How to Estimate a Plumbing Repipe: PEX vs Copper, Whole-House Pricing

Whole-house repipe total costs (April 2026, 1,800 sqft single-story home, 2 baths, 1 kitchen, laundry): PEX-B $4,500-$7,500 installed; PEX-A $5,500-$9,000 installed; Copper Type L $9,000-$15,000 installed. Add 30-50% for two-story homes (more pipe runs, more drywall repair). Add 50-75% for slab-on-grade homes where pipes are routed through ceilings instead of crawl spaces. Drywall repair, paint, and finish-out add roughly $2,000-$5,000 to any repipe and are often estimated separately. The biggest cost driver is not the pipe material — it's the labor and finish-out work to access existing pipes, which is similar across material choices.

PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is the modern standard for water supply lines. Two main types: PEX-A (Uponor brand most common) and PEX-B (most other brands). Differences: PEX-A is more flexible, can be expanded with a special tool to slip over fittings, and reverts to original size to create a tight seal — fewer joints needed, better freeze resistance (more elastic), but tools and fittings are more expensive. Material cost: $0.80-$1.40/ft for 1/2-inch. PEX-B is stiffer, uses crimp-ring or stainless-steel cinch fittings, slightly higher fitting count per run, but tools are cheaper and the system is widely supported. Material cost: $0.40-$0.80/ft for 1/2-inch. For most residential repipes, PEX-B is the right default — adequate quality, lower material cost, easier sourcing. PEX-A is the upsell when the customer wants premium materials, when freeze resistance is a major concern (cold-climate cabin retrofits), or when minimizing fittings is critical (long horizontal runs in finished basements).

Copper Type L is the traditional whole-house repipe material and remains common in higher-end markets. Pros: 50+ year service life, doesn't degrade in UV, no taste/odor issues, fully recyclable. Cons: 2x material cost vs PEX-B, harder to install (joints require soldering or press-fit), slower work, susceptible to pinhole leaks in homes with aggressive water chemistry. 2026 copper pricing for 1/2-inch Type L: $4-$7/ft (varies dramatically with copper commodity price). For a typical 1,800 sqft home requiring ~250 ft of supply line, copper material alone runs $1,000-$1,750 vs $100-$200 for PEX-B. Add fittings: copper fittings are roughly $1-$3 each plus solder/flux/torch consumables; PEX-B fittings are $0.50-$2 each. When copper is the right choice: (1) historic home preservation (matching existing materials), (2) regions with aggressive water that's known to degrade PEX (rare but exists), (3) customer preference willing to pay the premium, (4) hot water recirculation lines where pipe heat conduction matters. In all other cases, PEX is the better engineering and economic choice.

Typical 1,800 sqft single-story home fitting and material counts: • Hot and cold supply lines: 240-280 ft total of 1/2-inch pipe (PEX or copper) • 3/4-inch trunk lines from main: 30-50 ft • Manifold or trunk-and-branch: PEX-A often uses a central manifold (additional $300-$600 cost); PEX-B and copper typically use trunk-and-branch • Fittings per fixture: 3-5 typical (shutoff angle stop, supply stub-out, transition fitting). For 8-12 fixtures in an 1,800 sqft home: 25-50 fittings • Shutoff valves: 1 main shutoff + 1 per branch + 1 per fixture (8-15 valves total) • Wall plates and escutcheons: $5-$15 each, 8-12 needed Total materials for PEX-B repipe: $300-$600 raw materials. For copper repipe: $1,500-$2,500 raw materials. The labor and finish-out are far larger cost categories than the pipe itself.

Whole-house repipe labor: 2-person crew (one journeyman, one apprentice) typical. Daily output: roughly 1.5-2.5 fixtures per day for crawl-space access; 1.0-1.5 fixtures per day for slab-on-grade or two-story (more drywall opening required). For an 1,800 sqft home with 10 fixtures: 4-7 working days for plumbing rough-in and final connections. Schedule breakdown: • Day 1: Demo and access (open drywall at fixture stub-outs, ceilings if needed). Drain existing system. • Days 2-4: New pipe runs from main to manifold/trunk through accessible spaces. Fixture supply runs. • Day 5: Connect fixtures, test for leaks, verify pressure. • Days 5-7: Drywall patch and texture (often a separate trade) and customer walkthrough. Labor cost: 2-person crew at $140-$200/hr blended (rural to major metro range). 7-day project: 56 crew-hours = $7,840-$11,200 raw labor. Bill with markup at $9,000-$14,000 on the line item.

Scope: replace all hot/cold supply lines from main shutoff to all fixtures in 1,800 sqft single-story home. 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, laundry, water heater, hose bibs (10 fixtures total). Crawl-space access. PEX-B with brass crimp fittings. Line items: - Materials: PEX-B pipe (280 ft 1/2-inch + 40 ft 3/4-inch), fittings (40 fittings), valves (12 valves), trim plates ........... $480 - Labor: 2-person crew, 5.5 days × 8 hrs/day = 88 crew-hours @ $160/hr blended ................... $7,040 - Drywall opening, dust protection, daily cleanup ............................................... $400 - Pressure testing and inspection coordination .................................................. $200 - Permit ........................................................................................ $300 Subtotal (plumbing) ............................................................................ $8,420 Finish-out (separate trade, line-itemed): - Drywall patching (10 holes, varied sizes), tape, mud, sanding ................................ $1,200 - Texture matching ............................................................................... $400 - Paint (matching existing — touch-up or whole walls depending on age) ........................... $800-$1,800 Subtotal (finish-out) .......................................................................... $2,400-$3,400 Grand subtotal ............................................................................... $10,820-$11,820 Overhead (10%) ............................................................................... $1,082-$1,182 Profit (8%) .................................................................................. $866-$946 TOTAL BID .................................................................................... $12,768-$13,948 Present to client as: 'Whole-house repipe to PEX-B: $13,000-$14,000 inclusive of materials, labor, drywall patching, texture, paint touch-up, permits, and pressure testing. Project duration: 5-7 working days. 5-year workmanship warranty plus manufacturer warranty pass-through (25 years on PEX-B fittings).'