Replacing all your pipes sounds extreme. Sometimes it's the only real solution. Here's how to know.
Repiping means replacing most or all of the water supply pipes in your house. It's invasive, expensive, and sometimes absolutely necessary. Here's when you're looking at it and what to expect.
Signs You Need Repiping
Your house was built before 1970 and still has original pipes. Galvanized steel pipes from that era are corroding from the inside. Diameter shrinks, water pressure drops, rust contaminates your water. They've been done for years—you're just finding out now.
Discolored water that doesn't clear up. Brown, yellow, or rust-colored water means your pipes are corroding. Flushing the system helps temporarily, then it comes back. That's because the source is the pipes themselves.
Multiple leaks in different locations. One leak is bad luck. Three leaks in six months means your pipes are failing systemically. Fixing individual leaks is like putting Band-Aids on a sinking ship.
Low water pressure throughout the house. If cleaning aerators and checking the pressure regulator don't fix it, your pipes have narrowed from corrosion and buildup.
You have polybutylene pipes. These gray plastic pipes were used in homes built between 1978-1995. They fail catastrophically—the pipe just splits open without warning. If you have them, replace them before they fail, not after.
What Gets Replaced
Water supply lines: the pipes that bring water from your main line to fixtures. These are under pressure and the ones that fail most.
Sometimes drain lines too, if they're in bad shape. Though drain replacement is often tackled separately since it's a different scope of work.
Main line from the street is usually separate. If that needs replacement, the water company might handle the portion in the street, you handle the portion on your property.
The Process
Day 1-2: Access. Plumbers cut access holes in walls and ceilings to reach pipes. This is the messy part. Drywall comes down, insulation gets moved.
Day 2-4: Install new pipes. Modern repipes use PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) or copper. PEX is flexible, cheaper, faster to install. Copper lasts longer but costs more. Both are way better than what you're replacing.
Day 4-5: Testing. Pressure test the system to find leaks before walls close up.
Day 5+: Patch and repair. Drywall repair, painting, making your house look normal again. Some plumbing companies do this, others leave it to you to hire separately.
Total time: 3-7 days for an average house, depending on size and complexity. You can usually stay in the house, but water will be off during work hours.
What It Costs
Whole-house repipe in Charlotte: $4,000-$15,000, depending on square footage, number of bathrooms, pipe material, and access difficulty.
Small house (1,000-1,500 sq ft, 1-2 bath): $4,000-7,000
Medium house (1,500-2,500 sq ft, 2-3 bath): $6,000-10,000
Large house (2,500+ sq ft, 3+ bath): $10,000-15,000+
Add $1,000-3,000 for drywall repair and painting if it's not included.
PEX is cheaper than copper by about 20-30%.
PEX vs Copper
PEX pros: cheaper, faster install, flexible (fewer joints = fewer leak points), doesn't corrode, resistant to freezing. Approved by all building codes.
PEX cons: can't be used outdoors (UV degrades it), can't handle extreme heat, relatively new technology (only 30 years in US vs 100+ for copper).
Copper pros: proven track record, lasts 50+ years, heat resistant, can be used outdoors, some people prefer it for drinking water.
Copper cons: expensive, requires skilled soldering, corrosion possible in acidic water (not an issue in Charlotte), conducts heat (pipes sweat in summer), bursts when frozen.
Most Charlotte repipes use PEX now. It's good stuff, and the cost savings are real.
Partial Repipe
Sometimes you can replace just problem areas: one bathroom, the kitchen, hot water lines only.
This is cheaper short-term but usually delays the inevitable. If some pipes are failing, the rest will follow. You end up living in a construction zone multiple times instead of once.
Exception: if you're remodeling a bathroom or kitchen anyway, replacing those pipes at the same time makes sense. You're already tearing into walls.
Insurance and Resale
Insurance doesn't cover repiping. It's considered maintenance, not damage.
But: if you have polybutylene pipes, some insurers won't cover you at all or charge higher premiums. Repiping can lower your insurance costs.
For resale: new pipes are a huge selling point. You can market it as "completely repiped in 2026." Buyers will pay more, and the sale will go smoother because inspections won't flag pipe issues.
You might not recoup the full cost immediately, but you'll sell faster and for closer to asking price.
The Alternative
Ignore the problem and deal with leaks one at a time until a catastrophic failure floods your house.
That's not sarcasm—that's genuinely what some people do. And it costs way more in the long run when you factor in emergency repairs, water damage, and living with constant anxiety about the next leak.
If your pipes are telling you they're done, believe them. Repipe now, on your schedule, and be done with it.
