House Repiping Cost Calculator

House Repiping Cost Calculator: What It Does and How to Use It

This repipe cost calculator estimates what a plumber will charge to replace every water supply line in your house. It turns your home's size, bathroom count, number of stories, foundation type and pipe material into a low, typical and high price, then splits that into pipe and fittings, plumber labor, wall patching and permit costs.

1. Enter your home's size. Use the heated living area in square feet from your listing, appraisal or tax record.
2. Pick bathrooms and stories. Each bathroom adds fixtures and lines; each extra floor adds labor.
3. Choose the pipe material. PEX is the most common and cheapest; copper costs the most.
4. Set your foundation. Slab homes cost more because new lines run through the attic and walls.
5. Decide on drywall. Tick the box if you want patching and paint included in the estimate.

House Repiping Cost Formula: Step by Step

Rates per square foot: PEX $2.70–$4.00, CPVC $4.50–$5.70, copper $6.50–$12.00. Story factor: +8% for each floor above the first. Foundation factor: slab +15%, unfinished basement −5%.

How much does it cost to repipe a house?

A whole-house repipe replaces every hot and cold water supply line, from the main shutoff valve to each sink, toilet, shower, water heater and appliance. Because pipe length grows with the size of the home, plumbers and cost guides price repiping by the square foot of living space. Labor is about 70% of the job; the pipe and fittings are the smaller part.

The 1,500 sq ft column includes a permit but not drywall repair. Pipe material alone is cheap, at roughly $0.40 to $4 per foot for PEX and $2 to $12 per foot for copper, which is why the plumber's time drives the price.

Cost to replumb a house vs repiping

"Replumb" and "repipe" usually describe the same job: replacing the water supply lines that feed your faucets, toilets, showers and appliances. Some plumbers also use "replumb" for jobs that include drain and waste lines, which costs more because those pipes run under floors and slabs. When you compare quotes, ask whether the price covers supply lines only or drains as well.

The cost to replumb a 1,500 sq ft house with PEX supply lines is about $4,150 – $6,800 before drywall repair, the same as a repipe. Use the repipe cost calculator above for a price based on your own home.

Repipe cost by house size

Cost to repipe a house by number of bathrooms

Each bathroom adds a sink, toilet and tub or shower, and each fixture needs its own hot and cold lines and shutoffs. That's why a 2-bathroom house costs noticeably less to repipe than a 4-bathroom house of the same size.

Cost to repipe a house with PEX vs copper

PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is flexible tubing that bends around corners, so it needs fewer fittings and fewer holes in your walls. Most repipes today use it. PEX-A, sold by brands such as Uponor, uses expansion fittings and is the most flexible; PEX-B uses crimp or clamp rings and costs a little less. A PEX repipe usually costs about a third to half as much as copper.

Copper is the long-lasting premium choice. Type L copper has thicker walls than Type M and is the usual pick for a whole-house repipe. It handles heat well and looks clean when exposed, but material and labor both cost more, and it can wear faster where water is acidic.

CPVC is rigid plastic joined with solvent cement. It sits between PEX and copper on price, but it can get brittle with age, so fewer plumbers recommend it for a full repipe.

Average cost to repipe a house with PEX

PEX is the cheapest way to repipe a whole house, which is why most plumbing repipe quotes today use it. As a quick PEX plumbing cost estimator for a single-story home with 2 bathrooms on a crawl space:

For the same 1,500 sq ft house, the cost to repipe with copper is about $9,850 – $18,800, so choosing PEX usually cuts the price to repipe a house roughly in half.

Repiping a house on a slab

In slab homes, the original water lines often run under the concrete. Instead of breaking up the floor, most plumbers abandon the old lines and reroute new PEX through the attic and down inside the walls. That takes more wall openings and more labor, which is why the calculator adds about 15% for a slab foundation.

Slab leak: repair or repipe? A single slab leak in otherwise sound pipe can often be fixed by rerouting just that line. If you've had more than one slab leak, or your pipes are old copper or galvanized steel, a full repipe is usually the better long-term buy, because the next leak is likely already on its way.

How much to repipe a house in California and other high-cost areas

Labor drives most of the price to repipe a house, so where you live matters. In big metro and coastal markets, including much of California, plumbers charge more per hour and permits cost more. Enter your ZIP code or city in the calculator and it adjusts the estimate using the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's regional price levels. California's is about 13% above the national average.

Replacing polybutylene and galvanized pipes

Galvanized steel pipe was common in houses built before the 1960s, including many homes built in the 1950s. It rusts from the inside, narrowing the pipe and causing low pressure and brown water. Polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe installed from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, is known for failing without warning, and some insurers charge more or decline to cover homes that still have it.

Replacing either is priced the same way as any whole-house repipe, so use the calculator with your home's size. Older homes sometimes add cost for plaster walls or code updates.

Signs your house needs repiping

• Your home has galvanized steel or polybutylene water lines.
• Leaks keep coming back in different places.
• Water looks rusty or brown, especially first thing in the morning.
• Water pressure has dropped throughout the house, not just at one faucet.
• You see green or white corrosion on exposed copper fittings.

How a house is repiped

1. Inspection and quote. The plumber checks pipe type, access and fixture count, then pulls the permit.
2. Protection. Floors and furniture are covered, and water is shut off at the main.
3. Access. Small openings are cut in drywall where new lines must pass.
4. New lines. PEX or copper is run either as a trunk-and-branch system or as home runs from a central manifold.
5. Connections. New lines connect to every fixture, the water heater and new shutoff valves.
6. Pressure test and inspection. The system is tested for leaks and inspected before walls are closed.
7. Patching. Drywall openings are patched and painted, by the plumber or a separate drywall crew.

What determines your repipe price

• Pipe material. Copper costs two to three times more than PEX for the same house.
• Number of fixtures. Every sink, toilet, shower, dishwasher and washing machine needs its own line.
• Access. Crawl spaces and unfinished basements are cheapest. Slabs, finished basements and plaster walls take more labor.
• Stories. Running lines between floors adds time on two- and three-story homes.
• Wall repair. Many plumbers don't patch drywall, so make sure each quote says who does.
• Permits and inspection. Most cities require a permit, usually $100 to $1,000.
• Local labor rates. Plumbers charge roughly $45 to $200 an hour depending on the market.

Is repiping a house worth it?

If your home has failing galvanized or polybutylene pipe, or you're paying for repeated leak repairs, repiping usually is worth it. One serious leak inside a wall can cost thousands in water damage, mold removal and drywall repair, and new PEX or copper lines can last for decades. Updated plumbing also removes a common objection when you sell, since buyers and home inspectors look closely at old pipe.

Industry References

Every rate in this calculator comes from these published sources. Prices last reviewed October 2026; see how we estimate for the full method.

1. HomeAdvisor: Cost to repipe a house: pipe prices per foot, cost per sq ft, permits, labor share
2. Tommy Cool: Cost to repipe an entire house: whole-house totals by material, drywall, timelines

Free Home Project Calculators for Your Next Project

Related guides

• 9 Signs Your House Needs RepipingRepeat leaks, brown water and weak pressure usually point to pipes at the end of their life. Here's how to check yours, and what repiping costs.
• PEX vs Copper Pipe: Which Is Better for Your Repipe?PEX costs about half as much as copper to install. Here's when copper is still worth it.

House Repiping Cost Calculator: Frequently Asked Questions