A repipe in Alaska costs about $7,500 to $13,900 for a two-bath PEX home, more than the typical US job because plumbers here make $43.49 an hour, about 25 % more than the $34.70 US average. Labor makes up the biggest share of a repipe bill, so expect that difference to show up in your quote. The call puts you in touch with a repipe company serving your area. Someone looks at the house and then quotes you a fixed price, and the call itself costs you nothing through this site.
Old pipes a repipe replaces
Alaska's homes are fairly young, with a typical build year of 1986, so galvanized steel is less of a worry here than in older states. Just 7.6 % of the state's homes date from before 1960, the era when galvanized steel water pipe was standard.
The largest share, 36.3 %, was built between 1980 and 1999. Those years line up with the polybutylene era (1978 to 1995) and the early run of Kitec (1995 to 2007). If your home was built in that range, it may have polybutylene or Kitec pipes, but the year alone can't tell you what's inside.
Another 27.8 % of homes went up in 2000 or later, and these are less likely to have either kind.
A repipe is usually worth considering once leaks, low pressure, or discolored water turn up in more than one area of the home.
Prices by kind of house
The numbers below come from this site's calculator, plugged into what Alaska plumbers earn.
| House | About |
|---|---|
| 1,200 sq ft, one bath, PEX, crawl space | roughly $4,800 to $9,100 |
| 1,800 sq ft, two baths, PEX, crawl space | roughly $7,500 to $13,900 |
| 1,800 sq ft, two baths, PEX, slab | roughly $9,800 to $19,200 |
| 1,800 sq ft, two baths, CPVC, crawl space | roughly $8,700 to $15,100 |
| 1,800 sq ft, two baths, copper, crawl space | roughly $11,100 to $22,100 |
| 2,400 sq ft, three baths, two floors, PEX, crawl space | roughly $9,600 to $19,000 |
PEX is a bendable plastic pipe, with hot lines running red and cold lines blue. A crawl space means the short open area beneath a raised floor. A slab means concrete poured right onto the ground, with pipes running under it or inside it, and that's what makes them pricier to get at.
This calculator uses bathrooms and square footage, not bedrooms, to estimate the price. A house with 3 bedrooms typically comes with 2 bathrooms.
Extra costs to ask about
These are estimates for the houses shown, not fixed prices. Ask each company to spell out what its price includes, such as the permit and wall patching. Permit fees run about $50 to $800, according to a national guide.
One national guide found a $2,000 to $5,000 spread between quotes for identical work. A fixed price from a company that has seen your house takes the guesswork out. Call now, and a repipe company near you will look at your house and give you one, at no cost to you from this site.
Staying home while the crew works
Most families stay in their homes during a repipe. A typical two-bath house in PEX takes about 2 to 3 days, and the repipe company will confirm timing when it sees your house.
Checking your plumber's license
Plumbing licenses in Alaska come through the Department of Labor, Mechanical Inspection Section. Before you sign anything, look up your plumber on its website.
Plumbing inspectors for the state of Alaska
Many towns in Alaska rely on a state office to check plumbing work. The Department of Labor's Mechanical Inspection unit handles communities with 2,500 people or more and enforces the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code. City inspectors handle the work in Anchorage instead. The state plumbing law does not apply to smaller villages. That same law also states that nothing written in it prevents you from plumbing your own property.
Here, wells play a major role. Around one Alaskan in four, or 25.6 percent, uses a private well rather than a city water line. The U.S. share is around 15 percent.
Not sure what pipe you have?
Our pipe identifier helps you tell eight kinds of pipe apart by color and feel, including polybutylene and Kitec, which were both used during part of the 1980 to 1999 period when many Alaska homes were built. If your home was built in those years, call today, and a local repipe company will check your pipes and give you a fixed price.
