House Repiping Cost Calculator

Repiping a house can cost a lot of money, depending on the amount of work needed. Also called replumbing, the total cost comes down to how much pipe you’re replacing and the size of your home. Are you fixing a small section or going for a full house repipe? Either way, it’s an important project that affects your home’s plumbing system, and knowing the potential costs upfront can save you from any surprises later. Whether it’s due to old, corroded pipes or an upgrade to something more modern and reliable, having an estimate in mind helps you plan better.

How to Use the House Repiping Cost Calculator

Enter your house size:
Start by typing in the size of your home in square feet. This helps estimate how much pipe you’ll need for the job with the plumbing calculator.

Choose the type of pipe material:
Select the material you want to use for the repiping project. Options include:

• PEX: Affordable and flexible, great for most homes.
• Copper: Long-lasting but more expensive.
• CPVC: A budget-friendly alternative to copper.
• Galvanized Steel: Typically used in older homes.

Select the scope of work:
Decide whether you’re doing a partial repipe (replacing pipes in one section of the house) or a full repipe (replacing all pipes in the house).

Enter the number of plumbing fixtures:
Count the total number of sinks, toilets, showers, and other plumbing fixtures in your home. This helps estimate labor time since each fixture takes time to connect.

Enter the average labor cost per hour:
Labor rates can vary by location. Enter the hourly rate plumbers charge in your area (e.g., $75/hour is common in many places).

Click the Calculate button:
Once all fields are filled in, hit the “Calculate Cost” button. You’ll get an instant breakdown of material costs, labor hours, labor costs, and the total cost of your repiping project.

Why Use the House Repiping Cost Calculator

The main reason you searched for house repiping costs is probably because you have a plumbing issue, and that’s never a good thing—especially when the problem affects your whole home. Unfortunately, sometimes the costs can be significant when it comes to replumbing an entire house.

Broken pipes are common in the winter when pipes full of water freeze and burst. Water expands as it freezes, and there’s no surefire way to keep pipes from breaking except by winterizing them or keeping them warm enough to avoid freezing during our cold winters.

Other costs associated with repiping a home can include tearing out walls, as most of our plumbing is hidden behind walls for obvious reasons. Replacing walls can be pricey, so it’s always a good idea to hire the right contractor when doing renovations that involve your pipes.

Sewer lines are even harder to replace because they’re mostly underground. Luckily, in many cases, the city or your local county will replace them for free if they break—since we pay taxes, they should cover those repairs. However, if the sewer drain inside your home is broken, that’s a different story. Not only is it a safety hazard, but it should also be fixed as soon as possible.

When water lines in your house start sweating, it’s often a sign that it’s time to replace them. This can lead to wood rotting and spreading throughout your home wherever damp areas exist. Replacing rotten wood can become very expensive if the damage spreads too far.

9 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe from Pipes Freezing

With the bitter cold and harsh winter weather that homes have to deal with, your house is going to take a beating. The risk of your pipes freezing is significantly higher without taking precautions in advance. Not only do ruptured pipes create a disastrous mess that causes property damage, but it results in water damage to your home. Estimates for the water damage to be repaired can easily cost $5,000 or more.

Water freezes in your pipes when the water volume inside the line becomes too great and expands. This swelling can happen from a severe drop in outside temperature, insufficient insulation, or if the inside thermostat is not set high enough to keep the pipes warm. These conditions are the most common causes why most pipes burst.

The pipes that are at most risk are pipes running through unheated interior spaces such as basements, attics, and garages. However, interior pipes, like inside cabinets or exterior walls, are not exempt from the danger of freezing too. 

Here are 9 tips to prevent pipes from freezing: 

1. Keep your garage door closed to prevent any supply lines installed in the space from being exposed to frigid temperatures.

2. Open up your kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This technique helps to circulate warm air throughout the space and keeps your interior plumbing at a constant temperature. It reduces the chance of pipes getting too cold.

3. If you have a bit of water running through your faucet, even a trickle, pressure in the line cannot build up. It takes the pressure off the pipes and your water tank system as a whole. When pipes freeze, it’s the increased pressure that eventually leads them to burst. 

4. Set your home’s thermostat at the same temperature 24 hours a day. The consistent temperature helps to keep the interior pipes continuously warm. If you cut back the thermostat setting during a sudden cold snap, you may save a few bucks on heating costs, but you’re taking a risk that the pipes might freeze. 

5. In addition to a continuous set thermostat in the house, keep all interior doors open. This method allows air circulation and even distribution of warmth throughout the home.

6. If you plan on traveling to warmer climates during the harshest winter months, leave your heat on in the house so you aren’t faced with a disastrous surprise upon your return. The best prevention is to set your temperature setting no lower than 12 Celsius.  

7. Adding insulation to any vulnerable areas such as attics, basements, and crawl spaces is the best protection for preventing pipes from freezing. Polyethylene pipe insulation, foam, and fiberglass are the most common types of pipe insulation. They are readily available, economical, and easy to install to protect pipes and keep them warm. Wrapping pipes with heat tape is another good option. Heat tape prevents metal and water lines from freezing. It works exceptionally well, and it’s reasonably priced. Check with your local dealer which is the best type of insulation for your particular needs.

8. Prevent drafts from entering the house by sealing cracks and any openings around your windows and doors. By preparing ahead of time with insulation and caulking around vulnerable areas, you reduce the risk of freezing your water system.

9. Space heaters are a good alternative in any room where unprotected pipes are located and at risk of freezing. Wrapping an electric heating pad on the unprotected pipe section to keep it warm and water fluid is another practical solution.

When it’s time to call a professional:

When your home is at threat of having frozen pipes and you can’t locate the area that’s in jeopardy, it’s time to call a licensed plumber to help. Be proactive this winter by preventing ice blockages and freezing pipes, so your home is not in danger of turning into a major disaster.  

Final Thoughts

Dealing with plumbing issues is never fun, and the idea of repiping your entire house can feel overwhelming—not to mention expensive. But sometimes, it’s a project that just can’t wait. Whether it’s frozen pipes, sewer line problems, or sweating water lines causing rot, taking care of these issues sooner rather than later can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Having an idea of what it might cost gives you the power to plan ahead, hire the right people, and avoid surprises. Plumbing is one of those things we don’t think about until it goes wrong, but when it does, it’s better to be prepared. Hopefully, this guide and the repiping cost calculator can make the whole process a little easier for you. At the end of the day, a healthy plumbing system means a healthier home—and that’s worth every penny.