The average cost to repipe a house is $4,500 to $15,000, with most homeowners paying around $7,500 for a full repipe of a standard 1,500- to 2,000-square-foot home. A small one-bathroom house with short runs and easy access can come in as low as $2,500. A large two-story home with multiple bathrooms, slab foundation, and finished walls that need to be opened and closed pushes past $20,000. The biggest cost drivers are the pipe material you choose, how many fixtures you have, and how hard it is to reach the existing lines. Estimate your specific job with the house repiping cost calculator.

Repiping means ripping out every supply line in the house — the pipes that carry hot and cold water from the main to every faucet, shower, toilet, and appliance — and replacing them with new material. It's one of the most disruptive plumbing jobs you can do, but when old galvanized steel or polybutylene pipes start failing, it's also one of the most necessary.

House Repiping Cost at a Glance

Cost Detail	Amount
National average	$7,500
Typical range	$4,500 – $15,000
Low end (small home, easy access)	$2,500 – $4,000
High end (large home, slab foundation)	$15,000 – $25,000+
Cost per linear foot of pipe	$4 – $15
Cost per fixture	$350 – $1,000
Average pipe length (whole house)	250 – 500 linear feet
Typical job duration	2 – 5 days

Repiping Cost by Pipe Material

The pipe material you choose accounts for 30% to 50% of the total bill and determines how long the system lasts, how the water tastes, and how easy future repairs will be.

Pipe Material	Cost Per Linear Foot (Installed)	Whole-House Estimate (1,500–2,000 Sq Ft)	Lifespan
PEX (cross-linked polyethylene)	$4 – $8	$2,500 – $7,500	40 – 50+ years
CPVC	$4 – $8	$2,500 – $7,500	25 – 40 years
Copper (Type L)	$8 – $15	$5,500 – $15,000	50 – 70+ years
Copper (Type M, thinner wall)	$6 – $12	$4,500 – $12,000	40 – 50 years

PEX

PEX is the dominant choice for residential repipes today and for good reason. It's flexible, which means fewer fittings, faster installation, and the ability to snake through walls without tearing out as much drywall. It doesn't corrode, doesn't freeze as easily as rigid pipe, and costs roughly half what copper does installed. A full PEX repipe on a mid-size home typically runs $4,000 to $7,000 — that's the sweet spot most homeowners land in.

Copper

Copper is the premium choice. It lasts longer, has a proven track record spanning decades, and some homeowners prefer it for its antimicrobial properties and the fact that it doesn't leach chemicals. The trade-off is cost — copper pipe itself is two to three times the price of PEX, and it takes longer to install because every joint has to be soldered. A full copper repipe on the same mid-size home runs $8,000 to $15,000.

CPVC

CPVC is a rigid plastic pipe that falls between PEX and copper in performance. It's code-compliant everywhere, handles hot water well, and costs about the same as PEX in material. The downside is that it's more brittle than PEX, can crack in freezing temperatures, and requires solvent-welded joints that are harder to rework if something goes wrong. It's falling out of favor in new installs but still a viable option in warm climates.

Repiping Cost by Home Size

Home Size	Bathrooms	Approximate Pipe Length	Repipe Cost (PEX)	Repipe Cost (Copper)
Under 1,000 sq ft	1	150 – 250 ft	$2,500 – $4,500	$4,000 – $7,500
1,000 – 1,500 sq ft	1 – 2	200 – 350 ft	$3,500 – $6,500	$5,500 – $10,000
1,500 – 2,500 sq ft	2 – 3	300 – 500 ft	$4,500 – $9,000	$7,500 – $15,000
2,500 – 3,500 sq ft	3 – 4	400 – 650 ft	$6,500 – $12,000	$10,000 – $20,000
3,500+ sq ft	4+	500 – 800+ ft	$8,000 – $15,000+	$13,000 – $25,000+

Pipe length tracks with home size and fixture count, but it's not perfectly linear. A 2,500-square-foot ranch with plumbing spread to three corners of the house uses more pipe than a 2,500-square-foot two-story with bathrooms stacked directly above the kitchen. Layout matters as much as total area.

What Drives the Cost of a Whole-House Repipe?

Number of Fixtures

Every faucet, toilet, shower, bathtub, dishwasher, washing machine hookup, ice maker line, and outdoor hose bib is a fixture that needs a new supply line run to it. Most plumbers price repipes partly on a per-fixture basis — $350 to $1,000 each — because each one requires a dedicated connection, shutoff valve, and often a wall penetration. A home with 8 fixtures is a fundamentally different job than one with 15.

Foundation Type

This is the single biggest variable after pipe material. In a home with a basement or crawl space, the main supply lines run through accessible areas — the plumber can see them, reach them, and replace them without opening walls below the first floor. In a slab foundation home, the supply lines are either buried in or under the concrete. Getting to them means either tunneling under the slab, cutting through it, or abandoning the old lines entirely and rerouting everything through the attic and down through the walls.

