Whole-House Repipe Cost in DFW: How Per-Drop Pricing Works
Bradley Earp, Responsible Master Plumber, TSBPE M-43562
A whole-house repipe is the hot and cold supply piping from the main shutoff to every fixture, replaced in PEX and priced by counting drops — not by a vague "per square foot" range. The yard line from the meter to the house is a separate job, with its own published range.
Every job starts with a $97 diagnostic and a written quote before work begins. We're open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM–7 PM, and closed Sunday.
What a "drop" is (so you can count your own house)
A drop is one water supply connection to a fixture. We price repipes per drop, so you can walk the house, write the number down, and know how the quote will be built before we arrive.
This is the count we use:
- A full bathroom is 5 drops (toilet, lavatory, and tub or shower).
- A half bathroom is 3 drops (toilet and lavatory).
- Each outdoor hose faucet is 1 drop.
- Each additional appliance or fixture is 1 drop: the kitchen sink, dishwasher, clothes washer, water heater, ice-maker line, and any other supply connection.
A lavatory with hot and cold is part of the bath count above, not an extra mystery charge. If a fixture is there and it gets water, it is in the count. If you are unsure about a utility sink, a wet bar, or a whole-house filter, we will count it with you on the walk-through and put it on the written quote.
You can use this method on paper today. The water line calculator is built around the same drop counts. The written quote, not the calculator, is the price.
Slab vs. pier and beam
The count is the same. The route is not, which is why the per-drop rate depends on the foundation type.
On most slab homes in DFW, we do not dig the old lines out of the concrete. We reroute new PEX through the attic and down the walls, and abandon the failed lines in the slab. That is more access work in finished space, and it is why a slab repipe is priced differently from a house with a crawl space.
On pier and beam, the new lines can often run under the floor. The drop count still applies; the path to each fixture is shorter and does not usually involve an attic-and-chase route.
We use a published per-drop rate that depends on that foundation type. Your written quote will show the rate for your foundation, the drop count, and the total. Approve that quote the same day and the price is 15% off.
Three example drop counts
These are illustrations of the counting method, not actual jobs and not prices. Your house may have more or fewer hose faucets, a second washer box, or a kitchen layout that adds or removes a drop. We confirm the count on site.
1.5-bath ranch (illustration). One full bath (5), one half bath (3), two hose faucets (2), plus a kitchen sink, dishwasher, clothes washer, and water heater (4). That is 14 drops.
Two-bath ranch (illustration). Two full baths (10), two hose faucets (2), plus the same four kitchen and laundry connections (4). That is 16 drops. If there is also an ice-maker line or a third hose faucet, add one each.
2.5-bath two-story (illustration). Two full baths (10), one half bath (3), two hose faucets (2), plus five fixture connections — kitchen sink, dishwasher, clothes washer, water heater, and ice-maker line (5). That is 20 drops.
Count the drops using the method above. The written quote applies the rate for your foundation type and does the math, including the 15% off if you approve it the same day. For how we present itemized sewer examples, see our sewer line replacement cost guide.
City pages for the work itself: Plano repiping, Richardson repiping, and Garland repiping.
Why PEX, and not copper
All of our repipes and water lines are PEX only. We do not offer or price copper repipes.
The practical reasons are straightforward, and they are general trade practice, not a claim that PEX lasts a specific number of years: fewer joints sitting in the slab, no sweat-solder work in finished walls, and a clean way to abandon failed under-slab lines rather than opening floors to salvage them. PEX is our standard.
People usually arrive at a repipe because the original material is done. Galvanized steel gives rusty or brown water and low pressure. Polybutylene, used in a stretch of late-twentieth-century homes, is known for brittle fittings and leaks. Aging copper can develop pinholes, especially in aggressive water. Build year on your Collin or Dallas appraisal-district record is a clue to what was originally installed; it is not a substitute for a walk-through. If you have had one leak already, the question is often whether the next one is worth waiting for. That decision is the subject of our guide to slab leak repair, reroute, or repipe.
