How Much Does Plumbing Cost in a New House?
It’s no secret that a brand-new plumbing system can be costly, especially if you are outfitting a new home with plumbing for the very first time. However, there are a wide range of plumbing supplies and decorative fixtures available to new homeowners to help you stick within your budget and avoid premature repairs and unscheduled maintenance.
This article will discuss the considerations for installing new plumbing as part of the building process and address the question of how much does plumbing cost in a new house to help you plan your budget.
Installing New Plumbing Pipes
The cost to install plumbing pipes varies based on whether you need to install new pipes throughout an entire home or only replace small sections of pipes. For new houses, the cost of pipe installation can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per fixture based on type of fixture, materials, and the project details. Providing full piping for a new home will typically run in the thousands of dollars but really depends on the pipes’ location and how many plumbing fixtures you will have in your home.
Plumbing Fixtures to Account For
There are many different fixtures in a new home that require plumbing, and it’s easy to forget about some of them if you haven’t built a new house from the ground up before! For example, there’s the washing machine and dryer for laundry, as well as the sinks and faucets for the kitchen, bathrooms, and utility room. Your water heater requires plumbing, and so does the stove, furnace, toilet, bathtub, shower, and garbage disposal. Don’t forget that dual sinks require more plumbing fittings than single sinks and that multiple showerheads require a little extra than single showerheads.
Piping Material Options
The type of material you choose for your pipes also helps to answer the question of “how much does plumbing cost in a new house?” Copper and PEX are common piping materials used in our area, and each has its own unique properties and advantages and disadvantages.
Copper pipe is resilient and resistant to bacteria. However, it is also a more expensive option compared to PEX and has the possibility of bursting or corroding. On the other hand, PEX is an affordable and durable plastic material that is flexible and won’t burst. However, PEX is typically only used for indoor piping rather than outdoor pipes because it is sensitive to UV light. PEX piping can also be damaged by pests and chemicals. While totally accurate measurements can be difficult to assess early-on, definitely get estimates on material pricing before your project starts to avoid big surprises later on in the plumbing project process.
Home Size and Number of Floors
Larger homes typically come with larger price tags when it comes to new plumbing costs. This is because pipes need to be longer and extend for greater distances in a large home to reach all of the necessary fixtures. Also, multi-story homes generally cost more to run pipe than single-story homes because the process of running the pipes is more labor-intensive and extensive. Get plumbing cost estimates based on square footage for new construction to get a rough idea of what the project will cost.
Excavation Needs
Another consideration to keep in mind is whether your new home requires excavation and the extent of the build-out. This is important for new construction homes that need to establish initial connections to the city’s water and sewer lines, to a septic tank, or to a well. Costs can increase significantly if a crew and professional equipment are needed to lay out drainage pipes and water lines. If your new home is on developed land in a subdivision, minimal excavation is likely needed and probably won’t add significant to the plumbing costs.
Layout Considerations
Choosing a layout for your new home involves very personal decisions, but plumbing considerations should factor into these decisions. Second and third floors require more complex plumbing systems and present more potential places where plumbing issues could occur in the future. However, these facts should not deter you from building the home of your dreams because budget-friendly piping options can help offset the costs of a more complicated house layout.
Home Location and Connectivity
Some areas of New York, such as Manhattan, tend to be costlier to outfit with plumbing than more rural regions of the state that don’t come with as high of real estate costs. Well-established areas may already have water and sewer hookups nearby and require less piping to get water flowing into your new home. But if your new house is in a rural area or on previously undeveloped land, this can affect your prices to establish hookups and perhaps even install drainage systems around newly built structures.
Hire a Professional or DIY?
Very few homeowners in New York are plumbing professionals, which means that most people choose to hire experts to install piping in a brand-new house. However, if you have experience in this field or are willing to take some classes or read some plumbing-related books, you may be able to save significantly on plumbing installation costs. The tradeoff is that if you make a mistake, you may need to hire a professional anyway to come fix your mistake and complete the project the proper way, and this can ultimately cost you more time and money in the long-run.
Whether you are a licensed professional plumber or a DIY-enthusiast, Central Plumbing Supplies has everything you need to outfit a new house with plumbing. Meanwhile, our Grande Central Showrooms feature beautiful displays of decorative kitchen and bath products to inspire you and stimulate your imagination with the finishing touches that make your rooms feel like home.
Visit one of our New York locations and come with all the questions you have about how to make your plumbing project work. We are pleased to serve you in Rockland, Yonkers, Manhattan, the Bronx, and on 56th Street, Park Avenue, and Bond Street in NYC.