Kenyatta Spaulding
Owner and system designer
Kenyatta draws every system herself and walks the yard with you before she does.
Eco plumbing in Petaluma
Make the water you already use work twice
We plumb laundry and shower water out to the yard, send roof water to a rain garden, and swap thirsty fixtures for low-flow ones. We also handle the permit paperwork, and the steps are laid out right below.
- Licensed and insured, number in the footer
- Written price before work starts
- We file the permit paperwork
How it works
Permits made plain
Greywater and rain systems both go through your city or county building department. Here is the path, in the order it happens. Every office sets its own rules and wait times, so we check yours before we quote.
- 01
Step 1: Tell us what you have
A call or the form: where the washer and showers drain, where the roof drains, and what you would like to water. A photo of the washer and the downspouts helps.
- 02
Step 2: A site visit and a sketch
We look at slope, soil and how far the water has to travel, and where the house and property line sit. You get a one-page sketch of what we would build.
- 03
Step 3: Sinead checks the rules
Our permit navigator contacts your building department and finds out whether the system needs a permit, a plan check or neither. The answer goes into your written estimate.
- 04
Step 4: We file it for you
Sinead prepares the application and the drawing and files them. You sign where we flag it. Permit fees go on the estimate at whatever the office charges.
- 05
Step 5: Review and install
If the plan reviewer asks for a change, we answer it. When the permit issues we schedule the crew: pipe and valves first, then the basins, tank or garden.
- 06
Step 6: Inspection and your owner sheet
The inspector looks at the pipe before it is covered and at the finished system. We leave you a one-page sheet: what goes in, what stays out, what to check each season.
Review times vary by office. We tell you the current wait when we file.
What we plumb
Three ways to use less water
Greywater systems
Laundry and shower water sent below the surface to mulch basins and trees, with a valve to switch it back to the sewer.
Greywater
Rain gardens and roof water
Downspouts sent to a rain garden, a swale or a tank, sized from your roof and your slope.
Roof water
Low-flow fixtures
Toilets, showers and faucets swapped for low-flow ones, with the flow timed before and after.
Low-flow
Know your water
Greywater and rainwater are not the same thing
Both can water a garden. They arrive differently, they get handled differently, and the rules differ.
| Rainwater | Greywater | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | RainwaterYour roof, through gutters and downspouts | GreywaterThe washer, showers, bathtubs and bathroom sinks |
| When you get it | RainwaterOnly when it rains, mostly in the wet months | GreywaterEvery day the house is used, all year |
| What the system needs | RainwaterA way to slow it, spread it or store it | GreywaterIts own pipe, a valve back to the sewer, and laundry soap chosen for plants |
| Where it goes | RainwaterA rain garden, a swale, a barrel or a tank | GreywaterBelow the surface, to trees and shrubs |
| What not to do | RainwaterAim it at the foundation or the neighbor | GreywaterStore it, spray it or let it pool |
| Permit | RainwaterDepends on the size and your office | GreywaterDepends on the system and your office |
How pricing works
We don’t post prices, because two systems for the same house can be far apart. Here is how the number gets made.
What decides the price
Every yard and every house is different, so we price from what we measure, not from a price list.
How many fixtures feed the system, and how much water they send
How far the pipe runs, and how much digging it takes
Slope, soil and what is in the way: concrete, roots, a deck
Tank size, if the system has a tank
The permit, which your building department prices, not us
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The written estimate lists the pipe, valves, basins or tank, labor, permit fees and cleanup. It leaves out anything we don't list.
Left out unless listed: plants, hardscape, concrete or deck repair
Left out unless listed: electrical work for a pump
Permit fees are listed on their own line
What happens at the visit
The site visit has a set fee, and we tell you what it is when you book. If you hire us, it comes off the job.
We measure slope, drains and downspouts
You get a one-page sketch of what we would build
When you get the number
You get the number in writing before any work starts, as a fixed price for the scope we both agreed on. We don't price a system we haven't seen over the phone.
Materials and who buys them
We buy the pipe, valves and tank. If you want a particular tank or fixture, we list it as an allowance and say so.
If the job changes
If the permit office asks for a change, or we find rock under the lawn, we stop and give you the new price in writing before we go on.
Permit fees are set by your city or county, not by us.
Who you will meet
The five of us
Two people on the paperwork and the design, three on the install crew.
Sinead Goodwin
Permit navigator
Sinead reads the code, calls the building department and keeps your application moving.
Joshua Rowland
Lead installer
Joshua runs the crew and meets the inspector on site.
Ezequiel Gallegos
Installer
Ezequiel trenches, pipes and sets the valves and basins.
Citlali Dominguez
Installer and landscaper liaison
Citlali works with landscapers so the plumbing is in before the planting.
What neighbors might say
“The washer now waters two fruit trees. Sinead told me which form the city wanted before I had finished my coffee, and she was right.”
Tammie H.Laundry-to-landscape system
“We assumed a permit meant months of paperwork. They checked with the city first and wrote the answer into the estimate.”
Abelardo M.Downspouts and rain garden
“They timed the shower and every faucet before and after. I could see what changed, which I did not expect from a plumber.”
Marissa K.Low-flow fixture swap
Sample reviews.
Service area
Towns we work in
Petaluma and the Sonoma and Marin County towns around it. If your town is not listed, call and ask before you assume.
Sonoma County
- Petaluma
- Penngrove
- Cotati
- Rohnert Park
- Sebastopol
- Santa Rosa
- Sonoma
Marin County
- Mill Valley
- Novato
- San Rafael
- San Anselmo
- Fairfax
We don’t work in the East Bay, the Central Valley or north of Healdsburg. If you are near the edge, call and we will tell you straight whether it works.
ZIP codes: 94952, 94954, 94951, 94928, 94931, 95472, 95401, 95403, 95404, 95405, 95476, 94941, 94945, 94947, 94901, 94903
Questions
Before you decide
Do I need a permit for a greywater system?
It depends on the system and your office. A simple washer-only setup is treated differently from one that takes shower water, and Petaluma, Sonoma County and Marin County each have their own rules. We check with your building department before we quote and put the answer in your estimate.
Can I use kitchen sink or toilet water?
No. Toilet water is sewage and stays in the sewer. Kitchen sink water carries grease and food, and most systems leave it out. We tell you which drains your system can use once we have seen the house.
Can I water vegetables with greywater?
Not the parts you eat. We send it below the surface to trees, shrubs and ornamentals, and keep it away from edible roots and leaves. Your office may have its own rule, and we will say what it is.
What happens in the rainy season?
A greywater system gets a valve, so you can send the water back to the sewer when the soil is wet. A rain garden is built to hold roof water and let it soak in slowly.
Do you do emergency repairs?
No. We plan and install. For a leak or a backed-up drain, call an emergency plumber, and call us afterward for the planned work.
How do I know you are licensed?
Our license number is in the footer of every page. Look it up on the state board’s site before you sign anything, with us or anyone else.
Tell us about your yard and your drains
A few details help us plan the site visit. If you would rather talk, call during business hours.
Phone(707) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.