Irrigation & Sprinkler Job Math Sheet: Start-Up, Blowout & Repair Pricing Template (Google Sheets + Excel)

A blowout or start-up price has to cover the drive, the compressor, locating heads and valves, parts and the truck. Big systems at a flat price can drop below your target pay.

The Irrigation & Sprinkler Job Math Sheet does that math for every service on your menu. You type your own numbers into the yellow cells. The formulas do the rest.

For each service it shows:

• Real hourly rate: what the job pays per hour of your time, before and after a tax set-aside.

• Owner compensation and business profit, kept separate: your wage at your target pay, and what the business keeps after paying you.

• Cost floor: the price that only covers costs and pays you $0.

• Break-even price: the lowest price that pays your full target hourly, with $0 left for the business.

• Suggested price: target pay plus your profit goal, rounded up.

• Suggested trip fee: what the drive costs you, if you bill it as its own line, plus 4 distance bands.

• A status flag: LOSES MONEY, BELOW TARGET PAY, BELOW PROFIT GOAL, or ON TARGET.

Example tab (illustrative). The sample tab is filled with EXAMPLE numbers for a one-truck sprinkler tech's menu: a spring start-up, a winterization blowout, a head repair, a valve repair, a pipe leak repair and a controller install; $2,200 a month in fixed costs over 85 jobs, 2.9% + $0.30 card fees, $0.75 a mile, and a $45/hr target. With those inputs the Winterization blowout column at $95 shows about $56.31/hr, a $83.35 break-even, a $100 suggested price and a $21 trip fee (STATUS: BELOW PROFIT GOAL). The $95 winterization sits inside commonly published 2026 ranges of about $56–$137 for a sprinkler winterization (Angi 2026 cost guide), not a promise. These are example numbers for illustration, not real customer data. Your results depend on what you enter.

Every formula is visible. Formula cells are locked so a stray tap can't break them, and you can unlock them (no password) if you want to change something.

What's included

• Irrigation-Sprinkler-Job-Math-Sheet.xlsx, with 3 tabs:

• Start Here: short instructions and definitions.

• Example: filled in with an example menu (6 columns: Winterization blowout, Spring start-up, Sprinkler head repair, Valve repair, Pipe leak repair, Smart controller install).

• My Numbers: blank prices, up to 6 columns with name hints, and 4 trip fee distance bands.

• Irrigation-Sprinkler-Job-Math-Sheet-Quick-Start.pdf: a one-page quick-start guide with the worked example and the formulas.

Works in Google Sheets (upload to Drive, then File > Save as Google Sheets) and Microsoft Excel. No macros, add-ons or subscription.

Who it's for

• Solo and small-crew irrigation and sprinkler techs.

• Owners who want to check whether a start-up price, a winterization price, a repair call or a per-zone charge covers their time and costs.

• Not built for payroll, scheduling, inventory, bookkeeping or customer quotes/invoices.

FAQ

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive, open it, and choose File > Save as Google Sheets. It also opens directly in Excel.

Do I need to know spreadsheets?

No. Type only in the yellow cells. The grey and blue cells are formulas.

Can I add more services?

The blank tab has 6 columns. For more, unprotect the tab (no password) and copy a column to the right.

How do I handle big systems?

Copy the column and raise the on-site hours for a bigger zone count. Section 7 explains a per-zone charge over a base number of zones.

Why do add-on columns sometimes show LOSES MONEY?

Each column still carries a full fixed-cost share when priced alone. When an add-on rides on top of a main job, that share is already covered by the main job.

Is this financial or tax advice?

No. It's a spreadsheet template that does arithmetic on the numbers you enter. The tax set-aside % is a savings rule of thumb, not a tax calculation. Talk to a qualified professional about your own situation.

Will this increase my income?

The sheet doesn't promise any result. It shows what your current prices pay you, based on your inputs. What you charge is your decision.

Are the example numbers real?

No. They're illustrative numbers, not data from a real business.

How do I get support?

Use the Contact link on our store page and we will help.

Disclosures

• This is a spreadsheet template for estimates, not financial, tax, or legal advice.

• All example numbers are illustrative, not real customer data.

• AI assistance: AI tools helped draft the spreadsheet, the guide, this listing, and the product images. The formulas were checked with a LibreOffice recalculation against independent calculations.