Repiping & Whole-Home Pipe Replacement in Alpharetta, GA
Full home repipes for polybutylene (blue + grey), galvanized, and aging copper. PEX-A replacement, drywall close-out included on most jobs, completed in two to three working days. Permitted with Fulton County.
Whole-home repiping is the largest job we do as a recurring service line. The driver in Alpharetta is consistent — 1978–1996 housing stock with polybutylene pipes (blue, grey, or both), or 1985–1998 housing stock with aging copper supply lines, or much older homes with galvanized service lines. In all three cases, repipe to PEX-A is the standard answer. We've done many of these across Windward, Crabapple, Webb Bridge, and Old Milton.
- Licensed & insured
- Upfront pricing
- Local Alpharetta crew
- Free estimates
Why repipe, and which materials need it
Polybutylene (PB). Used widely in homes built 1978–1996. Two main types in Alpharetta: blue PB for service lines and grey PB for interior supply. PB fails from the inside out as oxidants in treated municipal water degrade the polymer. Failures are unpredictable and often catastrophic — a slow leak inside a wall for weeks, then a sudden burst. The manufacturer class-action settlement closed in 2009; homeowners now pay out of pocket. An increasing number of insurance carriers are non-renewing PB homes at policy anniversary.
Galvanized steel. Used in homes built before 1960 and in some service line applications into the 1970s. Corrodes from the inside, reducing internal diameter and eventually clogging. Water from galvanized lines is often discolored. Service line galvanized is more common than interior galvanized in Alpharetta — interior repipes from galvanized are usually catching up with service line replacements done earlier.
Aging copper. Used in homes built 1960s–2000s. Copper itself is a fine material, but in homes built 1985–1998 in Alpharetta we increasingly see pinhole leaks from a combination of water chemistry and slab-on-grade installations with embedded copper. Whole-home repipe is sometimes the answer when multiple pinhole failures are happening across the system. See slab leak repair for spot-vs-repipe decision making.
Why PEX-A as the replacement material. Flexible (fewer joints, fewer failure points), corrosion-resistant, handles chlorinated municipal water far better than PB, freeze-tolerant (expands instead of bursting), 30-year material warranty when properly installed. PEX-A is the current standard for whole-home repipes in our market.
What a whole-home repipe actually involves
The work flows in five stages:
1. Site survey and quote. Walk every fixture, every wall cavity we'll need to access, every visible supply line. Count fixture units, plan manifold location, identify access requirements. Sketch the plan with you so you understand what walls will be opened and where.
2. Permit and material prep. Pull the Fulton County permit. Order materials. Schedule the work in coordination with your household.
3. Installation. Open access in walls, ceilings, and (where required) floors. Install new PEX-A runs from the new manifold to each fixture. Install new shutoff valves at every fixture and group shutoffs at the manifold. Test for leaks at full pressure. Most three-bath single-family homes complete the install in 1–2 working days.
4. Drywall close-out. Patch all access openings, mud, sand, texture-match, primer. Our standard scope includes basic texture-matched drywall close-out — paint is typically a separate trade unless arranged in advance.
5. Inspection and sign-off. Coordinate Fulton County inspection. Once passed, restore full service.
Total typical timeline: 2–3 working days for the install plus an additional day or two for drywall close-out work.
What's included, what isn't
Standard scope: new PEX-A supply lines to every fixture, new manifold with individual fixture shutoffs, new shutoff valves at the water heater and at every fixture, removal of accessible old pipe runs (PB or other), pressure testing, code-compliant supports and protection plates, basic drywall close-out, Fulton County permit and inspection coordination.
Not included by default: painting after drywall close-out (separate trade), removal of old pipe runs that are inaccessible without major demolition (we leave these in place but disconnected), replacement of old fixtures themselves (faucets, toilets — replacement during a repipe is straightforward if you want it, just scope it in advance), upgrades to the service line from the meter to the house (separate scope — see water line repair and replacement).
For service line polybutylene specifically — the blue exterior PB that runs from the meter to the house — replacement is its own scope. Often homeowners discover during interior repipe that the service line is also PB. We can do both at the same time or sequence them based on budget.
Insurance, real estate, and repipe timing
Three considerations affect when to repipe:
Insurance. If your carrier has notified you that they won't renew due to PB plumbing, repiping resolves the issue and you can re-shop coverage with your repipe documentation. If your carrier hasn't notified you but is one of the carriers known to be reviewing PB homes, proactive repipe gets ahead of the issue.
Real estate sale. PB significantly affects negotiating position when buyers' inspectors flag it. Completing the repipe before listing removes the issue. Buyers and their agents in North Fulton recognize what completed PEX-A repipe means and value it appropriately.
Failure history. If you've had one PB rupture in the home, others are usually coming within 12–24 months. Repipe is the right call after the first failure, not the third.
Financing through an outside provider is available for whole-home repipes — same-day approval for most applicants. Bring this up during the quote conversation if it's relevant.
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Frequently asked
How much does a whole-home repipe cost in Alpharetta?
Wide range based on home size, number of fixtures, accessibility, and slab vs crawl space. Average single-family three-bath homes typically fall in a known band that we'll quote precisely after the site survey. Financing is available.
How long am I without water?
Each fixture is offline only briefly during its connection switchover. The home is never completely without water for more than a few hours during the work, and typically not at all overnight. We coordinate with your household to time water-off periods around your schedule.
Will my walls look the same after?
Standard scope includes texture-matched drywall close-out. With our subcontracted drywall finishers, repaired sections typically look identical to surrounding wall after texturing and priming. Paint is usually a separate trade unless arranged in advance.
Do you replace the polybutylene service line too?
Yes, as a separate scope. The service line from the meter to the house often turns out to also be PB on homes from the same era. We can do both at the same time or schedule the service line later — see our water line replacement service.
My insurance company is non-renewing because of polybutylene. Will repiping fix that?
Yes — once the PB is removed and replaced with PEX-A and we provide the repipe documentation, you should be able to re-shop carriers and obtain standard coverage. We coordinate the documentation in the format insurers typically request.