“They measured the roof in an afternoon and left a one-page sheet: gallons caught, tank size, where the overflow goes. It was set before the first rain.”
Abigail S.Tank and drip, Point Loma
Rainwater and greywater, San Diego
Catch the rain your roof already gets.
We fit gutters, rain tanks, washer-to-landscape greywater and drip lines to San Diego homes, and we work out the size from your roof and local rainfall, not from a catalog.
623
gallons from 1 inch of rain on 1,000 sq ft of roof, before losses10 in
of rain in a typical year near the San Diego coast, give or takeNov–Mar
when most of it falls
Rainfall is a rounded 30-year average from NOAA's San Diego station. Your address can differ.
Tank size by roof
How much tank a San Diego roof needs
Rain caught is roof footprint × inches of rain × 0.62 gallons, less about 15 percent for splash, overflow and the first flush. A starter tank holds about two one-inch storms.
| Tank to start from | Rain caught in a year, at 10 in | |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft of roof | Tank to start from1,000 gal | Rain caught in a year, at 10 inAbout 5,300 gal |
| 1,500 sq ft of roof | Tank to start from1,500 gal | Rain caught in a year, at 10 inAbout 7,900 gal |
| 2,000 sq ft of roof | Tank to start from2,000 gal | Rain caught in a year, at 10 inAbout 10,600 gal |
| 2,500 sq ft of roof | Tank to start from2,500 gal | Rain caught in a year, at 10 inAbout 13,200 gal |
| 3,000 sq ft of roof | Tank to start from3,000 gal | Rain caught in a year, at 10 inAbout 15,900 gal |
Where a storm goes
Follow one storm from roof to root zone
- 01
Step 1: Roof and gutters
Rain runs off the roof into gutters sized to its footprint. We add gutter where an eave has none and fix any pitch that holds water.
- 02
Step 2: First flush
The first gallons carry dust and leaves. A diverter sends them to the garden and a screen holds back the rest, so the tank takes cleaner water.
- 03
Step 3: The tank
Sized from the table above and set on a level pad, with a screened inlet and a lid you can lift to look inside.
- 04
Step 4: Drip or hose
Gravity feeds a drip line to trees and beds. Where the yard sits above the tank, a small pump does the lifting.
- 05
Step 5: Overflow
When the tank is full, the extra goes by pipe to a planted basin, not onto the street or the neighbor's side.
What we build
Four ways to put water to work
Rain tanks
Above-ground tanks on a level pad, with screened inlets, an overflow line and a spigot or drip feed.
Gutters and downspouts
New or re-pitched gutters, downspouts turned toward a tank or a basin, and screens that keep leaves out.
Laundry to landscape
Wash and rinse water goes to mulch basins around trees through a valve that can switch back to the sewer.
Rain basins and dry creeks
Shaped beds and river-rock channels slow a storm and let it soak in, with a clear path out for the overflow.
The permit note
What needs a permit, and who files it
California's greywater rules let a simple washer-to-landscape system go in without a permit when it meets the state's conditions. Other greywater systems, and rain tanks that are large, buried or plumbed to the house, usually need one from your city or county. At the roof visit we tell you which applies. When a permit is needed, Dulce files it and the fee is yours.
Washer-to-landscape: often no permit when state conditions are met
Other greywater, large or buried tanks: usually a permit
Your building department decides, and rules change
How pricing works
What goes into the number, and when you get it
What decides the price
The size of the tank, how far water has to travel from the roof to the plants, how much gutter is new, and whether the tank sits on a pad we pour or one you already have.
Roof footprint and tank size
Distance and slope from tank to plants
New or replaced gutters and downspouts
Pad, pump and permit work
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
A written scope: the tank and fittings by name, the gutter work, where the overflow goes, who is on site and when we start and finish. It says plainly what it leaves out.
In: tank, fittings, gutters, drip or hose feed, cleanup
Out: city permit fees, roof or fascia repair, new electrical for a pump
What happens at the visit
About an hour. We walk the roof edge and downspouts from the ground, measure the footprint, find where water should end up and ask what you want to water. The visit carries no trip charge, and the written estimate follows.
How and when you pay
A deposit for materials before work starts, a payment when the tank is set and the rest when the system runs and we have walked it with you. California limits the down payment on a home improvement contract, and your contract states it.
If the job changes
A change is priced and written down before we do it. If we open a gutter run and find rotten fascia, you see it first and you decide.
When you get the number
In writing, before any work starts, as one total with the scope beside it, so you can set it next to any other estimate.
Who comes to your roof
The person who measures the roof also designs the garden it feeds
Whitney Langley started Langley Rainworks to connect what falls on a roof with what grows in a yard. She walks every site, draws the layout and checks the finished system with you. Jose Rivas leads the install crew and Dulce Godinez handles permits and scheduling; both speak Spanish.
A crew of nine: installers, a designer and the office
English and Spanish: Jose and Dulce speak both
Whitney Langley
Owner and system designer
From the neighbors
What people wrote after the tank went in
“The washer now waters two citrus trees. They showed me which soap to buy and where the valve is to send it back to the sewer.”
Kyle B.Laundry to landscape, La Mesa
“Jose explained every step to my mother in Spanish, and Dulce filed the city paperwork. Nothing was left for us to chase.”
Xochitl M.Rain tank and drip, Chula Vista
Sample reviews.
Where we work
From the coast to the east county
Roofs from Coronado to Escondido. Put your ZIP code on the visit request and we confirm the same day we call.
Coast and city
- San Diego
- Coronado
- Del Mar
- Solana Beach
- Encinitas
East county
- La Mesa
- El Cajon
- Santee
- Lemon Grove
- Jamul
South bay
- Chula Vista
- National City
- Imperial Beach
North inland
- Poway
- Escondido
- Carlsbad
- Vista
We don't take jobs north of Oceanside, east of Ramona or across the border.
ZIP codes: 91910, 91911, 91932, 91941, 91942, 91945, 91950, 91935, 92014, 92019, 92020, 92021, 92025, 92027, 92029, 92064, 92075, 92101, 92102, 92103, 92104, 92105, 92106, 92107, 92108, 92109, 92110, 92111, 92115, 92116, 92117, 92118, 92119, 92120, 92122, 92123, 92124, 92126, 92129
Questions
Before you call
What does it cost?
It depends on tank size, distance to the plants and how much gutter is new. How pricing works, above, lists what moves the number. You get one total in writing before any work starts.
Do I need a permit?
Sometimes. A simple washer-to-landscape system can go in without one if it meets the state's conditions. Large, buried or house-plumbed tanks and other greywater systems usually need one. We tell you at the visit, and your building department has the last word.
Will a tank run my yard through summer?
Not on its own. Most rain falls from November to March, and a tank holds a few storms' worth. It stretches your water bill and keeps the garden fed in the weeks after rain. In a dry year it stays low.
How long does an install take?
Most tank installs take a day or two on site once the pad and parts are ready. The written estimate gives a start window. Permits, when needed, set the pace.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Jose Rivas and Dulce Godinez do, and every page of this site has a Spanish version. Use the language switch in the menu.
Book a roof visit
Tell us about your roof
A few details and a photo of the gutters are enough to plan the visit. We'll text or call to set a time.
Phone(619) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed