# Repiping an Old House in Columbus > Repiping a prewar Columbus house: routes through basements, closets and balloon-framed walls, plaster openings kept few, old valves and lead-era parts replaced. URL: https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/old-house-repiping/ Repiping planned for prewar houses: routes through basements, closets and chases, openings in plaster kept few and listed, and the old valves and fittings brought up to date. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 Repiping planned for prewar houses: routes through basements, closets and chases, openings in plaster kept few and listed, and the old valves and fittings brought up to date. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 **62.9%** Homes in the 43205 ZIP, around Olde Towne East and Driving Park, built before 1940 by Census Bureau count **85.2%** Columbus parcels in 43205 with a full basement on the County Auditor's records, where most new mains run **86.3%** Of those 43205 homes with two or more stories, so most repipes include a climb between floors **8%** Lead allowed in brass fittings and valves until 2014, when the limit dropped to a fraction of a percent A house built before the Second World War hides its plumbing in thick plaster, masonry and framing that was never meant to be opened again. [Slate Repiping Columbus](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/) plans and manages repipes for older houses across Columbus and the nearby Franklin County suburbs, with the routes worked out to keep plaster openings few. The work is carried out by licensed and insured plumbing contractors under the plumbing permit for the address. There is a lot of this housing in the city’s older rings. Census figures put 62.9% of homes in the 43205 ZIP around Olde Towne East and Driving Park before 1940, 56.1% in 43206 around German Village and more than 40% in Bexley and Grandview Heights. Most of these houses were plumbed in galvanized steel, many have copper repairs spliced in, and a few still have lead-soldered joints and old brass valves. The [galvanized pipe replacement](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) page covers the pipe itself; this page is about the house around it. ## Reading an old house on the first visit The walk-through in a prewar house spends as much time on the building as on the pipe. It starts in the basement at the main shutoff and the inside water meter, then follows each line up, noting where it disappears into a wall, which rooms stack above one another and where closets, pantries or a back stair might give a path between floors. It also records the walls. There is no local record of how many Columbus houses still have plaster, so it is checked room by room: plaster on wood lath, plaster on metal lath, drywall from a past remodel, or tile. The age of painted surfaces matters too, since paint in a house built before 1978 may contain lead. The scope that comes out of the visit lists routes first and openings second. ## Why prewar houses take more planning Plaster is harder to open cleanly than drywall. It cracks beyond the cut if the lath flexes, and patching it to match an old wall takes a plasterer’s skill. Exterior walls in brick houses are masonry, so pipe cannot run in them. Interior walls may carry decades of layered repairs, with abandoned pipe, old gas lines and knob-and-tube wiring sharing the same bays. The old supply system itself is often patched: steel near the meter, copper where a past leak was fixed, steel again above, sometimes a length of flexible line under a sink. In a double, the same patchwork may serve two households, which the [double repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/double-repiping/) page covers. A [whole-house repipe](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/whole-house-repiping/) replaces that patchwork with one system, but the route has to be found around everything else the walls contain. The [guide to how invasive repiping is](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-invasive-is-repiping/) sets out what owners should expect in general. ## Routing through basements, closets and chases The basement carries the horizontal work. Among City parcels in 43205, 85.2% have a full basement on the County Auditor’s records, and 79.0% in 43206. The new main and the horizontal branches run along exposed joists, so the visible part of the old system is replaced without touching a finished surface. ### The climb to the upper floors The hard part is going up. In 43205, 86.3% of homes have two or more stories, so most jobs include at least one vertical run to an upstairs bathroom. The usual paths are a closet directly below the bathroom, a chase beside the old cast iron soil stack, the back of a kitchen cabinet or a pantry. Each saves opening a finished wall in a main room. PEX is often chosen in these houses because it can be fished around a bend in a bay where copper would need an opening for each