WHOLE-HOME REPIPING — STOP FIXING, START REPLACING

Every time we run a burst pipe call on galvanized steel plumbing (the gray threaded pipe common in homes built 1920-1975), we have the same conversation with the homeowner. The repair is $400. The spot repair buys you maybe 3-6 months before the next pinhole in another corroded section. Or we can repipe the whole house for $4,500-$14,000 and solve it permanently for the next 50+ years. By the third or fourth repair, most homeowners want to stop throwing money at a dying system.

A whole-home repipe replaces every hot and cold water supply line inside the house with new PEX or copper, from the main shutoff through every fixture. Same fixtures, same layout, new plumbing. Most North Louisiana homes are done in 1-2 days with one drywall cut per run (typically 6-10 access holes). After the repipe, you've got 50+ years of warranty-backed plumbing with no corrosion, no pinhole risk, and no rust in the hot water.

When a repipe is the right call

1. Galvanized steel plumbing (gray threaded pipe) — lifespan is 40-60 years, most homes built pre-1975 are at end-of-life
2. Polybutylene pipe (gray plastic with brass or copper fittings) — installed 1978-1995, subject to class-action settlement due to failure rate. If you have PB, repipe is mandatory before sale in some markets
3. Multiple pinhole leaks in copper — rare, but aggressive water chemistry or old thin-wall Type M can cause serial pinholes
4. Rust-colored water from hot taps — galvanized pipe corroding internally, tank sediment won't explain persistent discoloration
5. Low water pressure house-wide — galvanized tuberculation narrows pipe diameter by 30-50% over decades
6. Remodel or addition — when you're opening walls anyway, repipe at half the labor cost of a standalone job
7. Pre-sale preparation — galvanized and polybutylene both get flagged on home inspections and kill deals or reduce sale price by $10-$30k

PEX vs. copper vs. CPVC

We install all three. Each has real pros and cons — we don't push one brand on you. Most North Louisiana residential repipes we do are PEX-A because it's the best balance of cost, performance, and installation speed. Copper is the premium option for homeowners who want the longest-lasting metal pipe and aren't price-sensitive. CPVC is rare but occasionally the right call for specific situations. Our comparison table below breaks it down.

What Mark Johnson & Sons does differently

Our own crews, not subcontracted. Licensed and insured. Permit pulled, city inspection, and 10-year workmanship warranty. We plan access cuts strategically — most repipes open 6-10 small drywall holes instead of tearing out entire walls, because we run new lines through existing paths (attic, crawl, basement ceiling, and chase runs). After the repipe, we coordinate with a drywall repair crew if you want the access cuts patched invisibly, or we leave them as neat access panels if you prefer.

Pricing is flat-rate and quoted before we start. Typical 3-bedroom / 2-bath North Louisiana home in PEX runs $5,500-$9,500. Larger homes with 3+ baths and more complex layouts run $8,500-$14,000. Copper is roughly 30-50% more. Priced before we start, no hourly creep, no scope-creep surprises.

What to expect during install

Day 1 morning — water off, access holes cut at strategic locations. Day 1 afternoon — new PEX or copper run from manifold through walls, ceilings, and crawl spaces to each fixture. Day 1 evening — usually water back on to one or two zones so you have at least one working bathroom. Day 2 — final connections, pressure test to 100 PSI for 24 hours, city inspection, and water fully back on. Drywall patches follow within a week. You're rarely without water for more than a few hours at a time during the install.