House Repiping Cost Calculator
Get an instant free estimate to repipe your home based on size, stories, bathrooms, pipe material, and foundation access.
Free House Repiping Cost Calculator
Use this calculator to calculate the cost of house repiping near you for free. Enter your ZIP code for a localized estimate.
Home Details
Size matters! The bigger the home, the more pipe is needed.
Pipe Material:
Foundation Access:
Additional Services:
Estimates are instant and require no contact information.
Based on inputs, your House Repiping project cost is approximately:
Note that the cost above is purely an estimate.
The actual cost may be higher or lower depending on the contractor's quote.
How Much Does House Repiping Cost?
A whole-house repipe typically runs $4,000 to $10,000 with PEX and $8,000 to $15,000 with copper. The base is set by your home size, number of stories, and bathrooms; the pipe material swings it widely (copper roughly doubles PEX); and your foundation access — basement, crawlspace, or slab — decides much of the labor.
Then come the costs people forget: drywall patching and paint where walls were opened (often $1,500-$3,000), the permit and inspection, and optional extras worth bundling while the system is open — a new water heater, a main water-line replacement, or replacing removed insulation. Small homes hit a ~$4,000 minimum. Use the calculator above to localize your estimate, then read on for exactly what drives your quote.
House Repiping Cost by Material & Home
Whole-House Repipe by Pipe Material
| Material | Typical Total | Lifespan / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PEX | $4,000 - $10,000 | 25-50 yrs; flexible, freeze-resistant, most popular |
| CPVC | $4,000 - $9,000 | ~25 yrs; budget rigid plastic, can get brittle |
| Copper | $8,000 - $15,000 | 50+ yrs; premium, durable, recyclable |
Source: Aggregated plumbing contractor quote data across U.S. markets; labor anchored to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152). Stories, bathroom count, and access move these ranges.
How Home & Add-Ons Change the Price
| Factor | Cost Impact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 stories / 3+ stories | +25% / +50% | Vertical risers, more wall access. |
| Slab foundation | +35% | Overhead/attic reroute vs. open crawlspace. |
| Extra bathroom (beyond 2) | +~$800 each | More fixtures and connections. |
| Drywall patch & paint | +~$1.50/sq ft | Closing walls and ceilings opened for pipe. |
| New water heater | +~$1,800 | Convenient to bundle during a repipe. |
| Main line / permit | +~$3,500 / +~$500 | Service line replacement; required inspection. |
Source: Aggregated quote ranges from licensed plumbers, with regional pricing applied via the calculator above.
The 6 Factors That Drive Your Quote
1. Home Size
Repiping price tracks the amount of pipe a plumber has to run, so square footage is the starting point. A compact 1,200 sq ft home needs far less pipe than a 3,000 sq ft house with fixtures spread across many rooms. Most whole-house repipes carry a job minimum (around $4,000) because mobilizing a crew, pulling permits, and opening walls has a fixed cost even on the smallest homes.
2. Number of Stories
A single-story home is the easiest to repipe because the lines run horizontally through one accessible level. Two-story homes add roughly 25%, and three or more stories about 50%, because the plumber must run vertical risers up through walls and ceilings, open more drywall, and coordinate fixtures across floors. The extra height and the wall access it demands — not just more pipe — drive the increase.
3. Bathrooms & Fixtures
Each bathroom, plus the kitchen, laundry, and any wet bar or outdoor spigot, is a cluster of fixtures that must be tied into the new system. A home's bathroom count is a good proxy for fixture load: the first couple of baths are folded into the base, and each additional full bath adds complexity and cost. More fixtures mean more connections, more shut-offs, and more testing before the walls close up.
4. Pipe Material
Material is the single biggest price lever. PEX (flexible plastic tubing) is the most popular choice — affordable, fast to install, and freeze-resistant. CPVC is a budget rigid plastic. Copper is the premium option: long-lasting and time-proven, but the material is costly and it's labor-intensive to solder, so a copper repipe often runs roughly double a PEX one for the same home. Your material choice can swing the total by thousands.
5. Foundation & Access
How the plumber reaches your pipes matters as much as the pipes themselves. An unfinished basement is the easiest (and slightly cheaper). A crawlspace is the standard baseline. A slab foundation is the most expensive — often 35% more — because the supply lines can't be reached from below, so the plumber either breaks through concrete or, more commonly, reroutes the new pipes overhead through the attic and down the walls.
6. Drywall, Permits & Extras
Repiping means opening walls and ceilings, so patching and repainting that drywall is a real cost — sometimes thousands on a larger home — and not every plumber includes it. Budget too for the permit and inspection most jurisdictions require, and consider bundling related work while the system is open: a new water heater, a main water line replacement, or replacing insulation that had to be removed. These extras round out the final number.
PEX vs. Copper vs. CPVC — Which Should You Choose?
The material decision sets both the price and how long the new plumbing lasts. Here's how the three common choices compare.
Choose PEX if…
- You want the best overall value — lower cost, fast install, fewer connections to leak.
- You're in a freeze-prone climate (PEX flexes and resists bursting better than rigid pipe).
- You want minimal wall opening — flexible tubing snakes through framing more easily.
Choose copper if…
- You want maximum longevity (50+ years) and a proven, recyclable metal pipe.
- You prefer copper's heat tolerance and don't mind paying roughly double for it.
Consider CPVC if…
- You're on a tight budget and want a rigid plastic option — just note it can grow brittle with age.
Whatever the material, the bigger value driver is doing the repipe once, correctly, with proper permits and pressure testing.
