Repiping a House: PEX vs. Copper, and What to Expect

A repipe replaces the water supply lines in your home — not the drains — usually because the original system is failing faster than it’s worth patching. Here’s how to know you’re there, which material to choose, and what the job actually looks like.

When repiping beats repairing

Two or more pinhole leaks in copper within a couple of years.
Galvanized steel supply lines — rusty water, weak flow — common in pre-1970 Austin homes.
Polybutylene (gray plastic, roughly 1978–1995 builds): it fails without warning, and many insurers won’t cover it.
A slab leak in a system that has already had one.
A remodel that opens the walls anyway.

PEX

Flexible tubing pulled through walls and attics with far fewer fittings — less drywall opened, faster installs.
Tolerates freeze expansion better than rigid pipe.
A home-run (manifold) layout gives each fixture its own line and shutoff.
Must be kept out of sunlight and UV; not for exposed outdoor runs.

Copper

Rigid, proven, and what inspectors and buyers recognize on sight. Type L is the residential standard.
More fittings and more wall openings than PEX.
Sensitive to aggressive water and to being set directly in concrete — one reason so many slab systems here fail.
The better choice where pipe is exposed or runs near heat.

What the job looks like

Walls and ceilings are opened where the new lines run — a good crew maps this first and shows you.
The old system is abandoned in place, not ripped out of the slab.
Water is typically off for a day or less on most homes; bigger jobs are staged so you have water each night.
Permit and inspection happen before the walls are closed.
Drywall patching and paint are separate trades — confirm whether the quote includes them.

Questions to ask

Type L copper, or PEX — and which brand and grade?
Manifold or trunk-and-branch layout?
New shutoff valves at every fixture?
Who patches the drywall, and is it in the price?
What’s the labor warranty, and is the material warranty registered in your name?

Repiping isn’t a repair; it’s a reset. Choose the material for your house — not the one the crew happens to prefer — and make sure the quote says who closes the walls.

When repiping beats repairing

Two or more pinhole leaks in copper within a couple of years.

Galvanized steel supply lines — rusty water, weak flow — common in pre-1970 Austin homes.

Polybutylene (gray plastic, roughly 1978–1995 builds): it fails without warning, and many insurers won’t cover it.

A slab leak in a system that has already had one.

A remodel that opens the walls anyway.

PEX

Flexible tubing pulled through walls and attics with far fewer fittings — less drywall opened, faster installs.

Tolerates freeze expansion better than rigid pipe.

A home-run (manifold) layout gives each fixture its own line and shutoff.

Must be kept out of sunlight and UV; not for exposed outdoor runs.

Copper

Rigid, proven, and what inspectors and buyers recognize on sight. Type L is the residential standard.

More fittings and more wall openings than PEX.

Sensitive to aggressive water and to being set directly in concrete — one reason so many slab systems here fail.

The better choice where pipe is exposed or runs near heat.

What the job looks like

Walls and ceilings are opened where the new lines run — a good crew maps this first and shows you.

The old system is abandoned in place, not ripped out of the slab.

Water is typically off for a day or less on most homes; bigger jobs are staged so you have water each night.

Permit and inspection happen before the walls are closed.

Drywall patching and paint are separate trades — confirm whether the quote includes them.