While searching for components for a bathroom remodel, I fell in love with a vessel-type sink. Unlike a traditional sink, it sits atop the vanity like a bowl. I thought I\u2019d told the contractor how it should be installed. However, the message had not gotten through to the subcontractor who built the vanity nor to his workers. So, I was in for a rude surprise when I walked in on them just as they were dropping my fancy new sink into the big hole they\u2019d cut in the vanity top.<\/p>\n
Obviously, there was a communications breakdown here. My little sink problem was easily remedied, but when the project is much bigger, like a house, a commercial development or a government building, it\u2019s absolutely essential that all the professionals involved effectively communicate and understand what each other and the client are saying.<\/p>\n
Landscape architects want the plant material they\u2019ve chosen to install on a project to survive and thrive. So that this will happen, they\u2019ll specify the types of irrigation components they want: drip, micro sprays, conventional sprinklers, smart controllers. They sometimes will specify the brands of the components they want to use.<\/p>\n
When things go well, that which is specified is exactly what gets installed \u2014 but then there are those other times. Part of the problem lies in when the different stages of a project are completed. Typically, irrigation is the very last thing on the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many cases irrigation is an afterthought for some landscape architects and contractors,\u201d says Dan Aeschliman, CID, president of Commercial Irrigation and Turf Inc.<\/a>, East Peoria, Illinois, a firm that designs, installs and maintains residential, commercial and golf irrigation systems.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019re usually the last to come in,\u201d agrees Lisa Rudish, a design associate at EC Design Group Ltd.<\/a>, a Des Moines, Iowa-based irrigation design firm.<\/p>\n Ideally, she and the irrigation designers in her firm will establish a conceptual plan early on. \u201cIf we\u2019re doing the irrigation design for a big bank or mall development we need to get our sleeving materials in there and marked so the people starting from the ground up on the bare land know that in advance. Then, after the sod and plant materials have gone in, they need to be watered, so we get our stuff in and get things turned on right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Whitlock is president of Damon Farber<\/a>, a landscape architecture firm in Minneapolis that works on about 150 projects a year. \u201cDepending on the scale of the project, often the irrigation won\u2019t be designed until the construction process is done. Usually the general contractor will sub it out to a construction firm or an irrigation construction firm and they\u2019ll develop a drawing that we will review.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to sound like a clich\u00e9, but communication is everything,\u201d says Jim Davis, ASLA, CID, the owner of Landtech Design<\/a>, an irrigation design firm in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n Often, a variety of subcontractors are involved in a project. A meeting between everyone involved just before the first shovel of earth is turned is the best way to avoid a \u201ctoo many cooks\u201d type of scenario like the one Whitlock describes: \u201cThe electrical contractor will put all of his wiring in to feed the site lighting, then the irrigation contractor comes in \u2014 and he ends up cutting all those electrical lines to install his pipe. Or, it happens the other way around; the electrical subcontractor comes in and cuts through all the irrigation pipes.\u201d<\/p>\n To avoid this sort of outcome, Whitlock says there needs to be good communication and coordination between the installing contractor, all the different subcontractors, and the landscape architect and irrigation consultant. \u201cIt\u2019s all about coordination and having the right people in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Rudish says that when her firm gets connected with a landscape architecture firm, even if it\u2019s one they\u2019ve worked with on hundreds of projects, the first step is to have several meetings. \u201cThey give us their base plan and we\u2019ll work with that,\u201d she says. \u201cThen they\u2019ll make adjustments after they\u2019ve met with the property owner and we\u2019ll make our adjustments accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitlock says that preconstruction meetings are a routine part of his firm\u2019s quality control process. \u201cAnd it shouldn\u2019t be just between the landscape architect and the irrigation designer. It means talking to the mechanical engineer who\u2019s working on providing the building\u2019s water source and the electrical engineer that\u2019s responsible for installing the control system.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s vital to talk through issues with all the contractors and subcontractors so that they understand why things are designed the way they are and get a good grasp on the whole project before they start working.<\/p>\n \u201cFor instance, we may be trying to preserve an existing tree and minimize the damage to a particular zone,\u201d Whitlock says. \u201cBut the subcontractor just sees a straight line going from point A to point B. They\u2019ll say, \u2018I don\u2019t understand why the irrigation is designed this way \u2014 why is the main line going around this area of the drawing? Why don\u2019t we just go along this line?