How to Vet and Hire a Repiping Plumber
A repipe opens your walls and touches every fixture — hire on competence and clarity, not just the lowest bid:
- Confirm a plumbing license & insurance (liability and workers' comp) and verify it with your state board.
- Pin down the drywall scope — who patches, textures, and paints, and to what finish level.
- Ask about the warranty — quality repipes carry a multi-year labor warranty plus the manufacturer's pipe warranty.
- Confirm they pull the permit and schedule the inspection before walls are closed.
What a complete quote should spell out
- The pipe material and whether it's a whole-house or partial repipe.
- Number of fixtures/bathrooms covered and new shut-off valves.
- Drywall repair & paint scope, plus daily water on/off plan.
- Permit and inspection, pressure testing, cleanup, and the warranty terms.
Methodology & Sources
This calculator estimates from your home size (a per-square-foot rate set by pipe material), adjusts for number of stories and foundation access, and adds a surcharge for bathrooms beyond two. Selected extras — drywall patching, permit, new water heater, main-line replacement, and insulation — are added, and the result is adjusted to your ZIP code's regional price level. In short: (Sq Ft × Material Rate × Stories × Access) + Extra Baths + Add-ons, × Regional Factor, with a ~$4,000 job minimum.
Data sources:
- IAPMO — Uniform Plumbing Code
- Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI) — PEX & CPVC standards
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Plumbers & Pipefitters (SOC 47-2152)
For a full explanation of how every calculator on this site is built and localized, see our methodology page.
About the Reviewer
Master Plumber
Master plumber focused on water heaters, repipes, leak detection, and whole-home water systems.
View full profile & credentials →Frequently Asked Questions
A whole-house repipe typically runs $4,000-$10,000 with PEX and $8,000-$15,000 with copper. The price depends on your home's size and number of stories and bathrooms, the pipe material, and how accessible your plumbing is — slab foundations cost more than crawlspaces or basements. Drywall patching, permits, a new water heater, or a main-line replacement add to the total. Small homes hit a job minimum of around $4,000, since opening walls and pulling permits has a fixed cost.
For a typical 2,000 sq ft single-story home with two baths, a PEX repipe usually runs about $5,000-$8,000, while copper runs roughly $10,000-$13,000. A two-story home of the same size costs more because of the vertical runs, and a slab foundation adds about 35%. Drywall repair (often $1,500-$3,000 on a home this size) is frequently separate. Use the calculator above with your exact square footage, stories, bathrooms, material, and access for a localized number.
PEX is the most common modern choice: flexible, affordable, freeze-resistant, and fast to install, with a 25-50 year life. Copper is the premium, time-proven option — it lasts 50+ years, handles heat well, and is recyclable, but it costs more in material and labor (soldering each joint), so a copper repipe often runs about double a PEX one for the same home. For most homeowners PEX offers the best value; copper appeals to those wanting maximum longevity or who prefer metal pipe.
Because the water lines under a slab home are encased in or beneath the concrete, the plumber can't simply reach them from a basement or crawlspace. Rather than jackhammering the slab (disruptive and expensive), most plumbers do an 'overhead repipe' — running brand-new lines up into the attic and dropping them down through the walls to each fixture. That means opening more drywall and more labor, which is why slab repipes typically cost around 35% more than the same home on a crawlspace.
Not always — and it's the most common surprise. To run new pipe, the plumber cuts access holes in walls and ceilings, and patching, texturing, and repainting that drywall can add $1,500-$3,000 or more depending on home size. Some companies include basic patching, some leave 'paint-ready' patches, and some leave the holes open for you to finish. Always confirm in writing exactly what level of drywall and paint restoration is included so you're comparing equivalent quotes.
Most repipes take one to three days for the plumbing itself, plus a day or two for drywall repair and painting. You usually don't have to move out: a good crew reconnects water each evening so you have service overnight, with water shut off during working hours. Larger or multi-story homes and copper jobs take longer than a small PEX repipe. Your plumber should give you a day-by-day plan and tell you when water will be on and off.
Telltale signs include repeated pinhole leaks, low or dropping water pressure, discolored or rusty water, water that takes a long time to run clear, frequent clogs, and visible corrosion on exposed pipes. Older materials are a big trigger: galvanized steel (common pre-1970s) corrodes and clogs, and polybutylene (gray plastic, 1978-1995) is failure-prone and often flagged by insurers. If you have one of those materials or several of these symptoms, a plumber can assess whether spot repairs or a full repipe makes sense.
If your pipes are failing, yes — repiping ends the cycle of recurring leaks and water-damage repair bills, restores water pressure and quality, and removes the risk of a catastrophic failure inside a wall. It's also a strong selling point: buyers and inspectors view old galvanized or polybutylene plumbing as a liability, and new PEX or copper can ease a sale and insurance. For a home you'll keep, it's preventive value; for one you'll sell, it removes a red flag.
Yes. If only one section is failing — say the lines to a single bathroom or a run of corroded pipe — a partial repipe or spot repair is cheaper than doing the whole home. But if the pipes are all the same age and material and one section is failing, the rest usually isn't far behind, so many plumbers recommend a whole-house repipe to avoid repeatedly opening walls. Weigh the cost of repeated partial fixes against doing it once and being done.
Almost always, yes. Repiping is significant plumbing work that affects safety and water quality, so most jurisdictions require a permit and an inspection. A licensed plumber typically handles the permit and schedules the inspection as part of the job — it's usually a few hundred dollars. Skipping it can cause problems at resale and may void warranties or insurance claims, so confirm the permit is included and that the work will be inspected before the walls are closed back up.