Free printable
Columbus Repipe Quote Comparison Checklist
A repipe quote comparison checklist for the moment two or three quotes are on the table and the totals do not line up. It lists what every quote should answer, from where the new piping starts to who closes the walls, with a grid to fill in side by side. Three pages, made to print.
What the checklist covers
The same questions as the printable, so you can read them here first. Quotes that look far apart can turn out to cover different work, and these questions show where.
Scope: what each quote replaces
Two quotes can look far apart only because they cover different work. Before comparing totals, check that each one answers these.
- Where the new piping starts (at the meter and main shutoff) and where it ends (every fixture, or named rooms only).
- Whole building or partial. For a partial: which lines stay in service, and where new pipe connects to old.
- Hot and cold lines both included, to every fixture on the list.
- In a multi-unit building: which risers are replaced, and how each chase is reached on each floor.
- Main shutoff, pressure-reducing valve and unit shutoffs: replaced, kept or added.
- Water heater: reconnected only, or replaced as a separate line.
- What is left out: sewer and drain lines (a separate trade), fixtures, and the water service line from the street.
Material and method
The Ohio Plumbing Code lists PEX and copper for water distribution. No material is the right answer for every house.
- The pipe material and type named in writing, such as PEX-A, PEX-B, or Type L or Type M copper.
- For PEX: the fitting system (expansion, crimp or press) and whether the layout is a manifold or trunk-and-branch.
- For copper: the joining method, soldered with lead-free solder, brazed or press-connect.
- Parts that carry drinking water meet NSF 372 for lead content.
- The size of the main lines, and of the water service if it changes.
Permit, license and inspection
A repipe needs a plumbing permit. Inside Columbus it comes from Building and Zoning Services; in many suburbs plans are reviewed and inspected by Franklin County Public Health.
- Who pulls the permit, and which office issues it for your address.
- The permit fee shown as its own line, not folded into the total.
- Whether plan review applies, as it does for a full system replacement in a building with 4 or more units.
- The contractor's Ohio plumbing contractor license number, the City of Columbus registration for work in the city, and a certificate of insurance.
- Who schedules the inspection, and who will be there for it.
Walls, floors and restoration
Openings and patching are easy to leave vague in a quote. Ask for them in writing.
- How many openings, and in which rooms.
- How plaster is opened (clean rectangles at fittings and turns) and whether tile walls are reached from the back.
- Who closes the openings, and to what finish: patched only, patched and textured, or painted.
- How floors, furniture and common areas are protected.
- Where old pipe stays in the walls, disconnected.
Schedule and water
Living through a repipe depends on two things: how many working days, and when the water is off.
- The number of working days.
- The water-off windows. Water should be off only while each part is cut over.
- In an occupied multi-unit building: which unit is without water and when, and how the people living there are told.
Testing and handover
These steps are what make the new piping trustworthy before the walls close.
- A pressure test before any wall is closed.
- Flushing after cutover, with aerators and screens cleaned.
- Shutoffs labeled.
- The final inspection sign-off and a copy of the permit for your records.
- Any written warranty: what it covers, for how long, and who honors it.
- The payment schedule, tied to stages of the work.
The side-by-side grid
The last page is a grid with one column per quote. A blank box is a question to ask before signing.
- Contractor and license number
- Material, type and joining method
- Starts at / ends at
- Whole or partial; what old pipe stays
- Risers, main shutoff, PRV
- Openings, and who closes them
- Permit type, and who pulls it
- Working days
- Water-off windows
- Pressure test and inspection
- Not included
- Total quoted
Have these ready for every walk-through
- The year the house was built and how many units it has.
- Any home inspection report that mentions the piping.
- Any City of Columbus or utility notice about the service line from the street.
- Where the meter and main shutoff are, so the walk-through can start there.
- Any remodel planned in the next year or so.
Giving every contractor the same facts is what makes the quotes comparable.
Get the printable checklist
Send the short form and the download link appears right under it. If you would like a walk-through as well, say so in the message.
Call (380) 324-5056Slate Repiping Columbus40 E Columbus St, Columbus, OH 43206office@slaterepipingcolumbus.comColumbus and nearby Franklin County communities