Definition
Replacement of supply piping throughout a home — often from failing galvanized or polybutylene to PEX or copper.
How do you know a house needs a repipe instead of another repair?
The tell is a pattern, not one leak: falling water pressure as galvanized pipe rusts shut from the inside, rusty or metallic-tasting water after time away, and pinhole leaks that keep appearing in different runs. Once the pipe material itself is failing, each spot repair buys months while the next weak point develops — the decision guide linked below walks the repair-versus-repipe math honestly.
What does a whole-home repipe actually involve?
New PEX or copper supply lines run through the existing structure, fixture by fixture, usually over several working days. Water stays on each evening in a well-run job. Access openings in drywall are part of the scope — plan for patching — and the work is permitted and inspected like any major plumbing project.
What does a repipe cost in the Puget Sound?
As honest planning ranges from our cost guide: whole-home PEX typically runs $8,000–$15,000, copper $15,000–$25,000, and a partial or staged repipe $3,500–$8,000 depending on fixture count and access. Permits and defined drywall-patch scope belong in any legitimate quote — ask where patching is included.
In the Puget Sound
Seattle-area homes built before the 1960s often still carry original galvanized supply lines, and 1980s–90s houses may have polybutylene — both materials at or past the end of their design life.
Related terms
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Trade: Plumbing