a clean job — if the damage is more extensive (severed main line, controller wiring cut), the after-the-fact bill can run $3,000+.
FAQ
What if my landscaper says they'll handle the sprinkler stuff too?
Most landscapers can patch a cut line. Few can re-design coverage, re-program a smart controller, or properly cap a buried valve. Worth asking specifically: "Are you certified to work on Hydrawise systems? Can you provide a written warranty on irrigation modifications?" The honest answer is usually no.
Can the pre-reno walk happen during the same visit as my spring opening?
Yes — and it's the best deal we offer. Spring opening + pre-reno walk together: $90 (opening) + $0 (walk-through bundled). Just mention the renovation when you book.
What if I've already started the renovation?
Call us today. The earlier we get involved, the more we can save vs the after-the-fact scenario. We can usually get out within 48-72 hours during the busy season.
The bottom line
Landscape renovation across the GTA is a great investment — and one that's quietly more expensive than it needs to be when sprinklers get bolted on after the fact. A 30-minute pre-renovation walk costs less than dinner out and saves typically 3-4x its cost in avoided rework. Book your pre-reno walk-through or call (905) 960-0181 — we'll coordinate with whoever's doing the rest of the work.