Rerouting through the attic is the most common approach for slab homes and adds $1,500 to $5,000 to the project because the plumber is essentially designing a new plumbing layout from scratch. If the existing pipes are leaking under the slab, you may also need slab leak repair before or instead of a full repipe — sometimes patching the leak is enough if the rest of the system is sound.

Wall and Ceiling Access

Pipes run inside walls. Replacing them means opening those walls. In a home with unfinished basement ceilings and accessible utility chases, the plumber can do most of the work without cutting drywall. In a fully finished home, expect 10 to 30 access holes that need to be patched afterward. Some repipe quotes include drywall repair and repainting; many don't. If it's excluded, budget $500 to $2,000 for patching and interior painting to close everything back up.

Number of Stories

A two-story home costs 20% to 40% more to repipe than a single-story home of the same square footage. Vertical pipe runs through walls and between floors are harder to access, require more wall openings, and take longer to fish through. Three-story or split-level homes add even more complexity.

Permit and Inspection Requirements

A whole-house repipe requires a plumbing permit in virtually every jurisdiction. Permits run $100 to $500 and include one or two inspections — typically a rough-in inspection before the walls are closed and a final inspection with a pressure test. Some municipalities also require the plumber to hold a specific license class for whole-house work. The permit protects you — it ensures the work meets code and creates a record that the plumbing has been updated, which matters when you sell.

What's Included in a Repipe Quote?

Typically Included

Removal or abandonment of all existing supply lines
Installation of new supply lines to every fixture
New shutoff valves at each fixture
Connection to the main water supply and water heater
Pressure testing the new system
Permit and inspection fees (usually)
Basic wall opening and patching (varies by company)

Typically Extra

Drywall finishing and painting: $500 to $2,000. Many plumbers cut access holes but leave the patching to a drywall crew. Budget for drywall finishing and touch-up painting separately.
Water heater replacement: $800 to $3,000. If your water heater is old enough to justify a repipe, it's probably old enough to replace at the same time. See water heater replacement or tankless water heater installation pricing — bundling saves a second plumber visit.
Drain line replacement: $1,500 to $5,000+. A repipe covers supply lines only. If your drain and waste lines are also failing — common in homes with cast iron or clay sewer pipes — that's a separate scope and a separate quote.
Fixture upgrades: $100 to $800 per fixture. While the walls are open is the cheapest time to upgrade faucets, add a new bathtub, replace a toilet, or install a dishwasher. The plumber is already at every connection point.
Water softener or filtration: Adding a water softener installation during a repipe is the ideal time — the main line is already being reworked, so tapping in a treatment system is minimal extra labor.

Signs You Need to Repipe

A repipe isn't something homeowners plan for — it's something the house eventually forces. Here are the signals that the time has come:

Rusty or discolored water: Brown, orange, or yellow water from hot and cold taps means the pipes are corroding from the inside. Running the tap for a minute clears it temporarily, but the corrosion doesn't stop.
Frequent leaks: One pinhole leak is a repair. Three or four in a year means the entire system is deteriorating at the same rate — fixing individual leaks becomes a game of whack-a-mole.
Low water pressure throughout the house: Corroded galvanized pipes narrow internally over time. If pressure has dropped at every fixture, the pipes are choked with mineral buildup.
Polybutylene (gray plastic) pipes: Poly-B piping, installed widely from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, is prone to sudden failure. Most insurers and home inspectors flag it, and many buyers won't close on a home with poly-B supply lines.
Lead pipes or lead solder: Homes built before 1986 may have lead solder on copper joints or, in very old homes, lead supply lines. Repiping eliminates the health risk entirely.
Galvanized steel pipes over 50 years old: Galvanized pipe has a functional lifespan of 40 to 60 years. If your home was built before 1970 and still has the original plumbing, a repipe is likely overdue.

Repiping a Slab Foundation Home

Slab homes deserve their own section because the cost and complexity are significantly higher. When supply lines run through or under a concrete slab, there are three approaches:

Approach	Added Cost	Pros	Cons
Reroute through attic and walls	$1,500 – $5,000	No slab damage, accessible for future repairs	More wall openings, longer pipe runs
Tunnel under the slab	$2,000 – $6,000	Minimal interior disruption	Expensive, limited to accessible areas
Cut through the slab	$3,000 – $8,000+	Direct access to old pipe locations	Highly disruptive, requires slab repair afterward

Rerouting through the attic is the most popular option because it avoids touching the slab entirely. The plumber runs new PEX lines through the attic space and drops them down through interior walls to each fixture. The old in-slab lines are capped and abandoned in place. This approach also makes future maintenance far easier — if a pipe ever needs service again, it's in the attic instead of under concrete.

