Irrigation estimating software: sprinkler estimating software for landscape and irrigation contractors
Irrigation estimating software turns a property into a priced sprinkler bid: heads, valves, lateral and mainline footage, drip area, controller and backflow, each multiplied by your material costs and labor production rates. Landscapeestimating does it from satellite imagery of any US address. You trace turf zones and pipe runs, drop points for heads and valves, and the estimate builds itself from your cost library, ready to send as a branded proposal the client signs online.
The problem
Where irrigation bids lose money before the first trench.
Why irrigation bids go wrong
Irrigation is quantity-heavy work. A residential install can carry 30 or more heads, six valves and several hundred feet of pipe, and every one of those is a line where a miscount or a guessed labor figure costs you margin. Most irrigation contractors still price from a hand sketch, a clipboard count and a spreadsheet that one person understands.
- Heads counted from memory after the site visit, so a rotor zone ends up two heads short
- Pipe footage estimated as a round number instead of measured from the layout
- Labor priced as "a crew for two days" rather than from pulling, head and valve production rates
- Backflow, permit and inspection lines forgotten on the first quote and eaten later
- Start-ups and winterizations priced the same for a 4-zone lot and a 12-zone lot
How it works
From a US address to a signed sprinkler proposal.
How to estimate an irrigation system from satellite
The workflow follows the order you already think in on site: area, zones, heads, pipe, then the fixed items. A typical residential lot takes a few minutes once your cost library is set up.
You can try the estimator on a sample property or one US address of your own before creating an account. The yard measurement tool page shows the measuring screen on its own.
- Search the US address and zoom into current aerial imagery of the lot
- Trace each turf and bed area as its own zone; square feet calculate as you draw
- Drop points for rotors, spray heads, valves and the controller; the counts fill in automatically
- Draw lateral and mainline runs as lines; linear feet flow to the pipe and pulling lines
- Every quantity prices from your cost library with your labor rate, overhead and target margin
- Send the proposal with the traced map attached, and the client signs online
Worked example
A six-zone residential install priced line by line.
A six-zone sprinkler install, priced from the trace
Here is an illustrative example with round numbers so you can swap in your own. The lot has 5,200 sq ft of back lawn on two rotor zones, 2,400 sq ft of front lawn on two spray zones, and 900 sq ft of planting beds on two drip zones. The trace gives 14 rotors, 18 spray heads, 6 valves, 620 linear feet of lateral and 140 linear feet of mainline.
| Line | Quantity | Unit cost | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotor heads | 14 | $18.00 each | $252.00 |
| Spray bodies with nozzles | 18 | $9.00 each | $162.00 |
| Zone valves | 6 | $45.00 each | $270.00 |
| Drip zones (tubing, emitters, filter kit) | 900 sq ft | $0.90 per sq ft | $810.00 |
| Lateral pipe | 620 lf | $0.45 per lf | $279.00 |
| Mainline pipe | 140 lf | $0.80 per lf | $112.00 |
| Wi-Fi controller | 1 | $220.00 | $220.00 |
| Backflow preventer | 1 | $260.00 | $260.00 |
Materials come to $2,365. Labor comes from production rates stored in your library, not from a guess:
| Labor line | Math | Man-hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pulling pipe | 760 lf at 150 lf per man-hour | 5.1 |
| Setting heads | 32 heads at 0.25 man-hours each | 8.0 |
| Valves and manifold | 6 valves at 1.5 man-hours each | 9.0 |
| Drip install | 900 sq ft at 100 sq ft per man-hour | 9.0 |
| Controller and backflow | Fixed assembly | 4.0 |
That's 35.1 man-hours, or $2,036 at a $58 burdened hourly rate, for a direct cost of $4,401 before overhead recovery and margin. Your library adds both, so every estimator lands on the same price for the same yard. If your crews trench by hand in clay, give that region its own pulling rate and the price follows.
Features
What irrigation contractors use every day.
Irrigation estimating features built for sprinkler work
Counts from points. Every rotor, spray head, valve box and controller dropped on the map is counted and priced. Move one and the estimate updates.
Footage from lines. Lateral, mainline and drip runs are drawn as lines, so pipe and pulling labor use measured linear feet.
