Expect roughly $4,000 to $10,000 to repipe a 2,000 square foot, two-bath house in PEX and $8,000 to $18,000 in copper, based on published guides. Treat that as a guide. Your written quote, after someone looks at your attic, crawl space and walls, is the real price. It sits inside the wider process on our repipe house page.
How much does it cost to repipe a house?
A whole-house repipe commonly costs $4,000 to $15,000, with a national average near $7,500, according to cost guides that publish current figures. PEX sits at the low end and copper at the high end. Labor is the largest share of the price, so access and house layout push it more than pipe cost does.
Southern California labor rates tend to run above the national average, and these guides mix contractor marketing with real data, so the sources disagree. Per square foot, published figures for installed PEX range from about $2 to $7 and copper from about $4 to $14. That spread is wide because of the way each guide counts finish work. Use the numbers to check whether a quote is in the right neighborhood, not to predict it to the dollar.
How much does it cost to repipe by house size?
Smaller houses cost less, but not in direct proportion to square feet, because fixtures drive the labor. A bathroom, a kitchen and a laundry each need supply lines and shutoffs regardless of how small the rooms are. The table gives typical ranges from published guides, as a rough guide only.
| House | PEX | Copper |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 sq ft, 2 bath | about $4,500 to $8,500 | about $9,000 to $12,000 and up |
| 2,000 sq ft, 2 bath | about $4,000 to $10,000 | about $8,000 to $18,000 |
Guides rarely publish reliable figures for very small or very large houses, so those are left out rather than guessed. A condo repipe is often priced differently and may involve the building, so see what the association allows before asking for quotes.
What affects the price of a repipe?
Access, material, number of fixtures and finish work move the price most. A house with an open attic and crawl space costs far less than one on a slab or with plumbing in finished walls on two floors. Copper costs more than PEX in labor and material. Every extra bathroom, hose bib and ice maker line adds time.
Los Angeles specifics that push it up:
- Hillside houses with steep crawl spaces or long runs from the meter.
- Houses on concrete slabs, where lines are abandoned and rerouted overhead.
- Older houses with plaster over lath, which is slower to open and patch than drywall.
- Houses where cast iron drains also need work. A repipe does not cover them.
- Permits and inspections, which LADBS requires for replacing water supply lines.
Compare quotes on what they include. The same repipe can read as $6,000 or $11,000 depending on whether drywall, texture and paint are in the number.
Is PEX or copper cheaper to repipe with?
PEX is cheaper, usually by 40 to 60 percent or more on the same house, according to published comparisons. It is faster to install, needs fewer wall openings, and the pipe itself costs less per foot. Copper takes longer because every joint is soldered and more wall access is needed.
Copper has real benefits that justify the cost for some owners: a long track record, heat tolerance for exposed runs and no plastic. The reasoning on PEX versus copper goes through lifespan and flow. If you want the PEX-only figures and the copper line, they sit on the page for PEX repipe cost.
Can you repipe a house for less?
Yes, within limits. The savings that hold up are choosing PEX, picking a time when the plumber has open scheduling, doing the repipe with a bathroom remodel while walls are open, and handling paint yourself if the plumber hands off the patching. Cutting the permit or inspection is not a saving.
Ask for the quote itemized: pipe material and fittings, permit, water shutoff and pressure regulator if needed, access and patching, disposal of old pipe. Then compare line by line. A low number that leaves out patching can finish higher. Pricing a few pipes at a time is rarely cheaper, because each trip repeats the setup. The only exception is when one run has failed and the rest is sound, which is a repair.
Check the contractor at cslb.ca.gov before signing. Repiping requires a plumbing contractor license in California.
What is a repipe estimate missing when it looks cheap?
A cheap repipe estimate is most often missing wall repair, a permit and inspection, the pressure regulator, and the cost of opening a slab or finished wall. It can also assume easy access that you do not have. Ask whether the price includes drywall patching and paint, and whether the permit fee is in it.
Another gap is scope. Some quotes replace only the main trunk lines and leave branch lines to bathrooms in old galvanized pipe, which leaves low pressure in the fixture you wanted fixed. Ask for every fixture to be listed. Ask what happens if the crew finds something behind a wall, and whether a change order needs your approval first.
Common questions
How much does it cost to repipe a 2000 sq ft house?
Published guides give about $4,000 to $10,000 for PEX and $8,000 to $18,000 for copper on a 2,000 square foot, two-bath house. Los Angeles access, a slab foundation, plaster walls or a second story can push it higher. Get a written quote after a visit, because the range is wide.
How much does it cost to repipe a 1500 sq ft house?
A 1,500 square foot house is commonly priced around $4,500 to $8,500 in PEX and $9,000 to $12,000 or more in copper in published guides. The number of bathrooms and the foundation type change it more than the square footage does. A one-bath house can price lower; a house on a slab prices higher.
What is the cheapest way to repipe a house?
PEX, with good attic or crawl space access, a permit and a fixed written quote that includes patching. The cheapest bid is not always the lowest total. Compare what is in each quote, and do not trade away the permit or inspection to save money.
Can you replumb a house without removing walls?
Mostly, though some access holes are almost always needed. PEX needs fewer than copper. Houses with open attics or crawl spaces are easiest. Ask who patches and paints the holes, and whether that is in the price. The access question is covered in more detail on the repipe house page.
Do you have to pull a permit to repipe a house?
Yes in Los Angeles. A repipe that replaces water supply lines needs a LADBS plumbing permit and an inspection before walls close. The plumber usually pulls it and books the inspections. The permit fee is a smaller line on the quote than labor.
How long does it take to replumb a whole house?
Plumbing work alone commonly takes one to three days in PEX and three to seven in copper, per published timelines. Add inspections and wall patching and the full project often runs a week or two. Time on site is a cost driver, so it feeds directly into the price.
Ready to compare? The quote page is the place to start. For an overview of what the job involves, see why repipe a house.