House size, bathrooms and fixtures
The price follows the number of places water has to reach, not the square footage. Every sink, toilet, tub, shower, washer box, ice maker line and hose bib is a run of pipe and a connection.
PEX or copper
PEX is flexible tubing that bends around corners, so it needs fewer fittings and less cutting to get through walls and attics. Copper is rigid, takes a fitting at every turn and more time to install. We install both and will tell you which we’d pick for your house. Ask every company to name the pipe and fittings on the quote.
One story or two
On a one-story house, most of the new pipe runs through the attic and drops down into each wall. On a two-story house, lines to the ground floor pass through or around the upper floor, which can mean ceiling openings too. Stacked bathrooms keep runs short.
Slab foundation and the attic
Most Houston homes sit on a slab, often with the original supply lines under the concrete. A repipe takes those lines out of service and runs the new pipe overhead through the attic. A roomy attic with a clear path is quicker than a low one crowded with ductwork and the air handler.
Wall and ceiling openings, and patching
New pipe has to connect at each fixture, so some drywall openings are unavoidable. Whether patching and painting are included is spelled out in the scope before you sign, so read that line on every quote. A low number that leaves patching out isn’t a cheaper version of the same job.
Water heater and main line tie-ins
Your written price says whether the water heater connections, new fixture shut-offs and hose bibs are in scope. If a home inspection flagged pressure over 80 psi, which Texas inspectors must report as deficient, a pressure-reducing valve may belong in the plan. The yard line from the meter is a separate job; see water leak repair.
Galvanized and gray plastic pipe
Galvanized steel is often scaled nearly shut and rusted in place at the fixtures, so tying in new lines takes more care. Gray polybutylene, used in some 1980s and early-1990s homes, is another common reason to repipe. Ask whether exposed old pipe is removed or left in place out of service.
Sources: TREC Standards of Practice, 22 TAC §535.231 · EPA, consumer factsheet on copper · U.S. Census Bureau, ACS, year structure built (Houston) · City of Houston 2025 water quality report. Updated November 2026.