fitting, as the [PEX repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/pex-repiping/) page explains. ### Balloon-framed walls Some older houses are balloon framed: the wall studs run continuously from the sill to the roof, without a plate at each floor. That leaves open bays from basement to attic, and tubing can sometimes be fished from below straight up to the second floor through one bay. The same open bays let fire travel between floors, so wherever new pipe passes through a floor or a plate, fireblocking is put back. ## Plaster and drywall patching Every opening goes on a numbered list with its size, location and who closes it. Small openings in closets and behind fixtures are often closed with drywall or a removable access panel. Openings in plaster walls of main rooms are patched to match, which is skilled work and a real part of the price. A scope that says nothing about patching is not cheaper; it moves the cost to the owner later. Where painted plaster in a pre-1978 house is cut, lead-safe work practices apply: containment, misting, careful cleanup. That adds time to each opening and is one more reason to keep them few. ## What changes besides the pipe A repipe in an old house is a chance to bring the rest of the water system up to date. Old gate and globe valves, including the main shutoff, often seize or leak when turned after decades. They are replaced with quarter-turn valves. The Ohio Plumbing Code calls for shutoff valves at fixtures in 1, 2 and 3 family homes, except at tubs and showers, so sinks and toilets get their own stops. Brass fittings and valves could contain up to 8% lead until 2014, and lead solder was banned in home plumbing only in 1986, so older valves and copper joints are removed along with the steel. Hose bibbs that pass through cold brick walls are a common freeze point in a Columbus winter; frost-free versions are worth adding. Lines that ran inside exterior walls are moved inward. If the hot water wait has always been long, [hot water recirculation](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/hot-water-recirculation-installation/) can be planned in while the lines are open. A repipe does not include the drains: the [guide to whether repiping includes drain pipes](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/does-repiping-include-drain-pipes/) explains, and the [cast iron stack replacement](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/cast-iron-stack-replacement/) page covers the stack when it also needs work. ## Historic districts, permits and testing German Village, Victorian Village, Italian Village and other Columbus historic districts review exterior changes. No rule has been found that brings interior plumbing under that review, so an interior repipe goes through the regular plumbing permit. A new exterior hose bibb or a line through a front wall is worth checking before it goes into the scope. Inside the City of Columbus, Building and Zoning Services issues the permit at $275 for a 1, 2 or 3 family home with two inspections. In [Bexley](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/service-areas/bexley/), [Grandview Heights](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/service-areas/grandview-heights/) and the other suburbs that contract with Franklin County Public Health, the city issues the permit and the County reviews and inspects. The new system is pressure tested before openings close, then flushed. The typical Columbus-area range for a whole-house repipe is $4,000 to $15,000 or more, and plaster, two stories and copper all push toward the upper part; the [repipe cost guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-cost/) shows how, and [how long a repipe takes](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-long-does-repiping-take/) covers the schedule. ## What's included - A route plan that uses the basement, closets, chases and stacked rooms before any finished wall - A numbered list of openings, with size, location and who closes each one - New hot and cold supply in PEX or copper from the main shutoff to each fixture in the scope - A new main shutoff and new fixture stops in place of old gate and globe valves - Frost-free outdoor faucets where the old hose bibbs pass through cold walls - Old pipe removed where it can be reached, capped where it is buried in plaster - Fireblocking restored at floor and plate penetrations - Pressure test, flush, permit and inspections ## How an old house changes a repipe compared with a newer one | | House built after about 1960 | Prewar Columbus house | | --- | --- | --- | | Wall finish | Usually drywall, easy to cut and patch | Often plaster on lath, harder to cut cleanly and to patch to match | | Framing | Platform framing with a plate at each floor | Sometimes balloon framing, with stud bays running floor to floor | | Pipe found | Copper, sometimes with plastic additions | Galvanized, mixed with copper repairs and old brass valves | | Route to the second floor | Often a plumbing wall behind the bathroom | A closet, a chase beside the old soil stack or a stacked room | | Extra care | Ordinary dust control | Lead-safe practices on painted plaster, fireblocking, matching trim | ## Related resources - Learn [How invasive is repiping a house?