If the under-slab pipes have already caused damage, you may be dealing with foundation crack repair or water damage repair alongside the repipe. Catching slab leaks early prevents the kind of erosion that leads to serious foundation repair costs down the road.

Partial Repipe vs. Whole-House Repipe

Scope	Cost	When It Makes Sense
Single fixture or section	$200 – $800	One isolated leak, one corroded section
One bathroom	$1,000 – $3,000	Localized corrosion, bathroom remodel
Kitchen + one bathroom	$2,000 – $5,000	Targeting the highest-use areas first
Whole house	$4,500 – $15,000	System-wide corrosion, poly-B or galvanized steel

A partial repipe makes sense if the rest of the system is in good condition and the failure is localized — one corroded section near the water heater, for example. But if the pipes are galvanized steel or poly-B, patching one section just moves the failure point. The labor to open walls and run pipe is the expensive part, and doing it in stages means paying that mobilization cost multiple times. In most cases, if more than 30% of the system needs replacement, a whole-house repipe is more cost-effective in the long run.

If you're already opening walls for a kitchen remodel or bathroom renovation, that's the ideal time to repipe those areas — the drywall is already down, the plumber has clear access, and the patching cost is already baked into the remodel budget.

How to Save on a Whole-House Repipe

Choose PEX over copper. PEX cuts material cost by 40% to 60% and installs faster, which reduces labor hours. Performance is comparable for residential supply lines.
Bundle with a remodel. If you're gutting the kitchen or a bathroom, the walls are already open. Adding a repipe during a bathroom remodel or kitchen tear-out saves thousands in wall-opening and patching costs.
Replace the water heater at the same time. A water heater installation during a repipe adds minimal labor because the plumber is already at the connection point.
Handle the drywall patching yourself or hire separately. Plumbers charge a premium for drywall work because it's not their trade. Hiring a drywall crew directly for the drywall repair often costs 30% to 50% less.
Get three to five quotes. Repipe bids are notoriously variable — $3,000 spreads on the same house are not unusual. Make sure every bid covers the same scope: same material, same fixture count, same patching expectation.
Ask about a manifold system. A PEX manifold system uses home-run lines from a central manifold to each fixture. It uses more pipe but fewer fittings and allows individual fixture shutoff from one location. Labor is often comparable to a trunk-and-branch layout, and the long-term serviceability is better.
Check for utility rebates. Some water districts offer rebates for replacing lead or galvanized service lines. Federal programs under the Lead and Copper Rule have expanded funding for lead pipe replacement in recent years — ask your municipality before you start.

Common Questions About Repiping Costs

How long does a whole-house repipe take?

Two to five days for most homes. A small single-story with a crawl space and PEX can be done in two days. A large two-story slab home with copper takes four to five days. Add another day or two if the plumber is handling drywall patching. You'll be without water during working hours each day, but most plumbers restore service overnight so you can use toilets and sinks in the morning and evening.

Does repiping add value to a home?

It doesn't add a dollar-for-dollar return the way a kitchen remodel might, but it removes a major objection for buyers and home inspectors. A house with new PEX or copper supply lines sells faster and inspects cleaner than one with 60-year-old galvanized steel. It also prevents the kind of catastrophic leak that leads to $10,000 to $50,000 in water damage repair and mold remediation.

Does homeowner's insurance cover repiping?

No. Insurance covers sudden, accidental water damage — a pipe burst, a supply line failure. It doesn't cover the cost of replacing aging pipes before they fail. The repipe is your responsibility. However, if a pipe failure causes water damage, the resulting damage claim may cover repairs to flooring, drywall, and personal property. Some insurers offer premium discounts after a repipe because the risk of a claim drops significantly.

Should I repipe with PEX or copper?

PEX is the better value for most homeowners. It costs 40% to 60% less installed, resists corrosion, handles freeze-thaw better than rigid pipe, and lasts 40 to 50+ years. Copper makes sense if you want maximum longevity (50 to 70+ years), prefer a material with a longer track record, or live in an area where code or water chemistry makes copper the better choice. Both are excellent — PEX just does the job at a lower price.

Can I stay in the house during a repipe?

Yes. Most families stay home during the work. Water is shut off during working hours — typically 8 AM to 5 PM — and restored each evening. The disruption is noise, dust from wall openings, and restricted access to certain rooms while the plumber is working in them. If you have young children or work from home, plan around the noisiest days — usually days one and two when the most demolition and rough-in work happens.

What happens to the old pipes?

In most repipes, the old pipes are abandoned in place — capped off and left inside the walls. Pulling them out would require opening significantly more drywall for no functional benefit. The plumber removes what's accessible and leaves the rest. In slab homes, the in-slab lines are capped at both ends and the concrete is left undisturbed. The abandoned pipes don't cause problems — they're inert once disconnected from the water supply.

What Is the Average Cost to Repipe a House?