Catch It. Store It. Use It.
VHS Outdoor Living designs and installs rainwater harvesting systems and cisterns for homeowners across San Antonio, Boerne, Helotes, Alamo Heights, Stone Oak, and surrounding communities. We install above-ground harvesting tanks and larger cistern systems sized around your roof catchment area, water needs, and how you plan to use the collected water. We also consider where the system will sit so it works with the rest of your property.
Save It For a Sunny Day
San Antonio gets enough rain to collect a meaningful amount of water. The problem is that it rarely comes when you need it most. Heavy rain can be followed by long stretches of heat and dry weather when your landscape could really use it.
Rainwater harvesting lets you save some of that water for later. Your roof becomes the collection surface, and the water that would normally run off the property is stored for irrigation and other uses.
It gives you another water source during the dry stretches and makes better use of the rain you're already getting.
Every Drop Counts
How much water you can collect starts with your roof, but how useful that water is depends on the rest of the setup. Tank capacity, downspout locations, pump size, overflow, irrigation connections, and where the system sits on the property all need to work together.
A tank should be sized around how much water your roof can collect, how much you can use, and how long you want that water to carry you between rain events. We also plan for what happens when the tank fills, where the overflow goes, and how you'll get the stored water back into the landscape.
We work through those pieces before recommending a system, so you're not paying for storage you can't use or ending up with a tank that fills up every time San Antonio gets a good storm.
Every Drop Counts
Rainwater Harvesting Systems for South Texas Properties
Above-ground tanks collect roof runoff through connected downspouts and store it for later use. They're available in different capacities and can be positioned and screened as part of the landscape so access, function, and appearance are considered together.
Above-Ground Harvesting Tanks
Larger cistern systems provide more storage for properties with substantial roof catchment area or higher water-use goals. Tank size, placement, distribution, filtration, and permitting are planned specifically for the property and intended use.
Large Cistern Systems
Collected rainwater can be connected to the irrigation system so stored water goes directly back into the landscape. We plan the tank, pump, controls, and irrigation connection together so using the water doesn't become another chore.
Irrigation Integration
How much water can I realistically collect in San Antonio? It depends on your roof's footprint and San Antonio's average rainfall. A rough rule of thumb is that one inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof yields about 600 gallons. San Antonio averages around 32 inches of rain per year, though it comes unevenly. We calculate realistic collection potential for your specific roof during the consultation.
Frequently
Asked Questions
What size tank do I need? It depends on how much water you want to store and what you plan to use it for. A small above-ground tank for supplemental irrigation needs less capacity than a system designed to supply meaningful whole-home water. We size the system during the consultation based on your goals.
How does the tank connect to my irrigation system? We pipe the harvesting system directly into your irrigation supply so collected rainwater is used before drawing from the municipal line. The switchover is automatic. We coordinate this connection as part of the installation.
What Does a Rainwater Harvesting System Cost in San Antonio?
Estimated Pricing
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Starting at $12,000
Pricing depends on storage capacity, tank placement, pump and filtration requirements, irrigation integration, site access, and permitting. Every project gets a detailed proposal before work begins.
What moves the price:
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Tank or cistern size and capacity
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Above-ground vs. large cistern system
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Irrigation system integration complexity
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Placement and screening requirements
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Permitting scope
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