# Philadelphia Repipe Quote Comparison Checklist

> A printable repipe quote checklist for Philadelphia-area houses: scope, pipe material, L&I permit, wall openings, water-off windows and testing. Download it.

URL: https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/resources/

Free printable

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 house or partial. For a partial: which lines are replaced, which stay in service, and where new pipe connects to old.
- Hot and cold lines both included, to every fixture on the list, with the fixture count written down.
- In a building with several units: which risers and unit shutoffs are replaced, and how each chase is reached on each floor.
- Main shutoff and any pressure-reducing valve or expansion control: replaced, kept or added.
- Water heater: reconnected only, or replaced as a separate line.
- What is left out: sewer and drain lines, fixtures, and the water service line from the street, which is not included unless the quote says so.

### Material and method

In Philadelphia the code decides the material for some buildings before anyone's preference does. Ask each quote to name it.

- The pipe material and type named in writing, such as PEX (and which kind) or Type L copper.
- Inside the city, the Philadelphia Plumbing Code (P-605.4) allows PEX in one- and two-family dwellings and apartments; piping that serves or runs through a store, office or other occupancy must be metallic.
- In a building with an occupied floor more than 75 feet up, the water piping must be metallic.
- In the suburbs, the township enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code; ask which rules it applies at your address.
- The joining method: soldered with lead-free solder, press-connect, crimp or expansion fittings for PEX.
- The size of the main lines, and how the hot and cold runs are laid out (trunk and branch, or a manifold).

### Permit, license and inspection

Inside Philadelphia, a licensed master plumber oversees the work and pulls the L&I plumbing permit. In the suburbs, each township or borough's own permit and contractor rules apply.

- Who pulls the permit, and the master plumber's Philadelphia license number for work in the city.
- The permit fee shown as its own line, not folded into the total. L&I charges by fixture count.
- A separate permit if the service line from the curb stop into the building is replaced.
- For a suburb: the township or borough registration or license the contractor holds there.
- A certificate of insurance.
- Who schedules the inspections, and who will be there for them.

### Openings, walls 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 each opening, and to what finish: patched only, patched and textured, or painted.
- In a rowhouse or twin: how runs stay on your side of the party wall.
- How floors, furniture and stairs are protected.

### 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 building with several units: 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.
- What old pipe stays in the walls, disconnected, and what old pipe stays in service.
- 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, master plumber and license number
- Material, type and joining method
- Starts at / ends at; fixture count
- Whole or partial; what old pipe stays
- Risers, main shutoff, PRV
- Openings, and who closes them
- Permit, and who pulls it
- Working days
- Water-off windows
- Pressure test and inspection
- Not included (service line, drains)
- Total quoted

## Have these ready for every walk-through

- The year the house was built, and how many units the building has.
- Any home inspection report that mentions the piping.
- What the Philadelphia Water Department service line map, a PWD notice, or your water company says about the line from the street.
- Where the meter and main shutoff are, so the walk-through can start there.
- Any remodel, sale or purchase planned in the next year or so.

Giving every contractor the same facts is what makes the quotes comparable.

[Set a budget range with the cost calculator](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/tools/repipe-cost-estimator/)

[Read the Philadelphia repipe cost guide](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/repiping-cost-philadelphia/)