The Hidden Costs of Under-Engineered Irrigation Systems
Why Landscape Architects Who Care About Long-Term Success Partner with Hines
The Challenge: The Mirage of "Good Enough"
Landscape architects are visionaries that build cool stuff. You craft spaces where nature and design harmonize. But beneath the surface—literally—lurks a silent profit killer: bad, amateur drafting.
There’s a difference between dropping dots on a page and hydraulic engineering. You might have a drafter who can plot points on the page—but at what cost? A system that technically works but bleeds your client’s budget with wasted materials, excessive water consumption, and long-term maintenance nightmares.
Non-technical systems don’t just waste water. They waste your client’s money, their time, and their trust in the project. They cost you credibility when a client’s water bills skyrocket or their maintenance team is drowning in avoidable repairs.
Yet the industry keeps making the same mistake: designing irrigation systems as an afterthought.
The Solution: Smarter Engineering, Bigger Savings
This is Where Hines Changes the Game:
Because when you work with top-tier engineers, you’re not paying more—you’re investing in never having to deal with costly mistakes.
Hines is the best with water, by every possible metric. And we can prove it.
Yes, we charge more upfront, but the math just makes sense.
Spend $500 more per acre.
Save $25K–$30K per acre.
What to Expect in This Guide:
The Hidden Costs You Can’t Afford to Ignore
1. Overbuilt = Overpriced
Case Study: Waters' Edge Community, CO
Bad irrigation design is like bad architecture—it looks impressive but costs a fortune in unnecessary materials and labor. When a system isn’t engineered properly, everything gets bigger: more pipes, more pumps, more components, and more headaches. That’s not efficiency—that’s a money pit.
And it’s not just about installation costs. Oversized systems drive up long-term expenses in maintenance and replacements, eroding your client’s ROI.
Hines cut water and infrastructure costs by over 60%, saving millions through smarter system design. By renegotiating raw water dedication requirements, eliminating excess components,z and optimizing water distribution, we delivered a system that performed better at a fraction of the cost.
2. The Water Bill No One Wants to Talk About
Case Study: Cummins Global HQ, IN
Most irrigation systems drown landscapes—overbuilt to the point where they pour money down the drain. Overwatering isn’t just wasteful—it’s a silent killer of plant health, infrastructure, sustainability, and your client’s budget.
Water rates aren’t going down anytime soon, and in many regions, excessive consumption leads to fines, penalties, and community backlash. Smart irrigation isn’t just about conservation—it’s about cost control and sustainability.
Hines engineered a hyper-efficient system & implemented a remote-access, weather-based controller, cutting water usage by 65%. This wasn’t just about turning off sprinklers in the rain—it was about precision engineering that optimized every drop of water, ensuring maximum efficiency and long-term savings.
3. When Maintenance Becomes a Nightmare
Case Study: Hines Single-Family Residential Project
An inefficient irrigation system is like bad website design—if it’s confusing, hard to navigate, and unreliable, it becomes expensive to fix. A poorly mapped system means endless troubleshooting, frustrated maintenance teams, and expensive repairs.
What happens when no one can find a valve shut-off in an emergency? Or when a system needs constant recalibration just to function correctly? These aren’t minor inconveniences—they’re ongoing expenses that drain resources and wear down project stakeholders.
A massively oversized mainline, inefficient water meters, and mismatched sprinkler zones resulted in an estimated $250,000 in wasted costs. By redesigning the system with a Water First™ approach, the project saved $21,000 in nozzle costs, reduced annual water waste by 400,000 gallons, and ensured compliance with state efficiency standards—proving that smart irrigation planning prevents costly mistakes.
4. Sustainability Is More Than a Buzzword
Case Study: Platte River Power Authority, CO
Over-engineered systems don’t just waste money—they waste energy, resources, and your project’s shot at sustainability certification.
In an era where green design is expected, non-optimized irrigation is a liability. Energy-intensive pumping systems, unnecessary water consumption, and excessive infrastructure all contribute to environmental degradation. Forward-thinking projects prioritize sustainability, and that means precision engineering that eliminates waste at every level.
By integrating non-potable water storage, Hines helped secure a Gold LEED Certification for the campus. Instead of relying on treated drinking water for irrigation, we designed a closed-loop system that dramatically reduced environmental impact while ensuring long-term cost savings. Eliminating the cost of potable water rights acquisition, Hines more than funded the cost of the irrigation system!
5. Your Reputation Is on the Line
Case Study: Parkland Hospital, TX
When an irrigation system causes headaches, guess whose name the client remembers? (Hint: Not the irrigation engineer they didn’t hire.)
Clients don’t care if a system was designed on budget if it doesn’t work long term. They remember the landscape architect who recommended it when their water bills explode, their maintenance team complains, or they need a costly redesign down the road.
Your reputation is built on the success of every detail in your projects—including the irrigation system. Cutting corners here is like using cheap materials in construction: it will come back to haunt you.
Our advanced water management system kept both the landscape and the project's reputation pristine. By prioritizing efficiency and sustainability from the start, we ensured that every stakeholder—from the hospital administration to the landscape team—was thrilled with the results.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Irrigation Engineering
Understanding the Complexity
Irrigation engineering isn’t just about laying pipe—it’s about precision, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. It’s an exact science that requires a deep understanding of hydraulics, soil absorption rates, plant needs, climate variability, and water conservation strategies.
Most landscape architects simply don’t have the specialized training required to optimize irrigation systems, and that’s not your fault. Your expertise lies in developing vision, site planning, functionality, and overall landscape design—not the intricate mechanics of water distribution, pressure regulation, and system optimization.
Yet, too often, irrigation is treated as an afterthought, pushed to a non-technical drafter, or delegated to a general contractor who lacks the engineering background to ensure long-term performance. The result? Overbuilt, inefficient systems that cost your clients a fortune in unnecessary materials, maintenance, and water waste.
The Hines Advantage: Engineering That Works for You
At Hines, we take a scientific approach to irrigation, blending cutting-edge engineering with sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Our team doesn’t just follow industry norms—we redefine them.
Water Demand Analysis: How many drops of water will your landscape use for the next 20 years through a variety of evolving weather conditions, plant establishment & maturation? Our team of water, plant, & soil experts knows.
Data-Driven Design: We incorporate real-world environmental data to create systems that adapt to changing conditions and maximize efficiency.
Hydraulic Efficiency: Every system we design is engineered for maximum water delivery with minimal waste.
Precision Engineering: We analyze every component—pumps, pipes, controllers, and emitters—to ensure optimal performance.
Smart Technology: Remote monitoring, automation, and AI-driven adjustments ensure systems run flawlessly with minimal human intervention.
Hines engineers don’t just build irrigation systems; we future-proof them. We design every project with a focus on reducing operational costs, simplifying maintenance, and ensuring long-term sustainability.
The Collaborative Approach: Making Your Work Easier
When you partner with Hines, you’re not just hiring an irrigation engineer—you’re gaining a strategic partner who ensures every aspect of water management is flawless.
Client Confidence: With Hines on board, your clients know they’re getting an irrigation system that won’t become a financial burden down the line.
Seamless Integration: Our team works hand-in-hand with landscape architects, ensuring the irrigation system supports your vision rather than compromising it.
Technical Expertise: We handle the complex calculations and system designs so you can focus on what you do best.
Talk to the Experts Who Make You Look Brilliant
Want to future-proof your projects?
(Or keep rolling the dice on outdated, bloated irrigation systems. Your call.)