PEX repipe cost

In a national cost guide, PEX is the budget tubing at under $2 a foot, copper can reach $8, and whole-house repipes span about $1,500 to $15,000 around a $7,500 average. Because PEX goes in faster, it tends to sit near the bottom of that span. Southern California quotes can come in higher. See the repiping overview for the job itself, or get a price in writing through the quote page.

How much does a PEX repipe cost?

On national figures, PEX is the cheaper material: $0.40 to $2 for each linear foot, compared with $0.50 to $1 for CPVC and $2 to $8 for copper. The tubing is only part of the bill. Permits ($50 to $500 in the guide), inspection ($250 to $1,200), labor and wall repair make up the rest, and the whole job sits in a $1,500 to $15,000 range.

For a rough check, the guide's example of a 1,500 square foot, three-bedroom house is $2,280 to $5,120, roughly $1.50 to $3.40 a square foot. We have not found a published Burbank price list, so treat that as a floor and not a quote. Labor in Los Angeles County is higher than much of the country, and drywall patching is a real line item.

What is the average cost to repipe a house with PEX?

Across all materials, the national guide gives about $7,500 as the typical repipe. It does not publish a PEX-only average, so we will not make one up. The safe statement is that PEX usually costs less than copper for the same house, because tubing costs less per foot and plumbers can run it with fewer joints and faster than rigid pipe.

Where PEX saves money is labor. Flexible tubing bends around corners, goes through framing and pulls through walls with small access holes. Where it doesn't save money is in the extras: manifolds, fittings, shutoff valves, fixture connections, drywall and permits are close to the same either way. Get the PEX type and fitting system written down. The page on PEX A versus PEX B explains why.

How much does a copper repipe cost compared with PEX?

Copper tubing costs $2 to $8 a foot while PEX costs $0.40 to $2, so copper repipes usually cost more, and soldered joints take longer than PEX connections. Copper also costs more in labor because rigid pipe needs more room and more connections. In exchange it has a long track record and tolerates heat and sunlight, which can matter in a Valley attic.

How much more? The spread in published figures is wide, and your house decides it. A short plumbing run in an open attic can make copper competitive, while a two-story house with many bends makes the gap larger. Copper prices also move with the market. For a fuller side-by-side, read PEX versus copper in detail.

How much does it cost to repipe a two-bathroom house?

We found no source that prices a two-bathroom repipe on its own, so we won't quote one. The count of bathrooms matters because each adds fixtures: toilets, sinks, a tub or shower, plus the kitchen, laundry and water heater. More fixtures mean more pipe, more connections and more patching. Use the 1,500 square foot example as a sanity check only.

The better approach is to count fixtures and give the number to each plumber. A walk-through then pins down what is behind the walls. Request pricing both with and without a manifold, and for the number of access holes the plumber expects. Those two items often explain why one PEX quote is higher than another.

How does PEX compare with copper on flow rate?

At the same nominal size, PEX generally has a slightly smaller inside diameter than copper, so a plumber may step up one size or use a manifold layout to keep flow strong at distant fixtures. We aren't publishing a flow chart from memory. Manufacturers list inside diameters and pressure drop per size, and the plumber can size the system from the fixture count.

What owners notice more than the chart is old galvanized pipe, which has lost much of its flow to scale. Either new material is usually a big improvement over a rusted steel line. If someone proposes the smallest tubing available for the whole house, ask why. Put the pipe size in the estimate.

How much does it cost to repipe a mobile home?

The national guide lists $1,500 to $4,000 for repiping a mobile home. Smaller footprints and fewer fixtures help, but access can be tighter, because lines run under the floor or through a crawl space that may be low. Mobile and manufactured homes in the Valley may fall under different permit rules, so ask the building department what applies.

PEX is common for this kind of work because it is flexible and goes in without opening many walls. Before accepting a quote, ask what is included: connections to the water heater, shutoff valves and any insulation in the underfloor space.

What should you ask before you accept a PEX repipe quote?

Ask for the PEX type, the fitting system, the pipe sizes, whether a manifold goes in, how many walls will be opened and who patches them, plus the permit and inspection. Collect the contractor's license number and verify it at CSLB. Under California rules, work worth at least $1,000, or work needing a permit, must go to a contractor who holds a California license.

Also ask how exposed tubing will be protected. A reference source puts the damage threshold for direct sun at about 30 days, so open runs need shielding or sleeves. Then read how long a repipe takes so you know what the schedule should look like. A table of whole-house figures is on the repipe cost page.

What to do next

Count your bathrooms and fixtures, find out what pipe you have now, and note where the pressure is weakest. Then arrange a walk-through and have the plumber write up a quote that names the PEX type and the permit. Two quotes with the same scope are easier to compare than three with different ones. Return to the Lankershim Plumbing home page if you want other repair guides.

Questions people ask

Is a PEX repipe faster than copper?

Usually, yes. PEX bends through framing and uses fewer joints than rigid copper, which cuts labor hours, and labor is a large part of any repipe bill. The permit inspection still sets the finish date. Your written quote should show the schedule, so ask for it before you compare PEX and copper on price alone.

What belongs in a written PEX repipe quote?

The tubing type and brand, the fitting system, the pipe sizes, whether a manifold is used, the number of wall openings, drywall and paint repair, permit and inspection fees, and the start and finish dates. A quote missing any of these can look cheap and leave you paying later. Ask each plumber for the same list.

Will I be without water during a PEX repipe?

Yes, for a portion of every working day. Water is shut at the main while old lines are cut over to new ones. Fill a few jugs, plan showers and laundry around the work, and ask when the longest shutoff will be. Most plumbers can describe the sequence before they start.

Does PEX freeze and burst less than copper?

Flexibility helps in a freeze: ice that would split a copper tube can be absorbed by PEX, according to reference sources. Burbank does not see much hard freezing, so this rarely drives a decision here. It can matter for outdoor runs, hillside homes and unheated garages. Our page on whether PEX can freeze and burst covers it.