Repiping in Johns Creek, GA

Is my Johns Creek house old enough to need new pipe?

Possibly. About two-thirds of Johns Creek homes were built between 1980 and 1999, and the median build year is 1995, while only about 4% predate 1980. That puts many original supply lines at 25 to 45 years old. Houses from the late 1980s and early 1990s are the ones to check for gray polybutylene, and copper of that age can start forming pinholes, especially on hot lines. Newer houses rarely need more than a targeted repair.

Who supplies the water, and where does my part of the line start?

Johns Creek runs no water system; Fulton County Water Services supplies the city with Chattahoochee River water treated at the Tom Lowe plant, which sits inside Johns Creek. The water is chlorinated and fluoridated. Fulton County fixes the line from the main to the meter, and everything from the meter to the house, including the buried yard line, is the owner's. Fulton County also lets residents check their service line material at fcpwleadcopper.com.

What decides the price of a repipe here?

The biggest swings come from a few factors:

• Extras done at the same visit: new shutoff valves, a pressure-reducing valve or water heater connections add parts and time.
• Patching after the work: confirm whether drywall repair and paint are included or left to you.
• Pipe material: copper costs more in labor because each joint is soldered, while PEX bends around corners with fewer fittings.
• Phased or all at once: doing one branch now and the rest later spreads cost but adds trips.
• Distance from the meter: houses set far back from the street need a longer service run.
• House size and fixture count: more bathrooms, a second laundry or extra outdoor spigots all mean more pipe and more connections.
• Number of stories: upstairs bathrooms mean longer vertical runs and more places to open walls.
• The yard line: replacing the buried line from the meter at the same time adds digging but saves a second job later.
• Permits and inspections: rough-in and final inspections set the pace of the job.

Johns Creek requires a city Trade Permit for plumbing work, applied for through the city's Customer Self-Service portal.

Before you get quotes

If you bought the house in the last few years, the home inspection report often names the supply pipe material, which is a quick way to know whether polybutylene is in play before anyone opens a wall. Ask each plumber whether drywall patching is in the price so quotes compare fairly.