We do not invent failure rates or "average DFW repipe" statistics. If only one branch is failing and the rest of the system is sound, we can talk about a limited reroute. If the material is failing in more than one place, replacing only some of the galvanized or polybutylene leaves the next leak in the walls.
The yard line from the meter
This is not the in-house repipe. If the leak or the low pressure is between the meter and the house — a soggy spot in the yard, a meter that spins with everything off, or weak pressure at every fixture — the fix is a new PEX service line from the meter to a shutoff you can actually reach.
A typical yard water line replacement from the meter to the house runs $3,500–$4,500, confirmed in a written quote after we see the run. It can be done on its own, or alongside a house repipe if both are needed. It is not priced by counting indoor drops.
How the job runs, and drywall
The sequence is consistent even when the calendar is not:
- Walk-through and drop count, including the route (attic and walls, or under the floor).
- A written price, built from that count and the foundation type. No hourly billing for the repipe itself.
- New PEX to every fixture in the scope, with new shutoffs at each fixture. We abandon failed under-slab supply lines rather than digging them out of a slab.
A water or sewer repipe typically takes about 3–5 days. The written quote includes the schedule for your house. Sheetrock we open is reinstalled. If you request it after a full water line replacement, we can arrange an interior contractor to paint-match, tape, bed and texture for $200 per patch. Plan on a walk-through, a firm quote, and work that is meant to leave the house usable as much as the route allows.
Financing and 15% off
Approve the written quote the same day you get it and the price is 15% off. Financing is available, subject to credit approval. No APR or term is published here; see financing for how to apply.
If another licensed plumber has already given you a written, itemized estimate for the same scope, our Certified Price Review applies: we'll match or beat apples-to-apples plumbing scopes (terms apply; it does not obligate us to match). Send it through Price Review.
FAQs
How much does it cost to repipe a house in DFW?
We price a whole-house PEX repipe per fixture drop, and the rate depends on whether the house is on a slab or on pier and beam. Every job starts with a $97 diagnostic and a written quote; that quote shows the rate for your foundation, the drop count, and the total. A water or sewer repipe typically takes about 3–5 days, and sheetrock we open is reinstalled. Approve the quote the same day and it is 15% off. A typical yard line from the meter to the house, if you need one, is a separate $3,500–$4,500.
What is a drop, and how do I count mine?
A drop is one water supply connection to a fixture. Count 5 for each full bath, 3 for each half bath, 1 for each hose faucet, and 1 for each additional fixture or appliance (kitchen sink, dishwasher, washer, water heater, ice-maker line, and so on). We confirm the count on the walk-through.
Why is a slab repipe priced differently from pier and beam?
On a slab we usually route new PEX through the attic and down the walls and abandon the old lines in the concrete. On pier and beam the lines can often run under the floor. The drop count is the same method; the route, and therefore the rate, is not.
Do you repipe with copper or PEX?
PEX only. We do not offer copper repipes.
How much does it cost to replace the water line from the meter to the house?
A typical PEX yard line from the meter to a reachable shutoff runs $3,500–$4,500, confirmed in a written quote after we see the run.
Can I replace only some galvanized lines?
Sometimes, if the failure is truly isolated and the rest of the system is sound. If the original material is failing in more than one place, a partial replacement usually means a second leak later. We will say which we recommend after the walk-through, in the written quote.
How long does a repipe take, and do you repair the sheetrock?
A water or sewer repipe typically takes about 3–5 days. Sheetrock we open is reinstalled. If you request it after a full water line replacement, we can arrange an interior contractor to paint-match, tape, bed and texture for $200 per patch.
Is financing available, and is there a same-day discount?
Yes. Financing is available, subject to credit approval, and we take 15% off when you approve the written quote the same day. We're open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM–7 PM, and closed Sunday.