Whole-House Repiping in South Florida: PEX vs Copper, Cost, Insurance

A whole-house repipe replaces every water supply line in the house, from the main shutoff to each fixture. In South Florida it is usually driven by one of three materials: polybutylene, galvanized steel, or older copper that has started to pinhole. Published cost data puts most whole-house repipes between roughly $4,000 and $15,000 for the plumbing alone, the work takes days rather than weeks, and in an older house the strongest reason to do it is often the insurance inspection, not the leak.

Supply lines vs drains: what a repipe covers

A house has two plumbing systems. The supply side is the small, pressurized pipe that brings clean water to faucets, showers, toilets, the water heater and appliances. The drain side is the larger pipe that carries waste out by gravity, usually under the slab in a South Florida house.

A repipe is a supply-side job and does not touch the drains. In a house from the 1950s to the 1970s the drains are a separate question, usually cast iron, covered in cast iron pipe replacement in Florida. Many older houses need both.

Polybutylene, galvanized and old copper: the three reasons to repipe

Polybutylene

Polybutylene is a flexible plastic supply pipe, typically gray inside the house, installed widely from about 1978 to 1995. It is often marked “PB,” and the original fittings were usually gray or white plastic inserts held with metal crimp bands. Copper stub-outs at the fixtures can hide it, so check at the water heater and wherever pipe is exposed.

Most failures happen at the joints, and chlorine in the water is widely believed to make the plastic brittle over time. In Florida, the bigger practical problem is insurance.

Galvanized steel

Galvanized steel supply pipe was common until around 1960. The zinc coating corrodes first, then the steel rusts from the inside and builds deposits that narrow the pipe. You see it as low pressure, discolored water and, eventually, leaks at threaded joints. Where galvanized pipe sat downstream of old lead components, utilities warn that the scale inside it can hold lead. A magnet sticks to galvanized and not to copper, which is a quick first check.

Copper with pinhole leaks

Copper is still a good material, but older systems can develop pinhole leaks from pitting corrosion. Research at Virginia Tech found that pitting was driven by water chemistry, particularly high free chlorine and high pH, and that higher flow velocity made it worse. One pinhole is a repair. Several in different parts of the house within a year or two usually means the pipe is thinning throughout and patching will not keep up.

Why insurers and 4-point inspections care about your pipes

Citizens Property Insurance, Florida’s insurer of last resort, requires a 4-point inspection on homes more than 20 years old, covering roof, electrical, HVAC and plumbing. The plumbing section asks the pipe type, with polybutylene and galvanized listed as checkboxes, whether there is any sign of an active or prior leak, and whether the system is original, partially re-piped or completely re-piped, and in what year.

Citizens’ notes on the form say agents may not submit applications where the plumbing is not in good working order. A 2022 Citizens eligibility bulletin stated that new-business risks over 20 years old with polybutylene piping are not insurable by Citizens. Private carriers set their own rules, and Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has said insurers may consider the age of the plumbing. In 2023, NBC 6 reported on a Miami-Dade owner whose policy was non-renewed after an inspection, with the insurer requiring the polybutylene to be replaced.

Underwriting rules change, so check your own carrier’s guidelines as of 2026. Either way, keep the finalized permit and an invoice showing the repipe date and material. That is what the next inspector will ask for.

PEX vs copper vs CPVC for a Florida repipe

All three appear in the water distribution section of the Florida Building Code. The choice depends on the house, the routing and the budget.

PEX is the right choice for most repipes. It bends around corners, so a single run can go from a manifold to a fixture with no hidden joints, and fewer fittings means fewer places to leak and smaller holes in your walls. The Plastics Pipe Institute’s guidance is clear about its limits: PEX is not for outdoor use, should not be left exposed to sunlight, and should be kept at or below 180°F at its surface near heat sources, with clearance from a water heater flue. In a Florida attic that means careful routing, proper support and insulation, and no coils left in a sunny yard during the job.

Copper costs more. One Broward plumbing company puts a copper repipe of a 1,500-square-foot house at about twice the cost of PEX, partly because rigid pipe needs more wall and ceiling openings. It tolerates heat and suits exposed runs and the water heater connection. If your current copper failed from pitting, ask why before reinstalling the same thing.

CPVC is common in Florida houses from recent decades. It does not corrode, but it is rigid, its solvent-welded joints have to be made correctly, and it can be damaged by chemically incompatible building products. It is rarely the best choice for a new repipe, but sound existing CPVC does not automatically need to come out.

