Irrigation & Drainage in Fresno & the Central Valley
Efficient drip & sprinkler systems, smart controllers
In the Central Valley, water is the whole game. Getting it to your plants efficiently keeps them alive and your bill in check, and getting it away from your house and hardscape keeps a wet winter from doing damage. Specialty Landscape designs, installs, and repairs irrigation and drainage across Fresno and the Valley, and the two together are the systems that decide whether a landscape thrives or struggles.
We handle both sides as part of a design-build company. We install efficient drip and sprinkler systems with smart controllers to cut water use, and we build the French drains, grading, and drainage that stop water from pooling on Valley clay. Our work has earned the Fresno Bee Best of Central California award and 56 Google reviews at a 4.7-star average.
The estimate is free. Call or text, and we will come look at how water moves on your property and lay out the fix or the system with you.
Why Central Valley Homeowners Call Us for Irrigation & Drainage
Irrigation and drainage projects start with a clear symptom. Here is what we hear most.
Your water bill is too high
Inefficient sprinklers overspray, run too long, and water the sidewalk. Many projects start with a homeowner who wants their landscape watered without the bill that comes from an old, wasteful system.
Your sprinklers are broken or uneven
Heads that do not pop up, dry patches, overspray, and zones that will not turn off. A failing irrigation system wastes water and leaves the yard patchy, and it is one of the most common calls we get.
You want water-wise, efficient irrigation
Homeowners moving to drought-tolerant planting or turf want the watering to match, with drip lines and smart controllers that put water exactly where it is needed, and nowhere it is not.
Water pools in your yard
Standing water after irrigation or rain, soggy low spots, and a lawn that turns to mud are drainage problems, not just nuisances. On Valley clay, they are common, and they need real drainage to fix.
Water runs toward your house
Water pooling against the foundation or running under a patio is a problem worth solving before it does damage. Grading and drainage move it away from where it can hurt.
You are building or redoing the landscape
Irrigation and drainage are the systems a new landscape is built on. Because we design and build the whole yard, we put them in right as part of the project rather than as an afterthought.
Water Is the One Thing You Cannot Ignore in the Valley
Two facts shape every irrigation and drainage decision in the Central Valley, and they pull in opposite directions. First, water is scarce and getting more so, with ongoing conservation rules and rising costs across California, which means every drop the system wastes is money and a compliance headache. Efficient irrigation, drip lines, and smart controllers that water on real need rather than a dumb timer are not a luxury here; they are how you keep a landscape and a water bill both healthy.
Second, the ground does not cooperate with drainage. Much of the Valley sits on heavy clay and hardpan that absorbs water slowly, so when a lot of water arrives at once, from irrigation, a wet winter, or runoff off the roof, it does not soak in. It sits. That is why so many Valley yards have chronic pooling, soggy low spots, and water creeping toward the house, and why real drainage here often means moving water actively with drains and grade rather than hoping it percolates away.
The two problems are really one system. A landscape that is watered efficiently and drained properly stays healthy through both a dry Valley summer and a wet winter, and it protects the house and hardscape in the process. Get either half wrong, whether you overwater clay that cannot drain or drain nothing and let water pool, and the yard, and sometimes the foundation, pays for it.
The Irrigation and Drainage We Build
From efficient watering to moving water off your property, here is what we design, install, and repair.
A note on scope: we handle outdoor irrigation, drainage, and exterior water lines, with backflow install and certified testing through our plumbing partner. Interior plumbing is outside our scope, and where a backflow or water-line tie-in needs a permit or a test filed with the water district, we flag it. Drainage on a larger build often ties into grading covered on our design and hardscape pages.
How Irrigation & Drainage Pricing Works
There is no flat price for irrigation or drainage. A new drip system, a broken-sprinkler repair, and a French drain for a flooding yard are entirely different jobs, so the cost tracks what you actually need. What drives it:
We never quote irrigation or drainage sight unseen. The on-site visit comes first: we look at the system or the drainage problem, figure out what is actually needed, and give you an itemized written estimate. On drainage especially, the right fix depends on seeing how water moves on your specific lot.
