Acre lots on private wells
The Village of Corrales has no municipal water system. Its water page says every home and business relies on a domestic or commercial well, and most of the village is also on septic. To protect well water, the village allows only one dwelling unit per acre.
That shapes landscape design in Corrales in two ways. Lots are large, so the question is how much of the acre to plant and irrigate, not how to squeeze a garden into a tract-home yard. And every gallon comes from your own well, so a drip system that uses less water also means less pumping and less wear on the pump.
We keep septic fields free of trees and deep-rooted shrubs and route drip lines around them. We also keep the ground sloping away from the wellhead, as state well guidance recommends.
Corrales homes by decade built
American Community Survey, 2020–2024 five-year estimates
Built 2000 or later Older
Older homes, bigger trees
The American Community Survey (2020–2024) counts about 3,940 housing units in Corrales. Most were built from the 1970s through the 1990s, and about 91 percent are owner-occupied. The Census median home value in Corrales, about $571,500, is well above Rio Rancho's. Many yards are mature: big cottonwoods and elms, old fruit trees, adobe or pitched-roof houses, and gardens that grew over decades.
Design work here often means editing more than starting over. We thin overgrown beds, replace thirsty shrubs, add drip under old trees and build a patio or courtyard near the house, while keeping the shade that took 40 years to grow.
Cottonwood shade on a valley lotCorrales Road, the bosque and the acequias
Corrales Road runs the length of the village, and the Corrales Bosque Preserve follows the Rio Grande on the east side. Ditches and laterals from the old acequia system still cross many properties. Lots near the bosque can have higher groundwater and heavier soil than the sandy mesa above, so plant choices change: more shade-tolerant shrubs, grasses that handle wetter soil, and fewer cactus.
Village rules
Corrales has its own zoning, building and planning office, separate from Rio Rancho and from Sandoval County. Walls, structures and some lighting have village standards. We check those with the village before we finalize a plan, and we flag anything that may need a permit.
Typical Corrales jobs
- Drip conversion under mature trees that were on flood or hose watering.
- A courtyard patio with flagstone, a shade structure and native planting near the house.
- A low-water entry and driveway border along a long gravel drive.
- Native grass and shrub plantings to replace weedy open ground between the house and pasture.
The drip irrigation page covers converting old watering, and the pricing page has published ranges for design and installation.
