Most homeowners only repipe their homes if they absolutely have to – after all – it’s not an inexpensive project! But there are multiple benefits to repiping and in our experience, most homeowners are happy that they did it.
So, let’s go over some information you should know before you begin this project.
How Often Should You Repipe A House?
There is no standard amount of time to repipe a house for maintenance reasons but – having said that – if your home is 50 years or older chances are that you probably do need some repiping.
The factors that contribute to this having to be done are the type of materials that were used in the piping of the home and the frequency of use of those pipes. Also, environmental factors can contribute to the deterioration of your home’s pipes such as invasion of tree roots, improper insulation which exposes the pipes to freezing temperatures are just two of the most common types of external issues that could affect the integrity of your home’s pipes.
These factors can easily contribute to your home needing to have new pipes.
How Much Does It Cost To Repipe Your House?
There are many factors that contribute to the cost of repiping a house’s plumbing system.
- The number of fixtures in the home. This includes sinks, toilets, showers, bathtubs, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.
- Location of the existing pipes and the degree of difficulty it will take to access them. So, pipes that are located behind walls will cost more to repipe than those that are exposed. And pipes in crawlspaces or under concrete will cost more than repiping the ones behind walls.
- The type of new pipe that we are replacing the old ones with is a cost factor as well.
- The square footage of the home contributes to the overall cost.
According to homeguide.com – the national average to repipe a home is about $4100.00. The cost can be lower or higher, depending on the factors listed above.
Does Insurance Cover Repiping?
Most insurances don’t pay for home maintenance unless some type of failure occurs such as corrosion or a defective part has finally given out. Typically, insurance does not cover plumbing repiping projects but of course, every situation is unique and every insurance company has different sets of policies so we recommend that you speak with your insurance agent or review your homeowners insurance policy to see exactly what your specific policy covers.
Does Repiping A House Add Value?
Generally no because the things that seem to “add value” to a home are visible. Such as curb appeal, new paint and carpeting, etc.
Unfortunately, updating your electrical or plumbing in a home does not tend to “add value” when re-selling unless of course the person you are selling it to deems that as a valuable asset.
What updating your home’s plumbing does is to repair the damage and/or problems that your existing plumbing has which in turn gives you peace of mind knowing that you’ve got an updated and safe set of new pipes in your home. It’s almost like buying a home that has been newly built.
How Do They Repipe A House?
Repiping a home can be a long and tedious project depending on the number of fixtures and the size of the house itself.
But generally, speaking, what you can expect are as follows:
- All water to the entire house is shut off (so if your plumber deems that this will be a multi-day project then it may be best to spend a night or two in another location.
- All flooring and furniture will be covered to protect it from any debris that will be caused.
- Cuts will be made in the walls, ceilings, etc. to access the pipes that need to be replaced.
- The old pipes will be replaced, one by one with the new pipes.
- Additional plumbing such as new fixtures will be installed (if needed and/or desired by the home owner)
These are the basic steps that are taken during a home repiping project.
If you have any questions about repiping your home or are having some problems with your water pipes, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.