The purpose of this article is to understand and analyze how much is the cost to repipe a house. Nothing lasts forever. Not the house, not the structures or the materials within the house.  Everything perishes with the passage of time. Similarly, the piping system or commonly known as the plumbing system of a house also stops working with the passage of time. Due to corrosion, rusting, and decays over the years, pipes quickly lose their metal and get leaks.

This eventually leads up to flooding in the house or building. It is important to reinstall these pipes or repipe the house as soon as the need arises. But the cost to repipe a house is immense. It can reach up to thousands of dollars. This is because when a pipe needs to be replaced, walls and sometimes even floors must be torn and opened. 

Factors Affecting Full-House Re-Pipes Cost

Claiming that there is only a single factor affecting the cost to repipe a house is a false statement. There are several factors which have a direct influence on the cost to repipe a house.

Related: How Much Savings Should be Invested?

Size of the Building

Cost to repipe a house largely depends on the size of the house. This means that bigger the house, the higher the number of pipes that will be required and hence the cost will increase as well. If it is a single story house, there will be fewer fixtures for the pipes. There might be one in the kitchen and 5 or 6 in different bathrooms of the house. This means that the cost will be less. On the other hand, if re-piping is to be done in an apartment building, the fixtures will increase drastically and hence the cost to re-pipe around the house will be higher.

Layout

If the layout of the apartment or the house is in such a way that there are multiple floors and each floor has multiple fixtures, the cost of repiping a house will be much higher. The layout of a house plays a vital role in determining the repiping cost.

Location

A person living in an urban area with access to sewage systems and city water supplies will have a lower cost in rep-piping their house or building. This is because the cost of bringing the pipes from the building to the nearby sewage systems and water supply will be affected directly. This is why location plays a vital role in the repiping of a house.

Piping Material

The cost to repipe a house also depends upon the material of the pipe that is used. Pipes are made up of different metals. Each metal has their own respective costs. It is important to remember that if the material of the pipe is bad or cheap, chances are that it will corrode much faster and will require replacement. Therefore, even though the cost of pipe material may seem a lot in the beginning, it is important to install pipes with good material in the beginning. This can help in reducing the chances of repiping cost.

Number of Appliances

A house or building with appliances which use water have a lot of pipes installed in them. Repiping cost of a house with many water using appliances will be much higher as compared to repiping the ones which have existed previously.

Estimated Figures of Repiping Cost

Despite all these factors on which the cost of repiping is dependent, the one and major factor on which re-piping depends is the material of the pipe which is used in re-piping. According to this cost, one linear foot can cost around $0.4 to $2.00.

Cost to Repipe a house with PEX

PEX is a tube which is made up of plastic. It has many benefits attached to it. It is easy to install with its flexibility. Dry walls do not need to be removed as it can be replaced easily. It costs around $0.4 or $0.5 per linear foot. This means that if a person is repiping a house of 2000 square feet, it will cost around $800 for the pipe material and service charges will be added as well. The whole amount can add up to a range of $2000 to $4000.

Cost to Repipe with Copper

Copper is also an easy way to re-pipe around the building. It is easy to install. It can be recycled as well. It can withstand natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. This will prevent your piping system from breaking apart and reduce the cost to repipe a house. Using copper to repipe a house costs around $3-$8 per linear foot. On an average, it can cost around $8,000 to $15,000 as a whole. When replacing drainage or wastage pipes with copper pipes, it can cost around $13 to $15 per linear foot.

Cost to Removing Old Pipes

New pipes can only be installed when the old ones have been removed. Removing the old pipes comes with a cost as well. Both the installation of new pipes and removing the old pipes are a part of the same cost. This means that the cost to remove old pipes will not be considered as a separate entity. Instead, it will be part of the bill when the cost of repiping a house will be calculated. But in addition to the cost of repiping the house, around $1000 to $5000 will be added to the total cost of re-piping around the building.

Conclusion

People with sewage problems and leakages in their piping systems often wonder how much it costs to repipe a house. Even though it may seem like the cost to repipe a house is high, it is a project that should not be ignored or even delayed. By not replacing the pipes with proper ones, a house can be destroyed completely due to flooding or leakages which can cause moss around the house. Re-piping can be a hectic task as well. It can take up to weeks for the project to finish completely. Experts must be hired to re-pipe around the house.

Also Read