What Happens, Step by Step
Here is how an irrigation or drainage project runs with us, from the first call to a yard that handles water the way it should.
Fast response
Call or text and reach a real person. We get back to you quickly to set a time to come out.
Free on-site assessment
We look at the irrigation or drainage problem, check how water moves on the lot, and figure out what is actually needed. No charge, no obligation.
Design and estimate
We lay out the system or the drainage fix, size it for your yard, and give you an itemized written estimate.
Scheduling and materials
With the plan approved, we schedule the work and order the materials.
Trenching and layout
We trench and lay the drip, sprinkler lines, or drain pipe on the right slope and depth for the job.
Install and connect
We set heads, emitters, valves, drains, and the controller, and connect everything, sized and configured for even watering or effective drainage.
Test, adjust, and program
We run the system, check coverage or flow, adjust heads and emitters, and program the controller so it waters on real need.
Cleanup and walk-through
We clean and restore the site, walk the finished system with you, and show you how to run it.
Why Specialty Landscape for Irrigation & Drainage
We design irrigation to save water
Drip where it belongs, efficient sprinkler layout where it does not, and smart weather-based controllers instead of a dumb timer. That combination is how we cut water use without letting the landscape suffer.
In a market with conservation rules and rising water costs, an efficient system pays for itself, and it keeps a drought-tolerant landscape or a turf lawn watered exactly the way it should be.
We fix drainage at the cause, not the symptom
Pooling and soggy spots are almost always a grade-and-drainage problem, not a mystery. We find where the water is coming from and where it needs to go, then build the drain, grade, or sump that actually solves it.
On Valley clay that will not absorb water, that often means moving it actively with a French drain or channel drain rather than hoping it percolates away.
Both halves from one company
Watering and drainage are two sides of managing water on your property, and we handle both. That means the irrigation is not fighting the drainage, and the whole system works together.
Because we design and build landscapes, we build the irrigation and drainage in as part of the yard, so they are right from the start rather than retrofitted later.
We protect the house, not just the yard
Water pooling against a foundation or running under a patio is a problem worth solving before it does real damage. We grade and drain to move water away from where it can hurt.
A drainage fix is cheap insurance compared to what standing water against the house can eventually cost.
Licensed, bonded, and insured
We hold California contractor license CSLB #1058363 and carry a bond and active workers’ compensation, verifiable on the state board site.
Backflow, water lines, and drainage that ties into the house are real work. It is worth having a licensed crew do it right and testable.
Owner-operated and award-winning
Specialty Landscape is owner-operated with the owner on the job, and its work has earned Best of Central California honors from the Fresno Bee.
Irrigation and drainage are unglamorous, and they decide whether everything else in the yard lives. We treat them that way.
Why Drainage on Valley Clay Is Its Own Job
People expect a drainage problem to fix itself if they wait long enough or add a little slope, and on well-draining soil that can be true. On the heavy clay and hardpan under much of the Valley, it is not, and understanding why is the difference between solving a pooling problem once and fighting it every winter.
The issue is that clay barely absorbs water. On sandy or loamy soil, water that lands on the yard soaks down through the ground and disappears. Clay does not let it: the water sits on and just under the surface, so a low spot becomes a puddle that lingers for days, a lawn turns to mud, and water finds its way toward the lowest point, which is too often the foundation of the house. Adding a bit of grade helps at the margins, but if there is nowhere for the water to actually go, it just pools somewhere slightly lower. On clay, drainage usually has to move water actively rather than wait for it to soak in.
