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Smart sprinkler controllers cost $150 to $350 or more, depending on the brand, style, and technology. You can swap your traditional timer for a smart controller as long as it's compatible with your system.

The cost to install a new smart sprinkler system from scratch ranges from $1,800 to $7,000, depending on the size of your lawn and the number of zones you need. It’s best to hire a pro to install a sprinkler system because it’s labor-intensive and requires technical skills and specialized equipment.

Lawn irrigation is the process of getting water to your lawn, grass and all, for it to grow. There are five main types of lawn irrigation methods:

• Manual irrigation puts you in charge of the flow of water. Using a sprinkler head on your hose is best to evenly distribute the water across your entire lawn. This doesn’t take much time but requires you to be physically outside holding the hose. 

• Above-ground sprinklers attach to your hose and rotate or oscillate around your lawn. Since these are above-ground, they’ll need to be moved when it’s time to mow, and depending on the size of your property, you might need to move it around your yard for full coverage. 

• In-ground sprinklers are flush with the ground when not in use but pop up above the ground level when it's time to water the lawn. Piping for these sprinklers is all found underground, and there are different types of sprinkler heads for different uses and lawn sizes. 

• Drip irrigation involves drip lines that are more efficient than sprinklers for more extensive lawns. This involves a lot of digging since they are installed underground, but it makes it easy for you to mow.

• Rainwater collection and irrigation uses nature’s precipitation to water your lawn. This option might not be available in every area since semi-reliable rainfall is needed, though the barrels for this system can range from 15 gallons to 10,000 gallons or more.

The color code for the common sprinkler wire is white, and then you can assign the remaining color codes to the rest of the wires for different sprinkler zones. For example, you could use red for the first zone, then blue for the second, and so on.

Color-coding helps you keep track of which wires go to specific zones so that you or a pro can address any issues or repairs quickly. Check your local electrical code for any requirements regarding sprinkler wire colors.

Each sprinkler zone should have five to 10 sprinkler heads. The water source for sprinkler systems has an average of 30 to 50 PSI and 5 to 8 GPM. On the lower end of these ranges, you’ll need fewer sprinkler heads per zone. The number of sprinkler heads per zone you need ultimately depends on the size of the zone, the water pressure, and the flow rate.