Plumbing Guide
Repiping a house around DC: cost, time, permits and pipe
By All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
A repipe replaces the supply pipe that carries water to your fixtures, the whole house or one run of it. Around here the pipe being replaced is usually galvanized steel that has rusted closed, grey polybutylene from the 1980s, or copper that keeps springing pinhole leaks. The questions below are the ones people ask before they commit, answered in the order they usually come up, starting with money.
How we price a repipe
First comes a walkthrough with a pressure gauge, a turn of the main valve and a look at the worst run where it can be reached. A day or two later the estimate arrives on your phone, and you approve it there or don't. It is one figure for the job, not an hourly tally, and a partial repipe and a whole-house repipe go side by side when both are real options.
Should an opened wall show a second fault, the crew stops and you get a separate number for it. The full method for leaks and failed runs is on our pipe repair and replacement page.
Where these numbers come from
The whole-house range and the copper price per foot are from Angi's Washington, DC repipe page, read in October 2026. They are market figures for the District, not our prices. The condition report prices are from our published offers.
Repiping questions, in the order people ask them
How much does it cost to repipe a whole house in the DMV area?
Angi's Washington, DC page puts a whole-house repipe between $1,634 and $16,335, with most homeowners paying around $8,168 (page read October 2026). That is the only local figure we found, and it is for the District, not the suburbs. The range is wide because a one bath rambler over an open basement and a three story rowhouse with plaster walls are different jobs. Ours comes as a written estimate after a walkthrough.
What drives the price of a repiping job up or down?
Fixture count first, then floors, then how many finished surfaces must be cut and closed, then the pipe material. Where the basement ceiling is open, trunk lines can run along the joists in plain sight, which brings the price down. Plaster walls, a finished basement and tight access push it up. Patching the openings is its own line on our estimate, so you see the plumbing and the wall work separately.
Does repiping cost less if I do it during a remodel?
Usually, yes. The expensive part of repiping a lived-in house is opening and closing finished walls. When a kitchen or bathroom is already gutted, the pipe goes into open framing and the wall repair is already part of the remodel. If a remodel is coming in the next year or two and the old pipe is holding, doing both together often makes sense.
Is repiping cheaper with PEX or copper?
PEX is cheaper. Angi's DC repipe page lists copper at $3 to $9 per linear foot (page read October 2026), PEX costs less per foot, and it goes in faster because it bends around corners with fewer fittings. Opening the walls costs the same for both, so on a whole-house job the gap is smaller than the pipe prices suggest.
How much does it cost to repipe just a bathroom or a kitchen?
We haven't found a published figure for one room that we trust, so there is no number here. One room is priced the same way as a house, by the fixtures reached, the distance back to the main and the walls opened. Doing one room alone makes sense when that room is being remodeled or the failures sit on its branch. It makes less sense when the same old pipe runs on through the rest of the house.
How long does a whole house repipe take?
We don't publish a fixed schedule. The plumbing depends on the fixture count, the floors and the access, and the wall repair after it adds its own time. Ask on the walkthrough how many days your house needs and on which of them the water will be off.
Can I stay in my home while the repiping is done?
Usually, yes. New pipe is run alongside the old while the water stays on, and the water goes off for the switch-over of each section. Expect dust where walls are opened, a crew in the house during working hours, and stretches without water on the days runs are connected.
Will the crew have to open walls all over the house?
No. A repipe needs openings, not missing walls. Pipe is fished through the framing from a limited number of cuts, mostly at fixtures, at floor lines and where runs change direction. Unfinished basements, closets and the backs of cabinets are used wherever they can be. You see where the openings go before work starts.
Do I need a permit for repiping in Washington DC or Maryland?
Yes. In DC the plumbing permit comes from the Department of Buildings. In Montgomery and Prince George's counties, interior repiping is WSSC Water licensee work under its plumbing code, and in Prince George's the county's DPIE office issues the building permit. The estimate says who pulls each permit.
How disruptive is repiping day to day?
Expect noise and dust in the rooms being worked on, furniture moved away from the walls being opened, and the water off for part of some days. Losing the kitchen or the only bathroom is the hardest part, so ask for those rooms to be planned around your week. Floors are covered first, and the work area is cleaned before we leave.
PEX or copper pipes, which is better for a repipe?
For most houses here, PEX. It costs less, needs fewer joints inside the walls and copes with a hard freeze better than copper. Copper still suits pipe that stays exposed, runs near a heat source, or belongs to an owner who wants metal. Done well, either one lasts. The fittings and the installation matter more than the material.
Should I repipe the whole house or only the problem lines?
Repipe the problem lines when the failures sit on one run and the rest of the pipe is sound. Repipe the whole house when the same material is failing in different rooms, because pipe that went in at the same time wears out together. We price the worst run and the whole house side by side so you can choose.
Is repiping better than repeated spot repairs on old pipes?
After the second or third leak on the same run, usually yes. Each patch fixes one point on pipe that has thinned along its length, and the next leak is often a foot away. Repiping the run costs more than one patch and less than several patches plus the water damage that comes with them.
When is repiping not worth it?
When the pipe is sound and the problem is somewhere else. Weak pressure caused by a worn regulator at the meter, a main valve left half shut or a clogged aerator doesn't need new pipe. One leak at one joint on otherwise good copper is a repair. If you are selling soon, a buyer's inspection may make the call for you, so get the condition written down first.
What are the signs my house needs repiping?
Pinhole leaks that keep coming back, pressure that fades a little more each year, brown water when a tap first opens, and green crust or rust on the joints. The material matters too. Galvanized supply pipe, grey polybutylene and older copper with repeat leaks are the usual candidates in houses around here.
Why is my water brown or rusty colored?
If it is brown at every tap and clears after running, galvanized pipe rusting inside is the usual cause in an older house. If only the hot water is rusty, look at the water heater. If the whole street has brown water after main work or a hydrant flush, it is the utility's water and it clears on its own. Run the cold tap for a few minutes. Water that never clears is a pipe problem.
How do I get a second opinion before committing to a repipe?
Give a second plumber the first quote's scope, not its price, and ask them to look at the house and price the same work. Ask both to show you where the pipe has failed and why. If you want a written picture of the plumbing before anyone sells you anything, ask about our Home Plumbing Condition Report. It covers one home, or a home with an accessible basement or second unit, with a pressure reading and labeled photos.
What should a repiping quote include in writing?
The pipe material, every fixture and line being replaced, where the openings go and whether patching them is included, the permit and who pulls it, the inspection, the warranty term and what is left out. Our estimate lists the plumbing and the wall repair as separate lines, so you can compare the plumbing alone with any other quote.
What kind of warranty should come with a whole house repipe?
Two kinds. The installer's warranty covers the workmanship, the joints and connections made in your house. Ours runs 60 to 90 days depending on the job, and the term is on the written estimate. The pipe and fittings carry their maker's warranty separately. Ask for both in writing and keep them with the invoice.
Thinking about a repipe?
Tell us how old the house is, which fixtures are weak or leaking, and whether the basement is finished. We check the valve and the pressure before anyone talks about new pipe.
We take insurance jobs. Financing may also be available for qualifying projects. Ask when you call.