Repiping — replacing all the water supply lines in a home — is a $4,000 to $15,000 project that most homeowners face exactly once. It usually becomes necessary when galvanized steel or polybutylene supply lines start failing, or when pinhole leaks in copper turn into a pattern. This section covers what repiping costs by home size and material, how PEX compares to copper for a full repipe, how long the job takes, and what living through it is actually like.
PEX vs copper for repiping
PEX dominates modern repipes: cheaper, faster to install, freeze-resistant, and quiet. Copper costs 2–3x more and takes longer, but some homeowners and codes still prefer it. Our comparison gives the honest trade-offs, not the sales pitch.
Signs you need a repipe
Discolored water, steadily dropping pressure, and more than two or three leaks in a few years are the classic trio. A single leak is a repair; a pattern is a repipe.