For a typical 1,800-square-foot, two-bathroom, one-story house in PEX over a crawl space, this site's calculator puts a North Carolina repipe at about $5,400 to $10,000. North Carolina plumbers earn about 21% less than the US average, which brings down the labor portion of this estimate. The call puts you through to a repipe company that works where you live, and this site never charges you a cent for it.
Labor costs less in North Carolina than the US average
The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives the average wage of a North Carolina plumber as $27.27 an hour, about 21 % below the $34.70 that plumbers earn nationwide. About 14,510 plumbers work in the state.
Labor makes up about 70 % of a repipe bill, according to a national guide, so North Carolina's lower plumber wage helps bring your price down. That same 2-bath PEX house runs about $6,400 to $11,800 with US average labor, but only roughly $5,400 to $10,000 in North Carolina.
Which problem pipes are common in North Carolina homes?
North Carolina's typical home was built in 1992, according to the Census Bureau, newer than in most states (it ranks 46 of 51 from oldest). Still, some homes were built during the years when polybutylene, Kitec, or galvanized steel pipes were used.
- Polybutylene: around 30.1 % of homes went up between 1980 and 1999, which overlaps the polybutylene era of 1978 to 1995.
- Kitec: those homes also fall within Kitec's early years, which ran from 1995 through 2007.
- Galvanized steel: homes built before 1960, when galvanized steel water pipe was common, make up 13.7 % of the total, according to the Census Bureau.
Just over a third of the state's homes, 37.0 %, were built in 2000 or later. Build year alone won't tell you what pipes a house has. If your house is older, the pipe identifier on this site can help you tell what you have by color and feel.
What a repipe costs in North Carolina
Here are this site's calculator estimates for North Carolina, using PEX over a crawl space unless a row says something different. PEX is bendy plastic water pipe, with red lines carrying hot water and blue lines carrying cold. A crawl space is that low, open gap beneath a floor raised up off the ground.
| House | North Carolina cost |
|---|---|
| Single-story PEX, one bath, 1,200 square feet | roughly $3,500–$6,500 |
| Single-story PEX, two baths, 1,800 square feet | roughly $5,400–$10,000 |
| Single-story CPVC, two baths, 1,800 square feet | roughly $6,300–$10,900 |
| Single-story copper, two baths, 1,800 square feet | roughly $8,000–$16,000 |
| Single-story PEX on a slab, two baths, 1,800 square feet | roughly $7,100–$13,800 |
| Two-story PEX over a crawl space, three baths, 2,400 square feet | roughly $6,900–$13,700 |
CPVC is stiff plastic pipe in a cream or tan color, and copper is soldered metal pipe. The number of bedrooms doesn't change the price, since plumbers price the job by bathroom count and square footage. A house with 3 bedrooms typically has 2 bathrooms.
When a home sits on a slab
A slab means a concrete floor poured right on the ground, with the pipes running under it or inside it. Getting to those pipes means extra work, so the 2-bath PEX house climbs from roughly $5,400 to $10,000 with a crawl space to roughly $7,100 to $13,800 when it sits on a slab. The repipe company sees your house before it gives you a fixed price.
When a repipe pays off
Once low pressure, discoloration, or leaks start turning up in several rooms of the house, a repipe usually pays off, says Fuse Service. One leak may only need a repair. And you don't have to move out: most families stay in their homes for the whole job, says Repipe Solutions.
Licenses, permits, and quotes
Permit fees fall between $50 and $800, according to a national guide, so ask whether the quote covers the permit. The same guide also found a $2,000 to $5,000 spread between quotes for identical work.
Plumbers in the state are licensed by the board that oversees plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler contractors in North Carolina. Look the plumber up there before signing anything.
North Carolina has its own plumbing code, plus its own permits
The plumbing rules for North Carolina are set by the state itself. The state Building Code Council adopted the 2018 North Carolina Plumbing Code, which uses the International Codes as its base plus state changes. Your city or county issues the permits. Inspections must be provided by every local government under state law, and where one doesn't, the State Fire Marshal steps in. Installing, extending or fixing a plumbing system requires a permit Some same-size swaps that cost $40,000 or less are exempt, so check with the local inspection office first.
Nearly one person in four here, 24 percent, relies on a private well In other words, their water comes from a well on their land, not from the city. Nationwide, the figure is around 15 percent. Keeping that water safe is the well owner's own job.
Turning the estimate into a set price
The calculator gets you close, but only a visit gets you a number you can count on. Call now, and a repipe company that works near you will look at your house and then give you a fixed price. The call costs you nothing.