What a whole-house repipe involves

Routing: slab vs attic

In many South Florida slab houses, the original supply lines run under or inside the slab. When those fail, breaking up the floor to replace them in the same place is rarely the right answer. The approach that usually works best is to abandon the old lines in place and reroute the new supply overhead through the attic, dropping down inside walls to each fixture. The slab stays intact and every future leak is reachable.

In a two-story house, or one with a flat roof and no usable attic, routing is worked out room by room, sometimes through soffits or chases. Condo units are a different case: the risers belong to the building and your work stops at the unit’s shutoff, as explained in moving plumbing in a condo high-rise.

Opening walls and ceilings

In a finished house, the plumber cuts small, planned openings at each fixture and along the route, not whole walls. Those openings then need patching, texture and paint. Ask who patches them and whether that is in the price.

New lines are pressure-tested before anything is closed. Miami-Dade warns that plumbing covered before inspection approval will have to be exposed again, so the inspection comes before drywall.

Do you need a permit to repipe a house in Florida?

Yes. Miami-Dade’s exemption rules allow minor repairs, such as stopping a leak without replacing pipe, but state that replacing defective concealed water pipe with new material is new work requiring a permit. The county’s small-project exemption also lists plumbing work as always requiring a permit. Broward and Palm Beach jurisdictions work under the same statewide code; see Broward County remodeling permits for how that process differs.

National cost guides put repipe permit fees at roughly $50 to $500 depending on the jurisdiction. Check any contractor’s state licence on myfloridalicense.com before you sign, and make sure the permit is closed with a final inspection. An open plumbing permit can surface years later when you sell.

How much does it cost to repipe a house in South Florida?

Published figures vary, partly because some include wall repair and some do not. The ranges below are typical published figures for the plumbing itself with PEX, cross-checked as of 2026 across Angi, HomeAdvisor and two Florida plumbing companies. They are not quotes.

Angi’s national average sits around $7,500. Copper can roughly double the plumbing number. Add wall and ceiling patching, which national guides put at a few hundred dollars for small repairs and more for larger ones, plus the permit.

What moves the number: the fixture count, not just square footage; one or two stories; attic access and ceiling height; slab lines that must be rerouted; whether the water heater or main shutoff is replaced at the same time; and the standard of finish restoration. A real number requires a site visit and a look at the existing pipe.

How long does a repipe take?

Thumbtack’s data puts the plumbing for an average-size house at three to five days, with about four days for a 2,200-square-foot home. Large multi-story houses can take several weeks. Add time for the inspection and for patching and painting.

How repiping fits into a renovation

If you are planning a home renovation or even one bathroom remodel in an older house, repipe first or at the same time. With walls and ceilings already open, the access and patching costs mostly disappear, and you never have to cut into new tile later. On the Dania Beach house, plumbing was replaced throughout as part of a full gut, which is the cheapest moment to do it.

The repipe also has to be sequenced with drains, electrical and roof work. Our guide to renovating an older Florida home lists what else to check, and whole-home renovation costs in South Florida shows how systems work fits the overall budget.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my house has polybutylene pipes?

Look for flexible gray plastic supply pipe, often marked “PB,” at the water heater, in the attic or near the main shutoff. The fittings were typically gray or white plastic inserts with metal crimp bands. Houses built or replumbed between about 1978 and 1995 are the likeliest candidates. Copper stub-outs at the fixtures can hide it, so have a 4-point inspector or plumber confirm.

Will my insurance company pay to repipe my house?

Do not count on it. Read your policy’s water damage section, and expect any claim to focus on resulting damage rather than new pipe. The insurance question usually runs the other way: an insurer may decline to write or renew a policy until polybutylene or deteriorated pipe is replaced. Keep the permit and invoice so the next 4-point inspection shows a complete repipe and its year.

Is PEX or copper better for repiping in Florida?

Both work. PEX costs less, needs fewer wall openings and has fewer joints, which is why it is our usual choice. It must be kept out of sunlight and away from high heat, so attic routing and insulation need care. Copper costs more but tolerates heat and suits exposed runs. If your old copper pitted, ask about water chemistry first.

Can I live in my house during a repipe?

Usually yes. Most of the new system can be installed while the old one still supplies water, so the water is typically off for part of a day at a time. Expect dust and small openings in walls and ceilings until inspection and patching are done. If the repipe is part of a larger renovation, the renovation will decide whether you stay.