I dont think it matters when you do it. Bermuda is very resilient. The sooner the better. Your finances are the decision factor.
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Thanks!
My contractor was the most reasonable one finance wise, but he has also been doing irrigation for best part of 20 years and he is close to retiring and not taking too many job on at the moment. I got the impression that he was experienced and knew where the differences can be achieved without being too “flashy”.
Based on his quote he is installing Rainbird 5000 series rotors (i hope it is the PRS models as the water savings sound attractive), reduced pressure backflows etc.I was surprised how cheap the rainbird sprinklers were but then again so are the Toro ones (less than $15) I would suggest the Toro ones to my installer for tomorrow though i fear he may have already picked up the materials as he is coming tomorrow.
But as you say, Bermuda grass is very hardy and i am sure as long as it gets watered and fertilised with regular mowing it will be as good as it can get.
We decided to go for a Husqvarna robotic mower as well that can do 90% of the yard. The remaining 10% is so sloppy and bumpy that it is tricky even for the robo mower (too much momentum down slope and the fence is in the middle of the slope stopping the mower reaching level ground).For that 10%, i will look to get a very lightweight electric mower and do it myself - weight is the key here due to the slope.
Will keep you posted how it all goes!
Thanks for all your suggestions
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Hi
The Bermuda grass in my yard is i would say 60% established.
The back and side yard are the biggest area and they are nice and lush green. The front and left side yard however were over watered and heavily walked upon by the builder and it is patchy and very weedy.
As a result the builder has currently dug it all out (!!), redid the grading and after the irrigation is in the new sod will be arriving. Once all is installed then i have arranged for a weed and fertilising company to treat it all.
I will take a note of your settings as i think there are parts of my yard that require less water than other and vice versa.
No doubt i will be back to report more over the next week.
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You have an awesome builder!
If you have pop up sprays they should be Rain Bird 1800 PRS.
I dont think i am getting any pop up sprays - i have a feeling they are all rotor sprinklers but i could be wrong. I just hope they are the PRS kind.
Took a lot of persuasion and many emails and calls - they must be sick of me by now…
But on the day we took the keys in early June all the grass in the affected areas had turned brown and it was green a week before. Timers were set to wrong time of day, heavy foot traffic, sprinklers getting stuck and all sorts of issues lead to this. Irrigation was not budgeted but after dealing with lengths of hoses for a month…i had enough!
I am not convinced the grading will fix anything but the grass needed changing anyway.
Tell your contractor you require them if your pressure is greater than 60 psi. No flower beds? You are paying for the job. The contractor is working for you.
My water pressure is static 60psi at the moment.
And yes i am getting popups at the end, Rainbird 5004.
No flower beds…yet. Some long term plans but the contractor has offered to come back if required. We know roughly where they will go so will be positioning sprinklers accordingly.
TBH, here in Charlotte even in the high summer we seem to have a 30 minute downpour at least once a week so i feel there will be plenty water anyway. There are 36 sprinkler heads going in as well as the elements 
60 psi for rotors is OK, but if you add pop-up sprays for flower beds you need 30-psi pressure regulated heads. If you are new to North Carolina, be aware they have had some terrible droughts there over the years, along with fires. Did this contractor show you his irrigation license? Did he call in an inspection of the system? If not, turn him in.
Are you in Mecklenburg or Union County? If you are in Mecklenburg, you want to get in the Smart Water Program as it will save you quite a bit of money. I don’t know what Union does - hopefully something similar.
You have been lucky to be in the pockets getting the rain. I live in Mint Hill and have gotten very little rain. (We all joke that it doesn’t rain in Mint Hill!) - the big storm that rolled through Tuesday night? I didn’t even get enough rain for my rain sensor to activate!
The last couple of years we have had drought restrictions, and I have been very happy to have my RachIt!
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Hey Linn,
Thanks for the tip. I am not sure Union County have a similar programme but i have emailed them to ask regardless.
My system is in now and it worked a treat the first time…then in the evening our Irrigation meter burst and it was bubling water on the street for a good 2 hours before my plumber could come out and turn it off. That would be a few wasted thousands gallons…He is coming back tomorrow to investigate where the problem is, and determine if the error was on him or Union. The last time this happened to him it was Union County plumbers and they admitted fault. Otherwise he will sort out the bill for me.
And before anyone comes shouting, he is licensed irrigation specialist and his men were very good in their jobs. Shame about all the trenches! Lets hope they will disappear quickly!
Rachio works really well. I want to jump on the Flex daily but my installer tells me to keep it running on the allowed days for now as we have new sod coming on Wednesday and we would need to establish the baseline…we may even run it every day for a a couple of weeks.
Ended up with 6 zones and a drip as well as wireless rain sensor.
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