Repiping in Bellevue: PEX, galvanized, polybutylene

Four indicators: (1) discolored or rust-tinted water, especially first thing in the morning — galvanized steel corroding from the inside; (2) house-wide low pressure that worsens over years, same cause; (3) gray plastic supply lines throughout the house — polybutylene, which fails without warning and is flagged by insurers; (4) a second or third pinhole copper leak in three years, which signals generalized pipe oxidation rather than an isolated failure. Any one of these warrants a pipe assessment.

$8,500 to $12,500 for a standard 2-bathroom Bellevue home; $11,500 to $16,000 for a 3-bath. That range includes PEX material, labor, fixture shutoff valve replacement, City of Bellevue permit, and patching drywall at access points. Partial repipes — one branch line or one floor — run $850 to $1,850. All quotes are written and itemized before work starts; we don't do time-and-materials on repipe jobs.

PEX is the right choice for most Bellevue repipes today. It costs 20 to 30 percent less than copper, resists the pinhole corrosion that Eastside water chemistry causes in copper, and has a flexible run that avoids many of the fittings where copper fails. Copper still makes sense in specific situations — exposed runs in a garage or utility room where UV resistance matters, or when a homeowner specifically prefers metal. The full trade-off is in our PEX vs. copper guide.

A 2-bathroom Bellevue home takes one full day with two plumbers — water is off during the work hours and restored each evening. A 3-bath or larger home typically runs 1.5 to 2 days. We schedule the City of Bellevue inspection for the morning after completion so the permit closes before the drywall patch goes on. Most homeowners can stay in the house during the work.

Yes, always. A whole-house repipe is a major plumbing alteration that requires a City of Bellevue plumbing permit and a licensed contractor inspection. The permit is included in our repipe quotes — we pull it, schedule the inspection, and attend it. The permit record stays with the home's title history and matters when you sell: buyers and their inspectors check for open or missing permits on major plumbing work, and unpermitted repipes are a common red flag on inspection reports.