Rain Bird makes it fast and simple for irrigation contractors to get professionally drawn, accurate irrigation plans-helping you quote jobs with confidence and streamline installation. Provide a few site details, and our design team will deliver a clear, ready to use plan tailored to your project.
Your completed design will be emailed as a PDF and includes:
A professionally drafted irrigation layout
Precise zone planning and equipment specifications
A custom, pre‑built materials list to help you order quickly and avoid missed parts
Why Create an Account
A Rain Bird online account simplifies your workflow:
Access your finalized design anytime
Retrieve your project‑specific shopping cart with all required components
Reduce project prep time—no need to hunt for parts or guess at quantities
Important Considerations for Contractors
Rain Bird’s Sprinkler Design Service is intended for residential properties within the United States.
We cannot process requests for commercial or institutional properties.
For Texas projects, minimum system requirements are 8 GPM and 60 PSI.
Designs serve as guidelines; Rain Bird does not guarantee installation or system performance.
For the most accurate results, scale your drawings correctly (1" = 10', 20', or 30'). Maximum supported yard size is 240' x 300'.
Contractor input is welcome, but final designs follow Rain Bird irrigation standards. You may adjust the layout during installation as needed.
You May Need:
Water Pressure Gauge
Tape Measure
String
Pencil & Paper
Timer
Five Gallon Bucket
How To
Determine the property's water pressure
Screw a pressure gauge onto an unregulated outside faucet. Make sure no water is running anywhere inside or outside the house. Turn on the faucet with the gauge attached. The gauge shows your water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi).
Record: Pounds per square inch (psi) on the worksheet.
Find the water meter size
The water meter size is usually stamped on the outside of the meter. If you can’t find the size, just call the water utility company and ask for that information; standard sizes are 5/8", 3/4" or 1". If you are on a well, check the pump owner’s manual to determine its pressure and flow capacity, or consult a well pump dealer/installer.
Record: Write the meter size on the worksheet.
Measure the service line diameter
Locate the pipe that runs from the water meter to the house. Wrap a piece of string around the pipe, mark it, then measure to determine its size. Check the string length on the table below to find the service line size. For example, if the string measures 4" and the house has a galvanized pipe, the service line is 1”.
Record ¾”, 1” or 1 ¼” on the worksheet.
Length of String
2 ¾”
3 ¼”
3 ½”
4”
4 ⅜”
5”
Size of Copper
¾”
-
1”
-
1 ¼”
-
Size of Galvanized
-
¾”
-
1”
-
1 ¼”
Size of Sch. 40 PVC
-
¾”
-
1”
-
1 ¼”
Calculate the home’s water flow
Get a measurable container, like a 5 gallon bucket, make sure no other water is running in or outside the house, turn the faucet on all the way and time how long it takes to fill the container. Determine gallons per minute (GPM) with the following formula. Note: Please retest if less than 7 GPM. If the two results are different, please call us at 1-800-426-7782 to discuss.
Record: Gallons per minute (GPM) on the worksheet
Gallons(container size)÷Time(seconds)×60=GPM(Gallons per minute)
example
5
÷
17.5
×
60
=
17.14
gallons
Seconds
GPM(Gallons per minute)
Sketch the yard
Divide the lot into sections such as front lawn, side lawn, flower beds, slopes, etc., and label the areas you want watered. Be sure to include the house, driveway and sidewalks in proper scale. Also, if your irrigation areas include planting beds indicate that on your drawing, indicate as well if you have a preference for drip emitter tubing, bubblers or spray nozzles on these areas. If you have big differences in the amount of sun specific areas get, you may want to group those for watering efficiency and indicate “separate valve” on your drawing. Note: It may be helpful to use scratch paper first, then transfer your final drawing to the enclosed graph paper. Use bold, black lines only with no shading.