One of the great pleasures of DIY endeavours, at least for me, is to step back and have that first look at the finished product. Not only is it gratifying to see all of your planning and work become manifest, but if you do it right, you can take a lot of pride in a job that looks like it was done by a professional. On the other hand, if it looks bad, then that’s not such a good feeling as you will (a) have to do it over, or (b) figure out a way to hide the mistake. I remember a saying of one of my fellow woodworkers who said, “The difference between an inexperienced and experienced woodworker is the amount of experience you have in hiding your mistakes.” So, I usually focus on plan (b).

But today, there was no need for a plan (b). I finished the installation of my new irrigation system (well the underground portion at least), and it looks really good. Here are some pictures:

FRONT IRRIGATION PIPE LAYOUT

FRONT IRRIGATION BOX

BACK IRRIGATION CONTROL BOXES

Notice how the lines are all neatly placed, the joints properly made, and how the control wires are secured around the piping? I also used some of the costs I saved by doing the labor to buy parts that are used commercially (e.g., for golf courses and such). This means that the system will last a long time, be easy to maintain, and perform well. It looks like a professional installation.

Alas, all of that nice, precise work has to be covered up. In reality, if I did a sloppy job of hooking up the pipes and just throwing the wires in there, nobody would have known the difference. Except for me. And you, who are reading this post. Nevertheless, I was happy to get all of the trenches covered up so I could walk around my property again! Here is what it looks like now:

FRONT YARD AFTER BACKFILL

SIDE YARD BACKFILL

I can now walk around in my back yard (again)!