\u2019 \u2014 and they\u2019ll go ahead and install and cut all the roots of the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitlock adds, \u201c[One of the scenarios we have seen over time] is where you know that there\u2019s not been proper coordination during the design process. So maybe the landscape architect and the irrigation consultant have done everything that they believe is right, but they haven\u2019t coordinated with the mechanical engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSay for instance there\u2019s an assumption that we\u2019re going to have a 2-inch water source coming out of the building, but the mechanical engineer only designed a half-inch one, so all the calculations and all the equipment that\u2019ve been specified won\u2019t work. That\u2019s the kind of issue you can run into when there isn\u2019t proper coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n When communication and coordination is lacking, an irrigation installer can show up at a job site only to find that a concrete barrier has been constructed where pipes were supposed to go.<\/p>\n \u201cThat happens all the time,\u201d Rudish says. \u201cSomeone puts up a retaining wall with a big footing. When you call them on it, they\u2019ll say, \u2018We didn\u2019t know you needed to get your irrigation from here to the other side of that wall.\u2019 That\u2019s the kind of stuff we encounter a lot. Then we have to meet with the group and find a way to work around it and resolve the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitlock stressed that the irrigation professional who does the installation needs to know enough to ask the right questions. Often there are gray areas as to what should be installed, and sometimes the installing contractor will go ahead and choose something without consulting the landscape architect.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we have some very good irrigation installers in our market, many of them are used to residential applications and don\u2019t know the right questions to ask when it comes to commercial projects or they just assume things,\u201d says Whitlock. \u201cThen when we\u2019re out there inspecting, we\u2019ll find spray heads where there should have been drip emitters, like on a plaza where the owner holds events and now people are getting sprayed because the installer didn\u2019t understand how the owner is going to use the site.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Davis, ASLA, CID, owner of Landtech Design<\/a>, an irrigation design firm in Indianapolis recalls the time he was reviewing a commercial project on the penthouse of a building with an extensive green roof that needed an irrigation system. \u201cDespite it being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design project seeking Gold certification, the landscape architect didn\u2019t talk to an irrigation consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n But the system that was installed didn\u2019t come close to meeting the requirements. \u201cThe installers weren\u2019t irrigation experts, they were green roof installers,\u201d says Davis. \u201cThey didn\u2019t know they\u2019d needed drip emitters, micro sprays and rotator heads, and had installed regular sprays with NPR nozzles and rotors. They also didn\u2019t have a base controller. Reviewing this, I said, \u2018Oh gosh, what have I gotten myself into?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Tim Malooly, CIC, CLIA, CID, president of Water in Motion Inc.<\/a>, Minneapolis, an irrigation consulting firm and a former Irrigation Association board member says, \u201cLandscape irrigation is the wild west\u201d and is a proponent of the IA\u2019s certification programs used to establish competence among those who design and service landscape irrigation systems.<\/p>\n More information about certifications available for landscape irrigation are at www.irrigation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Aeschliman says a good landscape architect will make an installer \u201cjump through the hoops\u201d and provide the right components. They\u2019ll make them submit the products they\u2019re planning to use and make sure the irrigation system\u2019s demands won\u2019t tax the capacity of the heads.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some good irrigation consulting firms that focus on commercial and residential turf-type irrigation systems and they do a pretty good job,\u201d continues Aeschliman. \u201cThere are some good small landscape architecture firms out there too and some bigger high-end guys that really do their due diligence. If they put together an irrigation design, you\u2019re going to have to provide everything they specified, and believe me, they follow up.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrick J. Beam, ASLA, CLARB (Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards), owns Beam Designs LLC, Dublin, Ohio. He also uses the term \u201cdue diligence\u201d in describing how his firm makes sure that what they\u2019ve specified is what will go in the ground. \u201cYou can see that in the bidding process,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re bidding based on cheaper components or something other than what you\u2019ve specified and you can reject those substitutions before they\u2019re installed.\u201d<\/p>\n Rudish\u2019s firm does a \u201cpunch sheet.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s where we go through the whole system piece by piece and zone by zone, making sure the controllers are talking to the valves properly, that all the nozzles are working, all the heads are popping up and all the valves are opening properly,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter the design is done and the specifications are made, if the installing contractor has put the wrong products in and things are not up to the specs, they have to fix it. That\u2019s not the owner\u2019s responsibility. Only after a project is complete and everything is in good working order, working the way it was designed to, will we sign off on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitlock\u2019s firm won\u2019t draw up the irrigation design but will produce what\u2019s known as a \u201cperformance specification.