Is Water Irrigation System worth it? (Columbus, Kent: houses, landscaping, neighborhood)

[sftong]

I am thinking about adding a sprinkler irrigation system in my yard of approximatelt 10,000 square feet of established lawn. Since we only need to turn on the system only 3 months of the year of June/July/Aug , I wonder if it's really needed?

Especially, I wonder if anyone with homes buying/selling experience can tell me if buyers really ever enquire about your sprinkler system?

I know landscape and green lawn add to the curb appeal, but I think we can just water the lawn during our home selling time to make it look nice.

I don't ask for perfect green lawn, and I can let my lawn go dormant for a couple of weeks during summer time, as long as it is not the worst in the neighborhood and it did not die on me. My neighbor home sells around $300K.
Thanks!

[NewToCA]

I don't think so. Overall, you have a four month summer season, mid-May through mid-late September. Figure about a 17-18 week period total vulnerability to drought.

If you have a decent rain (say 30 or so minutes of a decent rainshower) at least once a week your lawn will be fine. In all likelihood, you will rarely have extended periods without a decent rainshower. In the 14 summers I spent in Columbus, we had two that I would consider dry, and we just ran our "rainwave" sprinkler on the lawn after 6-7 days without rain. We had at least three years where we never ran the sprinkler at all, so I don't see the need for the investment.

[Fletchman]

I don't know anyone with an inground sprinkler system here. I do know a few people who have 'misting' systems for their flower beds or gardens.

Most people tend to put out one of those portable sprinklers in the summer on their lawn.

That being said, the grass around here does tend to get brown in August and September. They seem to be drier months here, depending on the year, of course. Last summer was fairly dry and the lawns did take a beating. But we had a wet fall.

[musicforme]

I've never been to Ohio and know nothing about the landscaping up there.

What is the most common grass used for houses in the Columbus area? I'm in the Dallas area and have a mix of bermuda and st augustine depending on much sun a particular area gets.

Not that it matters, but my sprinkler system runs all but about two months of the year.

[GeminiGal]

Most of the lawn grasses here seem to some sort of fescue - not a drought tolerant grass like your bermuda that you'll find in the South. We had a sprinkler system that we used ALOT in Atlanta, we had Bermuda because it was considered drought tolerant and the neighborhood required it. Here we have a sprinkler system and just turned on this past week for the first time - the lawn started to look a little rough!

[Fletchman]

Actually, Kentucky Bluegrass is the dominant turf here, although some lawns are a Bluegrass/Fescue mix.

I used to live in Florida and we had St. Augustine. I never liked it because it's so coarse. Bluegrass blades are very fine and it feels great to walk on outdoors. It also has a very distinct shade of green to it, like what you would see in Ireland or something. Very nice to look at.

[GeminiGal]

Originally Posted by Fletchman

Actually, Kentucky Bluegrass is the dominant turf here, although some lawns are a Bluegrass/Fescue mix.

I used to live in Florida and we had St. Augustine. I never liked it because it's so coarse. Bluegrass blades are very fine and it feels great to walk on outdoors. It also has a very distinct shade of green to it, like what you would see in Ireland or something. Very nice to look at.

I'm pretty sure we have fescue. The KY Bluegrass sounds great - I would love to have that type of turf under my feet!

[Fletchman]

Oh yeah. Even Oprah herself has praised Bluegrass because it is so lush (under the right conditions).

A shaded yard is very beneficial for Bluegrass.

[sftong]

Oh boy, still could not make a decision. From personal perspective, I would love to have a sprinkle system installed because it saves me time for my family time, and saves some water bill too (my outdoor pipes connections are always leaky, plus watering during day time that goes to evaporation), and save my concern for lawn watering if I take any extended vacation (2 weeks or more).

But it seems to me most future buyers do not care about irrigation system. I have friends who have it, but some never turn on the system because it needs professionals to turn it on and off (winterizing) that cost like additional $150/year.

I mean, why is it many Columbus citizens do not have it, and do not want to turn it on? Is it too costly to afford with water bill? or they don't see the same reasonings as I do above? or their lawn size are smaller that watering is not an issue for them?

My concern is, I do not want to put in a home upgrade that has little return of investment, esp during this slow market. Thanks!

[NewToCA]

If return on investment is of concern, that is the easy question. You won't get an extra $ for installing this system.