That is what a real drainage fix does. A French drain, a gravel trench with a perforated pipe, gives subsurface and standing water a fast path to somewhere it can safely discharge, and channel and surface drains catch water off patios, driveways, and downspouts before it spreads. Paired with grading that pitches water away from the house, the system collects the water and carries it off instead of leaving it to sit on ground that will not take it. It is more work than throwing down some topsoil to raise a low spot, and on Valley clay it is the only thing that actually holds up, which is why we design the fix around how water really moves on your specific lot rather than guessing.
4.7-Star Rating from 56 Google Reviews · Award-winning across the Central Valley
Reviews surface live from our Google Business Profile, so what you read is always current and verifiable. We do not post curated or paraphrased quotes; the widget shows the real reviews straight from Google.
Systems, Controllers, and Materials
We choose irrigation and drainage components that fit your yard, your planting, and the Valley climate, and install them to run efficiently and last.
Drip and sprinkler components
Efficient drip lines and emitters for beds and drought-tolerant planting, and quality sprinkler heads and valves laid out for even coverage where spray makes sense.
Smart controllers and sensors
Weather-based smart controllers, rain and moisture sensors, and zoning that waters on real need, where much of the water savings comes from.
Drainage materials
Perforated pipe and gravel for French drains, channel and surface drains, sump pumps where water has to be lifted, and the grading to tie it all together.
Irrigation & Drainage FAQs
Do you charge for an estimate?
No. The on-site assessment and estimate are free. We look at the system or the drainage problem, figure out what is needed, and give you an honest written estimate with no obligation.
How much does irrigation or drainage cost?
It depends on the size of the yard, the number of zones or the length of drain line, and whether it is new work or a repair. After we see it you get an itemized estimate.
Can you lower my water bill?
Usually, yes. Overspraying sprinklers and dumb timers waste a lot of water. Switching to drip where it fits and adding a smart, weather-based controller puts water where it is needed and cuts what you waste.
What is drip irrigation, and is it better?
Drip delivers water slowly right to the roots with almost no evaporation or overspray, so it is far more efficient than spray for beds and drought-tolerant planting. For a lawn, efficient sprinklers or subsurface drip make sense. We match the method to the planting.
Why does water pool in my yard?
Most often, it's because Valley clay does not absorb water well, so it sits in low spots instead of soaking in. The fix is active drainage: French drains, channel drains, and grading that carry the water off rather than waiting for it to percolate.
What is a French drain?
A gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe that collects subsurface and standing water and carries it to somewhere it can safely discharge. On clay that will not drain on its own, it is the workhorse fix for chronic pooling.
Can you fix water running toward my house?
Yes. We regrade and add drainage to move water away from the foundation and out from under patios, which is worth doing before standing water does damage.
Do you repair existing sprinkler systems?
Yes. We fix dead zones, leaks, broken heads, stuck valves, and controllers that will not behave, and upgrade old systems to be more efficient.
Do you install smart controllers?
Yes. Weather-based smart controllers and rain and moisture sensors are one of the easiest ways to cut water use, and we install and program them.
Do you handle backflow and outdoor water lines?
Yes. We run the water lines for irrigation and features, and backflow-preventer installation and testing are handled and certified through our plumbing partner. We flag any permit or water-district test that is required.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold California contractor license CSLB #1058363 and are bonded and insured with active workers’ compensation. You can verify the license on the CSLB website.
What areas do you serve?
We are based in Fresno and serve Clovis, Sanger, Madera, Selma, Reedley, Kingsburg, Visalia, Hanford, and communities across Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties. If your town is not on our list, just ask. Chances are we cover it.
Where We Work
Specialty Landscape installs and repairs irrigation and drainage across Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties and the surrounding Central Valley.
Not sure if we reach your neighborhood? Call or text, and we will tell you straight. See our full service area →
Ready to Transform Your Yard? Contact Specialty Landscape.
Tell us what you have in mind, and we will come out, walk your property, talk through your options, and give you an honest written estimate at no charge.
We will get back to you to set up a free on-site estimate. Prefer to talk now? Call or text (559) 905-2273.
