A whole-home repipe is a specific intervention: the systematic replacement of the home's interior supply lines — every line from the meter to every fixture — typically because the original copper, galvanized, or polybutylene piping has reached the end of its working life. At Ashcroft & Vail the work is led by a senior master plumber and runs to a planned schedule that we walk you through before we cut into a wall.
The typical Greenwich repipe is a home built between 1960 and 1990 whose original copper supply lines have begun to fail at the joints — pinhole leaks, often staining the ceiling beneath a second-floor bathroom or coming through a basement utility chase. By the time the third pinhole leak appears within a twelve-month window, the homeowner's insurance carrier will frequently require a documented repipe as a condition of continued coverage.
We use Type-L copper (Mueller Industries) or Uponor PEX-A (cold-expansion fittings), selected for the age and access of the home. For a pre-war Tudor with no consistent vertical chases we will typically run PEX-A through the second-floor closets and a central chase we cut through plaster; for a 1980s Colonial with accessible joist bays we will more often run copper. The selection is a real engineering decision; it is not a sales decision.
The average 4,500 sqft home is repiped in seven to eleven working days. We re-route through ceilings and chases to minimize wall demolition, coordinate the patch-back with your painter and finish carpenter directly, and pull the inspection through the Greenwich Building Department's pre-clearance program for our regular clients. Water service is fully off only on the first day; one bathroom and the kitchen are restored each evening thereafter.
When does a home need to be repiped?
A repipe is warranted when the home's supply lines show evidence of systemic failure rather than a single fitting failure — pinhole leaks recurring at multiple points within a twelve-month window, discolored water indicating internal corrosion, polybutylene installed during the 1970s–1990s known to fail in service, galvanized still in active use, or an insurance carrier requirement after a documented water-damage claim. A single pinhole at a single fitting is not a repipe; it is a service call.
- Original copper from 1965–1985 showing pinhole failures
- The Greenwich-area copper installed during this period is now at the end of its service life. Pinhole failures at solder joints are the most common indicator.
- Galvanized supply lines still in service
- Internal corrosion reduces pressure and contaminates water. By 2026 most Greenwich galvanized has been replaced once already; remaining galvanized is end-of-life.
- Polybutylene installed in the 1970s–1990s
- A class-action settled material that fails in service. Where present, we recommend full replacement as a matter of carrier-coverage and resale-disclosure exposure.
- Repeated pinhole leaks within a 12-month window
- Three or more pinhole events at distinct fittings in one calendar year is the practical threshold for a whole-home repipe rather than a series of patch repairs.
- Discolored water indicating internal corrosion
- A separate diagnostic. We will pull water samples and assess before recommending a repipe.
- Insurance carrier requirement after a claim
- Many high-end homeowner policies require documented full repipe after a single claimed water-damage event. We coordinate the carrier documentation directly.
What materials we use
We use Type-L copper (Mueller Industries) and Uponor PEX-A exclusively for whole-home repipe work. The selection between them is driven by the home's age, access, and the homeowner's preference; both materials have decades-long service lives and both carry substantial manufacturer warranties.
We have declined to install PEX-B for residential supply work since 2011. The brass insert fittings used with PEX-B have shown a higher field-failure rate than the cold-expansion fittings used with PEX-A, and the dezincification exposure on lead-free brass insert fittings in soft Aquarion-supplied water is well-documented. PEX-A is engineered for cold-expansion, which produces a stronger long-term joint, and the Uponor system is the engineering benchmark for the technology.
We have never installed CPVC for residential supply work, and we will not start. The thermal-cycling cracking exposure on CPVC, the relatively low manufacturer-warranty coverage, and the secondary-market resale-disclosure exposure all argue against it. We will, of course, service existing CPVC in a home we did not install — that is a separate question.
