Irrigation Installation & Retrofit

Capital irrigation projects, engineered for documented ROI.

Design-build for commercial properties under capital improvement plans. We audit existing systems, engineer with measured efficiency in mind, install certified hardware, and hand over documentation built for capital approval and audit defense.

Project types New construction · system retrofits · zone-level conversions
Typical timeline 4–12 weeks per project · portfolio rollouts staged across the irrigation calendar
Certifications CIT · CIC · CID · CLIA · WSIP
Documentation Pre-project audit · engineering drawings · ROI projection · commissioning report
Past clients Bentall Kennedy · Oxford Properties · Brookfield Residential · RBC
Service area GTA + Golden Horseshoe
17+ years of commercial capital projects · Documented retrofits up to 92% efficiency gain · CIT/CIC/CID certified team · 4–12 week typical project window
1 The Opportunity

Most commercial irrigation systems are running at half their potential.


When SMART was founded, we installed and walked away. Today, we audit existing systems and find the same three patterns at almost every property — each one a documented capital opportunity sitting in the landscape.

i
Pattern 01

Over-pressurization.

Most legacy systems run 30–50% over recommended pressure.

At the head, that means water gets atomized into mist that drifts on the wind. The system uses more water and applies less of it to the actual landscape. Visible at audit, invisible on the bill.

Fix Pressure regulation at zone valves · pressure-regulating nozzles · master valve check at every point of connection
ii
Pattern 02

Spray loss in beds.

Fan spray heads installed in narrow planting beds can lose over 50% of applied water to overspray, wind drift, and evaporation.

Walkways get watered. Parking lot edges get watered. The plants don't. This is the highest-ROI retrofit category we run — documented gains of 42–92% on zone-level drip conversions.

Fix Sub-surface drip retrofit on affected zones · documented 1-season ROI
iii
Pattern 03

Pre-smart controllers.

Systems older than 10 years run static schedules regardless of weather, soil moisture, or rainfall.

That means watering after rain. Watering through a heatwave at the same rate as a cool morning. Watering broken zones because nobody noticed. Smart control closes the gap between what's applied and what's needed.

Fix Centralized control (Toro Sentinel, Rainbird IQ, Hunter Hydrawise) · ET-based scheduling · flow metering at every POC

Each pattern is a capital project. Three categories of work follow.

2 The Work

Three categories of capital project.


From full new-construction design-build to targeted zone-level retrofit conversions. Every project starts with the same first question: what is the documented ROI?

01 New construction

Full design-build for new commercial properties.

Smart from day one. We work with property developers, landscape architects, and general contractors on commercial sites pre-construction — engineering the irrigation system for documented efficiency before a single line goes in the ground.

  • System design and zoning
  • Hardware specification
  • Pre-construction coordination
  • Installation and commissioning
  • As-built documentation
Example project
Villages of Rosedale · Silmar Management · 2014 - Current

Full system design and install. Centralized control managing 200+ zones, Premium irrigation systems from design to installation.

03 Zone-level conversions

Targeted drip retrofits on the highest-loss zones.

When the existing system is largely sound but specific zones are losing water to wind, overspray, and evaporation. We isolate the worst zones, convert them to sub-surface drip, and document the savings against the original baseline.

  • Zone-level efficiency audit
  • Conversion design (spray → drip)
  • Pressure regulation + filtration per zone
  • Air-relief valves and infrastructure
  • 1-season ROI documentation
Example project
3425 Laird Rd. · Bentall Kennedy · 2012

Drip retrofit on zones 2 and 3. Combined flow rate reduced from 122 L/min to 79 L/min. Water savings of 507,780 L in the first season — a 79% efficiency gain over standard methods.

3 The Stack

What we install. Four layers, one system.


Manufacturer-agnostic spec. Engineered per property. Standardized for serviceability and SMART's own ongoing management workflow.

01
Control

Centralized control + remote access

Two-way communication satellites. Remote monitoring, remote scheduling adjustments, alert thresholds. The control layer makes every other layer accountable.

