An 80-unit apartment community in east Houston had recurring plumbing issues: discolored water, low pressure, frequent leaks, and pinhole leaks in the old galvanized supply lines. The property manager was spending $2,000-3,000/month on emergency plumbing repairs.
The decision was made to repipe the entire building: replace all galvanized supply lines with PEX tubing. This would eliminate the leaks, improve water pressure, and end the recurring maintenance nightmare.
Approach: 4 units per day, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks = 80 units in 20 working days. Each unit took approximately 6 hours of work (2 technicians). Tenants were given 24-hour notice and asked to be out of the unit for 8 hours (or we worked around them room by room).
What we did per unit: Cut access holes in walls (minimized and planned for easy drywall repair). Removed old galvanized pipes. Installed new PEX supply lines (hot and cold). Installed new angle stops at all fixtures. Installed new washing machine box. Pressure tested the system. Patched drywall. Painted patched areas.
Cost: $2,200/unit = $176,000 total. Financed over 5 years at 7% = approximately $3,475/month. Previous monthly plumbing repair cost: $2,500. Net monthly cost increase: $975. Eliminated all future leak damage risk.
Result: Zero plumbing emergencies in the 6 months since repipe. Water pressure improved dramatically. Tenant complaints about water quality dropped to zero. Property manager estimates the repipe will pay for itself in 7 years through eliminated repair costs and prevented water damage.
Call (832) 203-7987 for apartment repipe services.
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