Repiping means replacing the water supply lines in your house, from the main shutoff to every fixture. It is the right call when the pipes themselves are the problem, not one bad fitting. Galvanized steel rusts shut from the inside and turns water brown. Polybutylene, used in some 1980s and early 1990s subdivisions, gets brittle and fails at the fittings. Copper that has developed several pinholes will keep developing them. Summit Plumbing repipes with PEX in most homes because it handles freezing better than rigid pipe and needs fewer fittings inside walls. We use copper where it makes sense, such as exposed runs or where the homeowner prefers it. We plan the job room by room so water is off for hours, not days, patch the access openings we cut, and pull the permit. Dan walks every repipe before we call it done.
Signs your house needs repiping
- Brown or rusty water from cold taps in the morning
- Low pressure at several fixtures that cleaning aerators does not fix
- More than one leak repair in the last two years
- Gray plastic pipe with PB2110 printed on it
- Visible corrosion or green crust on pipe joints
- House built before 1970 with original plumbing
What a repipe includes
- Walkthrough of every fixture and the existing pipe routes before we quote
- New PEX or copper supply lines from the main shutoff to each fixture
- New shutoff valves at every sink, toilet, and appliance
- New main shutoff and pressure reducing valve if needed
- Drywall access cuts kept small, mapped, and patched to paint ready
- Permit, inspection, and a pressure test before we close any wall
How a repipe works
- Call (208) 555-0142 and we schedule an in home walkthrough to count fixtures and look at the pipe.
- You get a fixed price quote with the material, the schedule, and where we plan to open walls.
- On the first day we protect floors and furniture, run new lines, and connect fixtures room by room.
- We pressure test the whole system with the inspector before any wall is closed.
- We patch the access openings, clean up, and leave you a map of the new shutoffs.
What a repipe costs in Boise
Repipes are priced by fixture count, house size, and how hard the walls and crawl space are to reach. A single story two bath home with a crawl space starts from $6,500 in PEX. Two story homes, slab foundations, finished basements, and copper add cost because there is more wall to open or more labor per foot. Drywall patching to paint ready is included. Painting is not. The quote is a fixed number, so if we find something surprising inside a wall, that is on us unless it changes the scope you approved.
Why Boise homes get repiped
The housing stock here spans a century, and each era brought its own pipe problem. Homes in the North End and on the Bench from before 1960 often still have galvanized steel, which is usually near the end of its life by now, especially with hard water depositing scale inside it. Subdivisions built in West Boise in the 1980s and early 1990s were sometimes plumbed with polybutylene. Meridian tracts from the same years have it too. It failed widely enough that it is a known issue for insurers and home inspectors. Copper from the 1970s onward holds up better but pinholes under the high pressure found in some foothill and Bench zones. Uninsulated crawl spaces freeze in January, and PEX tolerates that better than rigid pipe.
Questions we get about this
How long is the water off during a repipe?
We stage the work so water is off for a few hours at a time, and you have at least one working bathroom each night. Most single story homes are done in two to three days including inspection.
PEX or copper, which should I choose?
PEX costs less, needs fewer fittings inside walls, and handles a freeze better. Copper is rigid, lasts a long time in good water, and some owners prefer it for exposed runs. We install both and will explain the tradeoffs for your house.
Do you replace the drain lines too?
A standard repipe covers the water supply lines only. Drain and vent pipe is a separate scope with different access needs. If your cast iron drains are failing, we can quote that alongside the repipe.
Will there be holes in my walls?
Yes, but fewer than most people expect. We map the openings in the quote, keep them small, and patch them to a paint ready finish. Most are in closets, behind fixtures, or in the ceiling below bathrooms.
Does repiping add value when I sell?
Home inspectors flag galvanized and polybutylene pipe, and buyers often ask for credits or repairs. A permitted repipe with documentation removes that objection. We cannot promise a specific price effect, but it removes a common negotiating point.
Should I add a softener at the same time?
It is a good time to do it because the main line is already open and the new pipe starts clean. A softener slows scale in fixtures and the water heater. We can quote it with the repipe or leave the connection ready.