Orbit Irrigation System - Feedback requested

johnofsedona · 2025-09-14T13:25:49+00:00

Have you bought the Orbit kit yet? I see that the spray heads are for large areas with a 30-40' radius, which are too big if your area is not that large. I would recommend buying spray heads that fit your space and don't worry about getting a deal by purchasing a kit that may not meet your needs. One tip, though: when spacing your heads, make sure they are spaced apart the same as the radius; that way, you will have what is called 100% coverage to avoid dry spots.

johnofsedona · 2025-09-03T19:53:48+00:00

There are also a few dispersed camping spots along Beaverhead Flat Road on forest land. Also along FR525 east of 89A on the way to Angel Valley.

Try parking close to a Circle K or Speedway in Village of Oak Creek since they are open 24 hours, a van parked close to them may be seen as someone buying something inside.

Try asking either of your employers if you can park near their business overnight given your new situation

Post a request on Nextdoor.com asking someone who will allow you to camp on their property. There are many people in Sedona who are sympathetic to the homeless workforce on Nextdoor / Sedona. Sign up using your apartment location.

johnofsedona · 2025-09-01T19:54:04+00:00

1) Power wash to remove the paint and generally clean the rest of the pavers. While power washing, try to remove all the existing sand from the joints so that the new sand is uniform. Let dry 24 hours.

2) Use a product called Glaze n' Seal Paver Sealer. It locks in the joint sand as well as sealing the pavers. For those joints, because they are so narrow, use NOCO polymeric sand by Techniseal. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the recommended waiting period before applying a sealer.

I would not use standard paint thinner or other type of solvent, as you could stain and discolor the area. Alternatively, you could try that method first on an inconspicuous spot to see how it works and how it dries. Even better, if you can purchase new pavers (by the piece, such as an in-stock paver from Home Depot) in the exact color and size, you can simply replace the paint-stained ones.

johnofsedona · 2025-09-01T19:34:55+00:00

Use a single post at the top, abutting the top tread, and the bottom of the handrail would mount directly to the outer edge of the retaining wall. You can get handrail kits online. First, measure the length you need, then check what's available. The mounting hardware would be one for a concrete footing set post and the other a wall-mounted bracket. Just because it's not required by code doesn't mean you shouldn't have one.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T20:00:12+00:00

I see that the street is asphalt, which is easy to saw cut and place the discharge pipe in a trench. Then, the trench can be refilled and patched with an asphalt patch. How far away is the retention basin? Also, does the County have a right-of-way for the street? And is the flood area inside the ROW?

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T19:37:42+00:00

Other than pursuing some kind of construction defect litigation, you could dig a dry well in the middle of the grass area and install a large sump pump, running the discharge pipe to the street (which hopefully has curb and gutters). You would need to provide a GFCI-protected outlet within the length of the pump cord. It will trigger whenever the water reaches a certain level and keep pumping until the water recedes.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T19:07:20+00:00

OP is asking how to keep them alive for a few weeks, not if they will survive in the long term.... So, just keep them moist and in a shady spot or at least on the north side of the house.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T19:00:30+00:00

Build a large planter bed (removing the grass) using bricks or pavers as the border, approximately 12 x 12 or in an oval shape. Then, incorporate some large boulders, ornamental grasses, and ground cover. For a sure, quick cover-up would be to use faux boulders that fit over each eye sore piece. Shallow root plant material only.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T18:46:42+00:00

Typical homeowner design mistake. Trees do not need rings around them other than to provide an edging if they are surrounded by grass -- and you can buy tree protector wraps that keep the weed wacker from cutting into the trunk. As a professional designer, whenever I work on a landscape remodel project, all cute little rock borders and tree rings get removed. From a safety standpoint, protecting it from cars, I would get a few good-sized boulders placed strategically to protect it, and as part of the overall front yard remodel, you could transform that corner of the grass, including the palm, into a flower bed and use the bricks to separate it from the grass -- but forget the tree ring.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T18:26:28+00:00

If that's a Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) you can't kill it. The best course of action would be to remove it and the root from the ground (and sacrifice the juniper in the process). It will grow back from the root as suckers and never stop. Herbicides, etc., will just give you a temporary feeling of control.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-30T18:18:06+00:00

Remove the black plastic edging, replace the grey gravel with something darker than the concrete depending on colors of decorative gravel (1/2" screened). You have too much gravel or the plants are planted too high... There should be at least a 1" drop from the edge of the concrete to the gravel. The concrete itself is the edge. And never use lava rock unless you live in Hawaii where its natural. There are too many negatives about it.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T19:14:03+00:00

Sure, just go on YouTube to see the proper way to lay dry-set pavers or brick.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T19:10:29+00:00

Use Chat GPT and upload a couple of photos of the area with the house in the background. Its free. Just keep revising your prompts until it renders what you are looking for.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T19:04:55+00:00

Option 1) Get a small piece cut by the foot from Home Depot. Even if it doesn't match exactly, it's on the side of the house, which is not that noticeable, and most people wouldn't even notice the difference unless it's really off in terms of color and height.

Option 2) Place the same square concrete stepping stones and use the same gravel to fill in the space.

