Is it normal to have sprinklers and sprinkler lines torn up and severed by the excavators in a typical patio addition project?
We began a project in late October last year, in which the excavators basically tore up our whole backyard but didn't get to pouring concrete until just last week.
Now that they're ready to come back to regrade the yard following the patio being poured, I have questions about who is responsible for fixing our irrigation system. The contractors told us that irrigation is not part of the existing contract, but I think I would have done things differently had I known they would have ripped out and broken several sprinkler lines during excavation.
I understand that there is no way to have done this project without messing with sprinkler lines, but it seems like they could have been dug up and preserved instead of being torn up along with the soil during the excavation process.
Is this just par for the course? What kind of recourse do you think I have?
***Edit: The contractor I referenced is the person in charge of the home renovation in its entirety. Not just the company doing the yard. So I suppose my frustration lies with the project manager not foreseeing this being an issue.
by the_real_robobobo
1 Comment
If the irrigation was servicing only the area that is now a patio and wasn’t hooked up to anything “down stream” then they’re fine and likely you can cut and cap yourself very easily, cheaply, and quickly.
I’ve done lots of lawn to drought tolerant conversions(45 total as of Thursday) in California and normally I trench for irrigation lines and save the ones I want to reuse for drip line. I then tear out the rest similar to the pictures you have and cap off wherever makes the most sense for the new irrigation to function best.
If they just broke line to the rest of your irrigation I would look back at your contract with them and see if there is any recourse you can take to get them to at least cap it now and potentially pay for new irrigation materials at a minimum.
You are right that it’s near impossible to never hit a line when doing this work but there’s some prudence contractors should have. I always have 10+ different shut off valves on my truck during excavation in case I hit a live line and need it off immediately. Calling 811 is a must unless you’re in undeveloped land. Trenching around existing lines to know what not to hit is smart. Never cutting or breaking a line you don’t know how to fix or don’t know what it does is the bare minimum.