What it costs
Whole-home repipe pricing is driven by three variables: square footage, access (how much wall and ceiling has to be opened to run the new lines), and the materials selected. The ranges below are inclusive of permits, inspection coordination, drywall patch-and-paint coordination, and a final walk-through; they are not inclusive of any fixture refresh or upstream water-treatment work, both of which we quote as separate scopes.
| Home size | Typical repipe range | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500–3,500 sqft | $11,400–$18,200 | 5–7 days |
| 3,500–5,500 sqft | $17,800–$27,600 | 7–11 days |
| 5,500–8,500 sqft | $26,400–$42,800 | 10–15 days |
| 8,500–12,000 sqft | $38,400–$68,000 | 14–22 days |
| 12,000+ sqft | Quoted on walk-through | Quoted on walk-through |
These ranges are inclusive of permit, inspection coordination, drywall patch-and-paint coordination, and a final walk-through. They are not inclusive of fixture refresh or any upstream water-treatment work, which we quote separately.
How we minimize disruption
The single biggest variable in a repipe project is how much wall and ceiling has to be opened. Our chase-mapping and re-routing work — done in the pre-walk-through phase — is what compresses the project from a four-week disruption into a two-week disruption. Our four-step process is the same on every project, regardless of home size.
1. Pre-walk-through and chase mapping
A senior master plumber walks the home with the homeowner before quoting. The walk-through identifies every supply line, every shutoff, every chase, and every wall that may need to be opened. We document the walk-through with photographs and a marked-up floor plan, both of which become part of the project file.
2. Day-one shutdown and re-route through accessible chases
On day one we cut over at the main and begin running new supply lines through chases identified in the walk-through. Water is fully off only on day one. We re-route through second-floor closets, central chases, and accessible joist bays before opening any walls that are not strictly necessary.
3. Inspection coordination with Greenwich Building Department
For our regular clients we pull rough-in inspection under the Greenwich Building Department's pre-clearance program, which compresses inspection turn-around. We schedule final inspection at the point at which the new lines are pressure-tested and the rough drywall is in place.
4. Patch-back coordination with your finish trades
The day after final inspection we hand the home off to your painter and finish carpenter for patch-back. We have standing relationships with several Greenwich and Westport painters who do invisible patch-back work and can recommend one if you do not already have one engaged.
Will my insurance cover it?
A meaningful fraction of repipe inquiries originate with an insurance event: a single pinhole leak produces a documented water-damage claim, and the carrier responds by either requiring or strongly encouraging a documented full repipe as a condition of continued coverage. In that scenario the repipe is typically not covered by the original claim, but the carrier will frequently require it on the renewal cycle.
We document our work for carrier purposes as a standard part of project close: pre-work photographs, materials specifications, joint counts, pressure-test records, inspection certificates, and a signed warranty document. Most Greenwich-area carriers — Chubb, AIG Private Client, PURE, Cincinnati Specialty — will accept our standard documentation packet without modification. We have provided this documentation for over 240 repipes since 2011 without a carrier dispute.
Frequently asked questions
How long will my water be off during a whole-home repipe?
On most projects water is fully off for the first day only, while we cut over the new supply at the main. After day one we restore service to one bathroom and the kitchen each evening. A typical 4,500 sqft repipe runs seven to eleven working days end-to-end.
Can we stay in the house during the repipe?
Yes — in nine of ten projects. We coordinate the rolling shut-offs around your morning and evening routines. For families with infants or medically-dependent occupants we recommend a short hotel stay for the first three nights of a larger project.
Do you replace the main supply line from the street as part of a whole-home repipe?
Not typically. The main supply line from the street to the meter is a separate scope, owned by the water purveyor up to the meter and by the homeowner from the meter to the house. We will quote main-line replacement as a clearly separate line item when warranted by age or pressure testing.
How do you coordinate with our painter and finish carpenter?
Our project manager will run a single coordination meeting with your painter, finish carpenter, and any tile contractor before we cut into a wall. We then run a daily 4:00 PM check-in for the duration of the project. Patch-back is scheduled the day after our final inspection.
What kind of warranty do you offer on a repipe?
Ten years on workmanship. Manufacturer warranty pass-through on materials — Uponor PEX-A carries a twenty-five-year manufacturer warranty; Mueller Type-L copper carries a fifty-year manufacturer warranty. Our warranty is documented in a signed certificate at project close.
Will I need to refresh fixtures at the same time?
Not necessarily. A repipe touches supply lines and shutoffs; fixtures themselves are independent unless they are at the end of their service life. We will not push a fixture refresh that is not warranted. If a fixture refresh is desired, we can schedule it concurrently to compress the timeline.