  • Toro Sentinel centralized irrigation management
  • Rainbird IQ satellite-based remote control
  • Hunter Hydrawise cloud-based smart control
02
Distribution

Efficient water application at point of use

Where the water actually meets the landscape. Pressure-regulating, lower-precipitation-rate, and zone-appropriate. Spray heads only where they make sense.

  • Rainbird sub-surface drip perennial beds, narrow zones
  • Hunter MP Rotator matched-precipitation rotary nozzles
  • Rainbird Rotary nozzles standard turf application
03
Monitoring

Real-time consumption + ET-based scheduling

Flow data sub-metered at every point of connection. Weather and evapotranspiration data feeding daily schedule adjustments. The monitoring layer is how anomalies surface in hours instead of months.

  • Data Industrial flow meters at every point of connection
  • Irrisoft WR7 receivers on-site weather integration
  • ET data feeds daily schedule adjustments
04
Infrastructure

Pressure regulation, filtration, fail-safe valves

The hardware that makes the other three layers reliable. Pressure regulation at every zone valve. Master valves at every POC for remote shutoff. Air-relief and filtration on every drip zone.

  • Pressure regulation at every zone valve
  • Master valves at every point of connection (remote shutoff)
  • Air-relief + filtration every drip zone
4 The Approach

Design-build. Documented for capital.


We engineer projects for ROI before we install anything. Every project includes documentation built for capital approval, audit defense, and post-project warranty.

Methodology
1

Pre-project audit

Full system inventory. Zone-by-zone efficiency baseline. Opportunity quantification. We document what's there before we propose what should replace it.

2

Engineering design

CIT/CID-certified design with full hardware specification, zone-by-zone plan, pressure calculations, and as-built drawings. Engineered for the property, not templated.

3

ROI projection

Documented projected savings per zone against the pre-project baseline. The number that goes into the capital approval pack — defensible, conservative, and tied to specific hardware decisions.

4

Capital approval pack

Drawings, specifications, ROI documentation, and proposed timeline — assembled for the format your capital committee actually uses. Submitted as a single package.

5

Post-project documentation

Commissioning report. As-built drawings. Equipment warranty registration. Training materials for the on-site team. The handover package every facilities lead actually wants.

5 The Process

Five steps. From audit to handover.


Typical project window is 4–12 weeks depending on scope. Larger portfolios are staged across the irrigation calendar. Day anchors below are reference points — exact timeline confirmed at the design stage.

Step 1 Days 1–14

Pre-project audit

Site walk with the on-site facilities team. Full system inventory zone-by-zone. Efficiency baseline measured against actual flow data. Opportunity identification report delivered at end of week 2.

Deliverable Pre-project audit report · opportunity inventory · preliminary cost estimate
Step 2 Days 14–30

Engineering design

CIT/CID-certified design with full hardware specification, zone-by-zone layout, pressure calculations, and as-built drawings. ROI projection finalized. Capital approval pack assembled in your committee's preferred format.

Deliverable Engineering drawings · equipment specification · ROI projection · capital approval pack
Step 3 Days 30–X

Project install

Construction phase. Hardware installation, programming, and integration. Tenant disruption minimized through scheduled work windows. Daily progress communication. Variable timeline depending on scope — zone retrofits typically 1–2 weeks, full system installs 3–6 weeks.

Deliverable Installed and programmed system · daily progress updates
Step 4 Days X – X+7

Commissioning

Pressure test, zone-by-zone performance verification, flow meter calibration. Performance documented against engineering design. Anything off-spec is corrected before sign-off.

Deliverable Commissioning report · performance verification document
Step 5 Day X+7 onward

Handover

Documentation pack delivered. On-site training for the facilities team. Equipment warranty registered. Optional handoff to SMART's Irrigation Management Service (IMS) for ongoing remote monitoring, weather-based scheduling, and proactive service.

Deliverable As-built drawings · commissioning report · warranty documentation · training materials · optional IMS continuation
Request a Quote

Tell us about your property.


A site visit and written quote are free across our service area. A coordinator will get back to you the same business day to confirm scope and schedule the visit.

Connect with Us

For active repairs, urgent failures, or properties needing fast turnaround — calling is the fastest way to get on the schedule.

Direct line 888.444.1530
Office hours Mon–Fri · 9am–5pm ET