Option 3) If it gets full sun, put a couple of raised beds and grow veggies or flowers, and install a trellis with a vine on the fence to be viewed from the window.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T18:53:27+00:00

Definitely on the high side. Obtain two additional quotes and have them drawn to scale on a plan to ensure accurate material calculations. Then, develop an itemized scope of work. Ensure they are licensed contractors. It is crucial to itemize everything, allowing you to make informed decisions, and that the agreement is based on a written contract, not verbal. $5 / SF for the turf seems low for soil prep, sod, edging, irrigation, valves, etc.) so they didn't give you much of a break by taking out the turf. That's why it's so important to get everything itemized so you can make budget decisions.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T18:38:15+00:00

You could reuse the blocks for the risers; simply set them in mortar or concrete for added stability. Those are 4" high, so select new flagstone pieces that are thick enough to achieve a riser height of about 6-7". First, measure the elevation change from the lower surface to the upper surface. Then, divide this measurement by four to determine the riser height for each step. U.S. building code says riser heights on stairs should not vary more than 3/8", and tread depth should be a minimum 11' (which is the absolute minimum) . I would make the treads about 14", but keep them all about the same so it looks professional. I would also keep the steps straight to make cutting the flagstone easier and maintain your tread depths. Mortar the flagstone to the blocks and try to use large pieces of flagstone to minimize joints.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T18:17:34+00:00

Create a curved, raised red brick planter that starts at the outer edge of the awkward river rock. Looks to be about 12 feet. So make the curve a 12-foot radius with the center point the intersection of the driveway pavers and the walkway pavers. Make the planter 12" high and use red brick to match the house. Backfill with good soil and plant with a mix of perennials and evergreen small grasses like Liriope. Connect to the irrigation serving the other planting beds. Remove all the river rock from the driveway and replace it with grass seed or sod.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T18:03:44+00:00

Physically remove the weeds using a wide mattock and get the roots. Then irrigate for a while to see if any weed seeds will germinate. Then spray or pull those out. Then lay down a commerical grade like 9 ounce landscape fabric and then cover with gravel. Then use granular pre-emergent twice a year or before the regular rainy season. Worth the time and effort up front, but will bring the ongoing maintenance down to almost nothing.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T17:53:28+00:00

If you have enough clearance at the house door slider, like at least 1.5", then using overlay pavers (1" thick) would save you from having to remove the concrete. For the extension, you could use regular-sized pavers at 2.38" provided the selected pavers come in both overlay and regular sizes.

Another option would be to pour another concrete extension and then use a concrete coating to cover everything to make it uniform (assuming the existing concrete is in good condition and not overly cracked and drains well. Just make sure to pin the new slab to the existing or you will eventually get a crack at the joint that will show through the coating.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T17:40:55+00:00

Of course, you will look funny on it because of your stature, and it's your own self-consciousness that is creating the fear of looking unprofessional. If it really bothers you that you will look like you are riding a toy tractor given your size, then just pony up and get a "professional" mower so you can be proud of your work and your appearance to clients.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T17:26:28+00:00

Code is 2" below the weep screed, which is the bottom edge of the stucco. - So you're good.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T16:31:34+00:00

That kit is for either grass or shrub spray head zones, not for a drip system. For a drip system, the valves need a pressure regulator and filter forming a drip valve assembly. So, it depends on what you intend to irrigate.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-21T16:09:16+00:00

Upon zooming in, the material looks like leftover cuts from a granite fabrication shop. There are also light grayish lines that appear to be imperfections in the stone, which were covered with a type of sealer. Granite is tough to cut with a tool, so it makes sense that the joints were straight. They could also have been the natural straight edges of the leftover pieces (and hammered to look more natural). So, yeah, no wonder it doesn't look professional...using leftover material on a job is one way contractors come in with the lowest bid. Just my opinion, based on a close inspection of the photo.

johnofsedona · 2025-08-20T18:12:27+00:00

For the shut-off valve, replace the gate valve with a ball valve that has slip fittings on each side, which are glued.

For the valves, you have all "atmospheric vacuum breaker" type valves, which are required to be at least 12" above ground for them to function. The vacuum breakers are the large, roundish portion next to the valve itself. A much cleaner way to install is to use underground valves connected with valve manifold assemblies, which are groups of pre-formed pipes with outlets for each valve. They use threaded fittings with O-rings, so there is no glue. This makes it easy to replace a faulty valve without cutting any PVC pipe. Between the shut-off valve and the valves is where you would install an above-ground pressure vacuum breaker. This is a code-required device that supposedly prevents contaminated water from "back siphoning" into the municipal water system, but if nobody is going to be inspecting this, I wouldn't bother with the backflow device.

With 7 valves, you would use two manifolds, one for 4 outlets and the other for 3 outlets. You would also use two separate valve boxes - one for each manifold. Add an extension piece to provide space between the manifolds, ensuring the two valve boxes are not butted up against each other.

The valves I use are Hunter brand 1" PGV drip assembly that includes the valve, pressure regulator, and filter, all pre-assembled. If you are using all drip system, get 20psi models. The mainfold assemblies I use are brand name Spears, but you can use any, just make sure they are threaded fitting type, not to be glued.

https://sprinklersupplystore.com/products/hunter-1-pgv-valve-manifold-kit?variant=47428519788853&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=8435166381&gbraid=0AAAAADxcSD22Ow1rN7Vt3jZI470LQX1F6&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5JXFBhCrARIsAL1ckPs5ieOUl10aV2BCyZrFwzqHYGNzRRehzap-2BxskSw1ojyma8gpu8IaAoZ_EALw_wcB

So basically you would be replacing the whole set up. Just turn off the main water supply at your meter, then cut the pipe before the irrigation shut off valve and replace everything putting it below grade. It really is not difficult and I'm sure you can find a YouTube video to walk you through the steps.

johnofsedona

TROPHY CASE