\u201d This involves drawing a line around an area on a site plan indicating, \u201cWe want this area irrigated.\u201d Then his firm will provide specifications that outline the expected performance of the new irrigation system.<\/p>\n \u201cThat document will specify what sort of control system we want. This is especially important if there\u2019s a sustainability aspect as far as water conservation or the performance of the system itself. Then, once those standards are in place and we get a general contractor on board the contractor will submit shop drawings that respond to the drawings that we created.\u201d<\/p>\n Aeschliman says that when irrigation components aren\u2019t strictly specified (and the installer\u2019s feet aren\u2019t held to the fire) the result is usually less than optimal. \u201cThe owner can end up receiving the cheapest thing that the installing contractor can build. That\u2019s what it takes sometimes to get the bid low enough to get the job, but most of the time it works out very poorly for the owner. And it will cost more money in the long run, too, if it has to be redone or altered later on.\u201d<\/p>\n But even when the specs are clear, they can still be ignored. \u201cI\u2019ve seen design specifications where a landscape architect will say you\u2019re supposed to have this type of controller, valve or pipe \u2014 but the problem is that there\u2019s no one to verify that those exact things get installed,\u201d Aeschliman says. He adds that a landscape architect that\u2019s truly managing a project will require the irrigation contractor to submit drawings that include all the architect\u2019s specs. \u201cBut,\u201d he adds, \u201cmany times the architect doesn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem is that the folks that are saddled with construction administration don\u2019t always know what to look for,\u201d says Tim Malooly, CIC, CLIA, CID, president of Water in Motion Inc., Minneapolis, an irrigation consulting firm. \u201cThat includes the general contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitlock says for a project to be successful it\u2019s important to include the irrigation consultant or contractor in the conversation from the very beginning \u201cespecially given the complexity of regulations, with all of the new requirements around water conservation and stormwater management.\u201d<\/p>\n Consultation with a civil engineer and at times, a hydrologist, may also be needed to address all the various regulatory requirements in a creative way that takes aesthetics and the budget into account.<\/p>\n Permits can be another stumbling block. \u201cWhen you\u2019re dealing with a precious resource like water, you have certain limits,\u201d says Rudish. \u201cWe\u2019ve done irrigation systems on landfills; those have certain requirements that have to be incorporated into the specs.<\/p>\n We have to qualify our contractors to make sure they know what sort of permitting is needed and all the different things that could be encountered. We have to know all the aspects of something to go forward with our bid documents.\u201d<\/p>\n Malooly recently had a last-minute request from a developer who thought everything had been lined up for his project in the Twin Cities, \u201cbut the authority having jurisdiction said that their plans were woefully inadequate. All they had was a boilerplate description of a reuse irrigation system on civil and landscape drawings and a balloon around the areas of development to be irrigated by stormwater.\u201d<\/p>\n Malooly says that unfortunately that sort of performance-based approach (minimal callouts on plans and skeletal written specs) is commonly practiced throughout the United States. But performance-based specifications just won\u2019t pass muster when there\u2019s a promise to manage stormwater based on low-impact development requirements and it\u2019s time to obtain a permit. Then the client\u2019s project will be delayed.<\/p>\n At that point, the pressure is on for an expert like Malooly to come on board as quickly as possible. That expert will have to do the required work so the required permits can be obtained and the project can move forward.<\/p>\n Once again, it comes down to communication.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very important at the planning stages of a project, especially if it\u2019s large and it\u2019s going to involve water harvesting or reuse,\u201d Malooly says.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an outdated saying that goes, \u201cOne can never be too rich or too thin.\u201d With regard to a construction project, we could revise that to say: \u201cOne can never have too much communication.\u201d We can take that one step further and add \u201cor too much landscape and irrigation expertise.\u201d When landscape and irrigation experts come together and their advice is heeded, a successful project is usually the result.<\/p>\n Keeping the lines of communication open between landscape and irrigation professionals is critical in creating new, well-functioning landscape projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":3384,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[27],"class_list":["post-3380","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-irrigation"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen everyone communicates<\/h2>\n
\u2026 and when they don\u2019t<\/h2>\n
Taming the \u2018wild west\u2019 of landscape irrigation<\/h3>\n
Doing due diligence<\/h2>\n
Regulatory compliance<\/h2>\n
This article originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Mary Williams-Villano<\/strong><\/a> is a contributing editor to Irrigation & Green Industry and can be reached at pouncerspy@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"