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-invasive-is-repiping/)Where the openings go and why, how plaster and drywall differ, how dust is kept in one room, what to clear out beforehand, and the scope question that decides who closes every hole. - Learn [Are galvanized pipes safe for drinking water?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/are-galvanized-pipes-safe/)Galvanized steel is not a lead pipe, but it can collect lead from one. Here is how that happens, why federal rules now treat some galvanized lines as replace-required, and what old steel does to flow and water color. - Learn [How long does it take to repipe a house?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-long-does-repiping-take/)A repipe is measured in days, not weeks, but the number depends on the house. Here is what stretches or shortens the schedule, how the water stays on in stages, and where the inspection and the patching fit. - Cost Guide [How much does it cost to repipe a house in Columbus?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-cost/)Typical Columbus-area ranges for a whole-house repipe in PEX or copper, what sits inside the price, the permit fees by office, and why two quotes for the same house can differ. - Decision Guide [Should you buy a house with galvanized pipes?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/buying-house-with-old-pipes/)Old pipe is a known cost once it is scoped, not a reason to panic. What the inspection note does and doesn't tell you, how to look up the service line on the City's map, polybutylene, and how to negotiate with a real number before closing. ## How a repipe runs 1. First call Describe the houseIts age, the pipe you can see in the basement, the leaks so far and which floors lose pressure. 2. Walk through Map and scopeMains, branches, shutoffs and fixtures traced from the meter; material, openings and permit agreed in writing. 3. Pipe day Replace and reconnectWater shut off in stages, new lines run, fixtures and the water heater reconnected. 4. Sign off Test, inspect, patchPressure test and flush, permit inspections, then the openings are closed. ## What this work looks like Open chase beside a black cast iron drain stack in a basement, with new red and blue PEX lines rising beside it, in an older Columbus home Freshly skimmed square patch on a plaster wall, with a mud pan and putty knife on a drop cloth, in an older Columbus home New brass hose bibb set in fresh mortar on a red brick exterior wall above a mulch bed, in a Columbus house Flashlight shining into a round inspection hole in a ceiling, showing a copper pipe between joists, in an older Columbus home ## Old house repiping questions ### Can a plaster-walled house be repiped without tearing out whole walls? Usually, yes. Most of the work runs in the basement, and new lines climb through closets, chases and stud bays reached from small openings. Some plaster still has to be cut, mostly behind fixtures and at the top and bottom of a vertical run. The scope should list each opening and its size. ### Does a balloon-framed house make repiping easier? Often, in one way. In balloon framing the wall studs run from the foundation sill up past the second floor without a plate between, so tubing can sometimes be fished from the basement to the upper floor inside one stud bay. Those open bays also let fire travel, so fireblocking is restored where new pipe passes through. ### Who patches the plaster after a repipe? It depends on the scope. Some repipes include closing every opening; others leave patching to the owner or a plaster contractor. Patching old plaster to match is skilled work, so the scope should say who closes each opening, with what material and to what finish. ### Should old brass valves and fittings be replaced during a repipe? Usually. Brass fittings and valves could contain up to 8% lead until 2014, and old gate valves often seize or leak when finally turned. A repipe is the easiest time to replace the main shutoff and fixture stops, because the water is already off and the lines are already open. ## Related services ### Whole-house repiping Every hot and cold supply line from the main shutoff to the fixtures, replaced in PEX or copper, pressure tested and inspected under a City or suburban plumbing permit. ### Galvanized pipe replacement Old threaded steel water pipe inside the house replaced with PEX or copper, with the transitions, the loosened scale and the flush handled as part of the job. ### Double and duplex repiping Repipes for Columbus doubles, duplexes and two and three unit houses, with each household's lines traced, the shared main sorted out and the water kept on for both sides.