Slab Leak Repair and Under-Slab Plumbing in Richardson, TX
Responsible Master Plumber Bradley Earp, M-43562 · $97 diagnostic · reroutes from $1,050 per fixture drop · financing available · 15% off same-day approval
Most of Richardson's houses are on slabs poured in the 1950s through the 1970s, and the copper and cast iron in those slabs is now 50 to 70 years old. When one of those lines starts leaking, we find it, tell you whether it's a water line or a drain, and give you a written price to repair, reroute or repipe.
- Licensed & Insured (TSBPE M-43562, Responsible Master Plumber Bradley Earp)
- $97 Diagnostic
- Upfront Pricing
- Certified Price Review
- ★ 4.8 on Google
Signs of a slab leak
Your water bill jumps and nobody is using more water.
The meter's leak indicator spins with every faucet off.
A warm spot on the floor (a hot-water line leaking under the slab).
The sound of running water when nothing is on.
Damp carpet, lifting wood or vinyl, or a musty smell that won't go away.
New cracks in tile or drywall, or doors that suddenly stick.
Water-line leak or drain leak?
"Slab leak" covers two different problems, and the fix and price are different:
- Water (supply) line leak: pressurized copper or other water pipe under the slab. Shows up on the meter. Fixed by a spot repair, a reroute or a repipe.
- Drain line leak: the cast iron or plastic drains under the slab. Doesn't spin the meter, but soaks the soil every time you run water. Found with a drain test and camera. Fixed by tunneling.
We test both, so you aren’t paying for the wrong repair.
Richardson specifics
- Old pipe under old slabs. Northern Hills, Richardson Heights (from 1954), the Terrace Addition, The Reservation (1962) and Canyon Creek (mid-1960s) are now 60 to 70 years old. Many still have the original supply lines and drains under the house.
- Your side of the meter is yours. The City owns the water mains and meters. Everything from the meter to and under your house is the homeowner's. On the sewer side, the homeowner is responsible from the house to the City's two-way cleanout.
- The City is surveying older service lines. Richardson's service line survey focuses on homes built before 1966. If you get a survey request from the City, that's a good time to have us check the rest of the plumbing too.
Three ways to fix a water-line slab leak
- Direct repair. We pinpoint the leak and open the slab (or tunnel to it) to replace the bad section. Best for a single leak in otherwise sound pipe.
- Reroute. We abandon the leaking line under the slab and run new PEX through the attic and walls to the affected fixtures. No digging under the house, and it removes that line from the slab for good. Priced per fixture drop.
- Whole-house repipe. When the under-slab copper has leaked more than once, the rest is usually on its way. Repiping everything in PEX ends the problem. See repiping.
Drain leaks under the slab
A leaking drain is repaired or replaced by tunneling under the foundation from outside. If the drains are cast iron and failing along their length, replacing the run is usually cheaper than chasing leaks. See cast iron drain replacement in Richardson.
Slab leaks and your foundation
Leaking water under a slab softens and swells the clay soil the foundation rests on. If you have a foundation company coming out, have the plumbing tested first: fix the leak, then level the house. If they need the lines tested, we can camera and pressure-test them and share what we find.
Slab leak repair cost in Richardson
Example (illustration only): a 1962 Richardson home with a cold-water leak under the slab on the line that feeds the hall bath (toilet + lavatory + tub/shower = 5 drops). Reroute in PEX: 5 × $1,050 = $5,250, or $4,462.50 approved the same day, plus detection.
A direct spot repair through the floor is quoted after we locate the leak, because the access and repair path depend on what's under the finish.
Start with a $97 diagnostic
Every job starts with a $97 diagnostic, a camera inspection or walk-through as needed, and a written quote before work begins. We’re open Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday.
Already have another quote? Send it to us.
Certified Price Review: We’ll match or beat apples-to-apples plumbing scopes. Send us a written, itemized slab leak repair estimate from another licensed plumber. We compare scope, installation method, materials, access/excavation, warranty and diagnostics. If the work is directly comparable, we may adjust our price. Verbal or incomplete estimates may not qualify, and a review doesn’t obligate us to match. See program terms →
Financing: Larger jobs like sewer replacement and repipes can be split into monthly payments, subject to credit approval. See financing options →
Save 15% when you approve the same day. Approve your written quote the day we give it to you and we take 15% off.
Richardson slab leak FAQs
How much does slab leak repair cost in Richardson?
It depends on the repair. Rerouting a leaking line through the attic is $1,050 per fixture drop on a slab home. Tunneling to reach a leak or a drain is $425 per foot plus $1,150 per access hole. You save 15% if you approve the same day.
Is it better to reroute or repair a slab leak?
A first, single leak in otherwise good pipe can be repaired directly. If the line has leaked before, or the pipe is the same age as the rest of the house, a reroute takes it out from under the slab for good.
Does homeowners insurance cover slab leaks?
Many policies cover the cost to access the leak and the resulting water damage, but not the pipe itself. Check your policy; we provide the leak location report, photos and an itemized quote for your claim.
Can a slab leak damage my foundation?
Yes. Water under the slab saturates the clay, which swells and can move the foundation. Fix the leak before any foundation leveling.
My Richardson house is from the 1960s and this is the second slab leak. Should I repipe?
Usually yes. A second leak in the same age of copper means the rest is near the end of its life. Compare a full PEX repipe with another repair; we'll price both.