Bonnie Jean wrote:
I am considering having an irrigation system put in for my lawn and
flower beds, either late this fall or next spring.

What should I look for in an installer? Does someone need a lot of
experience and expertise to do this? Should I insist on a certain brand
of materials? I am clueless about this so any advise is greatly
appreciated.

Bonnie in NJ

Can't advise you on materials, but you need
someone with experience to lay out the system and
discuss it with you as to types of sprinkler heads
and where they should be placed. You should have
an idea of what plantings you might do in the
future, so you can better place the sprinkler
heads. The best bet is to ask for references and
to talk with acquaintances to see who they used
and how well they like the system.

Second, have a person that uses a machine that
pulls the plastic pipe. It actually cuts a slit,
pulls it apart, the pipe unrolls into the bottom
of the slit (about 6" deep) and the slit is
closed. There is essentially no lawn damage
except the digging of small holes where each
sprinkler head is attached. A trencher, in
comparison, digs a 2-3" wide trench and leaves no
lawn on those areas, plus a bunch of dirt.