Fixing one leak under a concrete floor (a slab leak) costs $2,000 to $4,000. If you keep getting leaks, weak water pressure or brown water in several rooms, replacing all the pipes at once usually makes more sense. Most repipes today use PEX, a bendable plastic pipe that is usually red for hot water and blue for cold, because it costs the least of the three common pipes. Call now to reach a repipe company that works in your area. It will see your house and give you a fixed price, and this site charges nothing for the call.
What drives the price of a PEX repipe?
Most of the bill pays for the plumbers' time. That is why the price depends so much on what plumbers earn where you live and on how your house is built.
Most homes take 2 to 5 days, and families can usually stay in the house while the crew works, as Repipe Solutions explains. If the house has a crawl space (a low open space below a raised floor), the plumber can get to the pipes easily. Other houses are built on a slab, a concrete floor poured right on the ground. The pipes run under or through the concrete, so getting to them takes more work and the job costs more.
Some costs are often extra, so ask which ones your price includes:
- The permit, the city's official permission for the work: $50 to $800.
- Fixing the walls afterward: $300 to $1,500.
- A new water main, the pipe that brings water in from the street: $600 to $2,500.
- A new water heater, if the old one is worn out: $850 to $1,750.
What does each pipe material cost?
Across the US, homeowners spend about $7,500 on average for a whole-house repipe, according to Angi. Cost guides agree that PEX is the cheapest of the three, CPVC costs a little more, and copper costs the most. Your own house may cost more or less, depending on its size, bathrooms and state.
CPVC is a stiff cream or tan plastic pipe that costs a little more than PEX. Copper is a metal pipe joined with melted metal (solder). It costs the most, because the pipe itself is expensive and joining it takes longer. Choosing copper instead of PEX usually adds $3,000 to $7,000.
The number of bathrooms affects the price about as much as the type of pipe does, according to Fuse Service, a plumbing company. That is why the calculator asks about both.
How to use the repipe cost calculator
The calculator asks where the house is, how big it is, how many bathrooms and floors it has, which pipe you want, and whether there is a crawl space or a slab underneath. You get back a price range and the number of work days.
Of the choices, copper raises the price the most, then a concrete slab. CPVC pipe or a second floor adds only a little.
Your state matters too, because plumbers earn more in some places than others. The calculator gives the price for the state your house is in.
Two companies may give very different written prices (quotes) for the same job, so use this estimate as a rough guide. Your real price comes after the company sees your house.
What it costs to repipe a 3 bedroom house
The number of bedrooms doesn't change the price. What counts is the number of bathrooms and the size of the house, and most 3-bedroom houses have 2 bathrooms. That is the typical home the calculator starts with. Other sizes are listed under repipe cost by house size.
How this is worked out
The estimate looks at your home's size and number of bathrooms. The price goes up if you choose copper or CPVC pipe, if plumbers earn more in your state, if the house sits on a concrete slab, or if it has two floors.
Questions people ask
Will insurance pay for a PEX repipe?
Home insurance usually doesn't pay for a repipe. Some repipe companies let you pay over 24 months with no interest, so ask about it when you call.
Any downsides to PEX plumbing?
PEX doesn't hold up outdoors, since sunlight can wear it down. Angi also notes that a few towns' building rules don't allow PEX at all.
How do I know which pipe I have?
The pipe identifier on this site helps you name your pipe by its color and feel. It shows eight kinds of pipe, including copper, PEX and older kinds that often need replacing. Not sure what you have? Call, and the repipe company will check when it sees your house.