For a typical project of 334.5 m² (3,600 sq ft) of watered lawn (all of Quebec): $3,001 doing it yourself, $2,400 to $3,400 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 42.8 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $1,503
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 8 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $1,923 to $4,373
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
At $35/h: hiring costs less.
Break-even = (the contractor's typical price minus the money spent doing it yourself) divided by your person-hours. Before tax on both sides: GST and QST apply to both.
| Measure | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|
| Money spent | $1,503 | $1,503 |
| Person-hours | 43 h | 29 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 3 days | 2 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $1,498 | $1,018 |
| True cost | $3,001 | $2,520 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $1,503 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $3,001 |
| True cost, intermediate | $2,520 |
| Contractor | $2,400 to $3,400 ($2,900) |
| Materials | 31% | $874 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 13% | $369 |
| Equipment and rentals | 5% | $131 |
| Overhead | 27% | $772 |
| Margin | 10% | $286 |
| Other | 15% | $426 |
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
Intermediate
Hours for the typical project: the work calculation (a crew's pace times the level's factor, with rework, learning and unloading) plus the guide's planning and checks.
Everything starts with two measurements: static pressure (gauge on an outdoor tap, nothing running) and available flow (bucket test). The calculator uses only part of the flow for each zone, to keep good pressure at the heads.
Info-Excavation. Irrigation trenches are shallow, but they often cross cables: file the free request and dig by hand near the marks.
Irrigation trenches are usually 15 to 30 cm deep. Under a lawn, lift the sod strips first so they can go back afterward; a rented trencher is much faster than a spade over long runs.
The valve manifold goes downstream of the backflow preventer, in an accessible buried box. Leave enough space between valves to replace one someday.
Heads go in after flushing, at finished grade. At the bottom of a slope, a head fitted with a check valve stops the pipe water from draining out there after the zone shuts off.
Connecting an irrigation system to drinking water and the backflow preventer are plumbing work: done for others, they are reserved to CMMTQ members (subcategory 15.5). Piping installed downstream of the device is excluded from the Plumbing chapter of the Construction Code.
LégisQuébec, Éditeur officiel du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
A new outlet or circuit for the controller is electrical work: it must be done by a CMEQ contractor, even at your own home.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Régie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Cities regulate watering with drinking water (days, hours, automatic systems, temporary bans) and sometimes connections. Read your municipality's bylaw before installing.
Soumission RénovationChecked October 10, 2026
Before digging trenches, file a free Info-Excavation request. The RBQ asks contractors to file at least 4 business days before work.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecHydro-QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Ask for a written contract that details the zones, heads, the plumber's connection, the total price, the warranty and, if included, the fall shutdown and spring start-up. A contract signed at your home after a sales visit can be cancelled within 10 days.
Office de la protection du consommateurChecked October 10, 2026
A CMEQ member electrician for anything on the 120 V side; a plumber for the potable water connection and backflow prevention.
A sketch with lengths, the number of heads or fixtures and the controller or transformer capacity.
The brand and model of each main part, so quotes can be compared with each other.
Burial depth and sleeves under walkways and driveways.
Programming, adjustments, fall blowout and spring start-up: included or at what price.
On parts and on labour, with their duration.
In every case: an RBQ licence when the work requires one, a business number (NEQ), civil liability insurance and a written contract.
Guide: choosing a contractorDraft: this content has not yet been reviewed by an installer or an engineer. The numbers come from the engine; the explanations may still change.