Assemblies. A "spray zone" assembly can carry the valve, wire, fittings, heads and labor in one line. Assemblies and waste factors are on the Company plan and up; see the cost library for how they are built.
Good / better / best. Offer a standard controller, a Wi-Fi smart controller, or a smart controller plus a rain sensor and flow meter as three priced options on one proposal.
Service pricing per zone. Spring start-ups, mid-season checks and fall winterizations price by zone count and visits per season, so a 12-zone property never gets the 4-zone price.
Job costing. Once signed, the estimate becomes the job budget, and crews log hours against it. The landscape job costing software page shows estimate versus actual per line.
Who it's for
Irrigation work that fits a satellite-first estimate.
Who uses sprinkler estimating software like this
- Landscape companies that sell irrigation as an add-on to installs and want it on the same proposal as sod and beds
- Irrigation contractors bidding new residential systems who are tired of pricing from a hand sketch
- Maintenance companies selling start-up and winterization contracts across a route of properties
- Commercial contractors pricing retrofits and zone expansions by area; for zoned commercial bids, see our landscape bidding software
Design-build firms tracing patios and beds on the same map can add irrigation as its own layer. The landscape takeoff software page covers tracing areas, lines and counts in more depth.
Compare
Irrigation estimating software contractors shortlist.
Irrigation estimating software compared
Irrigation contractors usually compare a design app, a field service platform and an estimating tool. The table sums up what each vendor says about its own product. Check current prices with each vendor, since they change.
| Tool | Built around | Best for | Measures from satellite |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcSite | CAD-style drawing on a tablet with costs attached to drawn items | Contractors who need a detailed irrigation plan drawing on site | Drawings over imported images and plans |
| FieldCentral (Hindsite) | Field service management for irrigation and landscape service companies | Service-heavy irrigation firms running scheduling, work orders and billing | Not its focus |
| QuoteIQ | All-in-one field service app with built-in aerial measurement | Small operators who want scheduling, invoicing and quoting in one app | Yes |
| Landscapeestimating | Satellite measurement, cost library, proposal with e-sign and job costing in one flow | Landscape and irrigation contractors who price and sell their own installs and service contracts | Yes, any US address |
Where the others win: ArcSite produces a proper irrigation design drawing, and FieldCentral and QuoteIQ run scheduling and dispatch, which we don't. We also don't do hydraulic design; you still size zones to your static pressure and flow. Where we win: the trace turns directly into a priced, margin-checked proposal the client can sign the same day, alongside the rest of the landscape scope.
FAQ
- How do you estimate an irrigation system?
You measure the areas to be watered, split them into zones, count the heads and valves each zone needs, and measure the lateral and mainline pipe. Then you price materials, add labor from production rates for pulling pipe, setting heads and building the manifold, and add the controller, backflow, permit, overhead and margin.
- What software do irrigation contractors use for estimating?
Irrigation contractors use design apps such as ArcSite, field service platforms such as FieldCentral or QuoteIQ, and estimating tools such as Landscapeestimating. The right choice depends on whether your bottleneck is drawing the plan, running the service schedule, or getting an accurate, signed price out fast.
- Can you estimate a sprinkler system from satellite imagery?
Yes. Turf and bed areas trace accurately on clear aerial imagery, and head and valve counts come from points you place on the map. Walk the property before the install to confirm static pressure, flow, the water meter size, slope and anything hidden under tree canopy.
- How much should I charge per sprinkler zone?
Price each zone from your own numbers rather than a market average: heads, valve, pipe and wire for that zone, plus labor from your production rates, then overhead and margin. In the example above a mixed six-zone install carries about $733 of direct cost per zone before overhead and margin.
- How do you price sprinkler winterization and start-ups?
Price them per zone and per visit. A per-zone labor time plus a minimum trip charge covers small lots, and larger systems scale with zone count. In Landscapeestimating the zone count saved on the property drives the service price every season.
- How much does irrigation estimating software cost?
Landscapeestimating costs $129 a month for Crew, $299 for Company and $649 for Operations, billed per company with 60, 250 or 800 satellite measurements included. Assemblies, good / better / best options and job costing start on Company. See the pricing page for every plan.
Get started
Price your next sprinkler install before the drive-out
Trace a real US address, drop the heads and valves, and see the irrigation estimate you would send. When it matches how you price, create your account and send it as a branded proposal with online e-sign.