Insurer wants polybutylene gone - what's involved?

What the work actually involves

New PEX lines are run through the attic and dropped down inside the walls to each fixture. That means small, deliberate openings in the drywall at each fixture and at the manifold, rather than cutting the slab, which is what most people are quietly dreading.

A typical three-bathroom house is often a few days of plumbing, plus drywall repair and paint afterwards.

The questions that decide the quote

1. 1Is drywall repair and texture matching included, and to what standard — patched, or patched and painted?
2. 2Are the angle stops and supply lines being replaced while the walls are open? They should be.
3. 3Is the water heater connection being redone?
4. 4Is the permit pulled and inspected? Your insurer will want the proof.

Drywall is the line that varies most between quotes and it is often excluded entirely, which is how two prices that look different turn out to be the same.

Why the insurer is asking

Polybutylene is one of the four-point items that can make a house uninsurable at ordinary rates. Once the repipe is done and the permit is closed, send the documentation to your agent and ask for the policy to be re-rated — the work does nothing for your premium until somebody updates the file.

The wider list of what carriers look at is in the 4-point and wind mitigation explained.

If you are buying rather than owning

Find out before the inspection period ends, get a repipe quote rather than an estimate, and negotiate on the real number. It is a known, finite cost, which makes it one of the easier things to trade in a contract — and one of the worst to discover afterwards: when to get a Florida insurance quote.

I coordinate these constantly, including the drywall and paint that follows: contractor services.

What to expect while the work runs

• Water off for parts of each day, usually with notice.
• Ceiling and wall openings at each fixture and at the manifold, then patching.
• Attic access needed, so anything stored up there has to move.
• An inspection before anything is closed up, which is the part you want.

Ask for the schedule in writing, including which days the water is off, and agree where the openings will be cut. Both are easy questions before the job and awkward ones in the middle of it.