AQUASENSE

He is a great guy.  I have recommended him to all through my community of a hundred and sixty three homes.  He winterizes sprinklers.  He is a really nice guy.  I've used him for several years.  It's just a privately owned company.  The guy just does real nice and honest work.  The price was really great compared to some of our other neighbors have had to pay.  You just set up an appointment with him and he takes care of everything.  He sends a report to the city.  He winterizes the sprinkler and does the test once a year for the sprinkler system.  That's a city test which has to be done very year and it's different for everybody.  Mine happened to be in December.  The price depends on how many sprinklers you have and I have a pretty big house.  What I like about him is, I call him and make the appointment and he comes out to does the test.  I don't need to be home because everything is outside in the ground that he needs.  He sends a report to the city and then I get a bill after that.  I highly recommend him to people in my neighborhood.

I have used Aquasense several times and plan to use them again.

They provided an accurate estimate over the phone and scheduling was a breeze. They were on time to the appointment and completed the work efficiently and effectively. I was very happy with the whole process and will be using them in the future!

I have not had good experience with lawn irrigation contractors in the past, and unfortunately I feel the same way about dealing with Aquasense. My impression is that, in the Seattle area where many people don't use their sprinkler systems too often, the level of scrutiny is low for irrigation contractors. In markets where irrigation is critical and used often, I think Aquasense would have to up their game. Also, I do not expect many folks who hire out this kind of service have a lot of personal experience installing lawn irrigation, so they don't know how to tell an OK job from an excellent one.

I am very much a "do it myself" kind of home owner. While I have some experience with lawn irrigation from my youth, I don't care to mess with valves and wiring, which is why I choose Aquasense.

My current project has involved re-doing the existing back lawn area including adding 500 cubic yards of topsoil and regrading the slope. I thought I could use the original sprinkler system. I had replaced and reset every sprinkler but when I turned on the zones it was clear the original contractor (not Aquasense in this case) did a crap job and the coverage would never be even.

So I contracted Aquasense because 1) they are good about showing up when they say they will, and 2) their pricing is competitive, 3) I used them for prior work.

I would give them a "good" rating for use of their pipe pulling tool and valve work, but a "poor" rating for placing of the heads and overall professionalism of the crew.

My biggest complaint has to do with the placement of the heads. This is critical to do properly. Unless the soil around the new head is strongly compacted, the heads will sink in the soil. Usually this happens anyway over the course of a few years, but the Aquasense guys set the heads so loosely you could push them over easily with your foot, or lift them out several inches with the slightest tug. I had specifically discussed this with Grant, the Aquasense owner, and the installers. I was told they normally set the heads a little below grade, and I asked them to install them slightly above grade for the reasons mentioned above.

Now I am going around the yard myself setting each one of 22 heads. I have a 40 lb tamping bar to heavily compact the soil around the heads. This is hard work that should have been done by the installers. Their guarantee includes coming back to reset heads which "normally tip and need adjustment after the first year" which is included service IF you also hire them to do the winterization and back flow check. ELSE, they charge for it.

As I've spent big $$ on the very highest quality grass seed, the last thing I want is a crew coming out to dig up every sprinkler head after the lawn is coming in.

As for professionalism:  I was working in the yard when the crew arrived, and I would expect a friendly greeting and announcement, perhaps "we're here with Aquasense to work on your project" but I got nothing until I introduced myself. And I don't like strangers walking all around my property unannounced. In the process of checking the existing valves, the workers turned on the zone where I was working. Of course, the sprinkler head gave me a serious soaking, and I overheard one of the guys say "yeah, we got 'em" in a matter of fact tone but nothing was offered in terms of an apology. A simple, "sorry 'bout that" would have been great. Better yet a warning they were testing zones before I got soaked.

In no way did they go the extra mile in any attempt to do a first class job. Done to the least acceptable standard.

Scheduling was easy.  I gave a description of what was wrong and the owner called to ensure he would have the right clock on the truck before getting here.  He also recommended a rain gauge and pointed out that the water district had a rebate to cover it.  The team was fast and professional.  They were a little early but waited in their truck until we saw them.  I assume they did not want to disturb us by being early.  They laid out all the heads that had been replaced so I could easily verify the work.  It was one of the best experiences I've had with a contractor of any type and we've done lots of remodeling.

Contacted several irrigation companies for estimates and only Aquasense was willing to give us a 1 hour evaluation and then bid the rest of the job if the amount of damage was found to be extensve.  Turns out most of the damage was repaired in a couple hours with two men.  They returned a week later to evaluate the system and make final repairs before bringing the system up. 7-zone system.  Installation of rain sensor.  Both teams were very knowledgeable and professional.  We will have them do our routine service.
Issaquah Townhomes

They were prompt and professional, like always.  Work was completed on time and as promised.  If you can coordinate with a neighbor, they will give both of you a discount.

Had issues at first but Grant, the owner resolved them to my satisfaction.

We first had them out after a landscape contractor charged us thousands of dollars for a new system that wasn't working efficiently. Aquasense came out and cleaned up their mess. Moving heads around, changing heads, overall making the system water better for our needs. Now we have them do winterizing and the spring ramp up and we've always been happy. They're prompt and professional and we've never had any issues.

We had a sprinkler system installed by a "gypsy plumber" which operated fine the first year. This year we needed assistance and through Angie's List contacted Aquasense. They responded immediately, repaired the leaks and otherwise got the system up and operating beautifully. They are professional, easy to work with and although we have not been billed yet I expect their fees to be consistent with their work and ethics.

Have used this business for several years for annual irrigation service (winterization) and occasional trouble shooting. Always a great price, always done right and always on time. A well managed business!

Great. Responsive and welcoming on the phone. On time at 7:00am for the job. Nice guys who did their job quickly and professionally. They uncovered a few buried sprinkler heads for me and it all went well.

They turn on and off the sprinklers every year and repair any that are broken or not working. He sent me an email informing me when he needed to fix anything. They came out and had everything done and I did not even have to be at home and they sent me a bill. They came on time and called me to say if they were going to be late. Their prices were very reasonable.

They showed up exactly when they said they would. They did have to reschedule because it sounded like they overbooked for the day, but it was fine with me. I haven't had any problems with the work that they did for me. Their website was helpful, it talks in detail about what services they do.

Grant returned my calls and kept in touch with me while I was deciding between the competing bids. His crew was polite and professional when I met them at my property at the beginning of the project. They were flexible with a last minute request on my part. Both Grant and one of his employees called when the project was done to see if I wanted a personal lesson on the new system (I was not able to be home when they were working). Grant managed the permit with the city and followed up with the city when they mis-placed some documentation. I appreciated that he took this on, not directing me how to handle the city. I will gladly recommend Grant and Aquasense to anyone who is interested.

We hired Aquasense to do a sprinkler system tuneup. They arrived very promptly at the scheduled time, tested the system, adjusted several heads and added extensions to others that were blocked by vegetation. We will be hiring them again to install an extension to an existing sprinkler zone.

We have been pretty satisfied. They do miss some non functioning sprinkler heads sometimes. Very willing to explain the automatic settings and consulted with us on how we would like the system set.

My dealings with the company have gone well so far, the work was professional and the prices reasonable.

GRANT DID SERVICE WHILE I WAS AWAY. HE WAS VERY PLEASANT AND NICE TO DEAL WITH. THERE WERE NO HASSLES OR. EVERYTHING WENT BY SMOOTHLY WITH EXCELLENT CRAFTSMANSHIP.