What Poly-B Replacement Actually Costs in West Kelowna in 2026
West Kelowna is one of the most Poly-B heavy pockets in the whole Okanagan. The pipe was installed across Canada from roughly 1985 to 1997, and that window covers most of the original build out of Westbank, Glenrosa, Shannon Lake, Lakeview Heights and the Boucherie bench. If you bought a house on that side of the bridge and it has not been repiped, there is a good chance the grey pipe is still in the walls.
Most people start looking into this because of an insurance letter, a renewal surcharge, or a fitting that finally let go. Whatever brought you here, the question is the same. What does it cost.
West Kelowna Poly-B replacement pricing in 2026
These are whole home replacement figures for water lines only, supplied and installed in PEX, in the Central Okanagan market.
- Townhouse or small single storey, 1 to 1.5 bathrooms: roughly $5,500 to $9,000
- Typical 3 bedroom, 2 to 2.5 bathrooms, with a crawlspace or unfinished basement: roughly $8,000 to $13,000
- Two storey with 3 bathrooms: roughly $11,000 to $18,000
- Larger or multi level home, 4 plus bathrooms, finished ceilings throughout: roughly $16,000 to $28,000
There is a second number, and it is the one that turns a good quote into a bad surprise.
Drywall repair is usually quoted separately. A repipe means opening walls and ceilings at every fixture and along the pipe runs. Patching, taping, texture matching and painting typically adds $2,500 to $8,000 depending on how many access holes there are and how difficult the existing texture is to match. Knockdown and orange peel textures common in 1990s West Kelowna builds are matchable but fussy.
So a realistic all in figure for a typical West Kelowna Poly-B home, plumbing plus finishing, is commonly $11,000 to $20,000.
If you are holding two quotes that are $6,000 apart, before you assume one company is expensive, check whether one of them stops at open holes and the other hands the house back painted. That single line accounts for most large quote gaps in this trade.
What actually drives the number
Fixture count, not square footage. A repipe is priced by how many places water has to arrive. Every sink, toilet, shower, tub, hose bib, dishwasher, laundry box and fridge line is a termination. A 2,400 square foot home with two bathrooms is cheaper to repipe than an 1,800 square foot home with four.
Access to the runs. In West Kelowna this is the biggest single variable, because the housing stock is split. A home with an open crawlspace or an unfinished basement ceiling is straightforward, since most of the horizontal distribution can be run from underneath without touching finished space. A home built on a slab, or one where the basement was finished twenty years ago with drywalled ceilings, means running through walls and cutting far more access.
Hillside splits and multi level layouts. A lot of Lakeview Heights and Glenrosa homes are split level or built into a slope. More levels means more vertical chases and more places where a line has to cross from one framing bay to another. It adds labour and it adds patching.
Manifold or trunk and branch. A home run manifold system gives every fixture its own line back to a central manifold. It uses more pipe, takes longer, and gives you better pressure balance plus the ability to shut off one fixture without shutting the house down. Trunk and branch is faster and cheaper. Ask which layout you are being quoted, because the two are not the same product.
Whether the water service is included. The line from the municipal connection into the house is separate work. If yours is also original, ask about it now rather than a year from now.
Living in it or out of it. Most repipes here are done with the family still in the house, water off during working hours and back on each evening. That is normal and it works. It costs slightly more than an empty house because of daily setup and protection.
The insurance side, plainly
Insurers in British Columbia have moved steadily on Poly-B. Depending on the company you may see a surcharge, a water damage exclusion, a reduced limit, a demand to replace within a set period, or a refusal to write a new policy at all. Existing customers often find out at renewal rather than in advance.
Two practical points:
1. Get the replacement documented. When the work is done, ask for a letter on company letterhead stating the address, the date, that all accessible Poly-B potable water piping was removed and replaced, and what it was replaced with. Your broker will ask for exactly this.
2. Confirm what your insurer accepts before you buy a partial scope. This matters enough that it has its own section below.
Partial replacement, and when it is a false economy
You will sometimes be offered a partial job, replacing the accessible runs and leaving sections buried in finished walls. It genuinely costs less.
It can make sense when you are already planning a renovation that will open those walls within a year or two, or when the remaining run is short, visible and low risk.
It usually does not make sense when the reason you are doing the work at all is the insurance policy. Many insurers want the Poly-B gone, not reduced, and a partial scope may not satisfy them. Get your broker to tell you in writing what they will accept before you sign. Paying for the job twice is the most expensive version of this project available.
What a proper quote includes
- PEX throughout, with the fitting system and manifold named in the quote.
- New shut off valves at every fixture. Original 1990s angle stops are usually seized solid. Replacing them during a repipe costs very little and saves you a service call the first time you need to isolate a toilet.
- A new main shut off if the existing one no longer closes properly.
- Pressure testing before anything is closed up, and documentation of it.
- Removal of accessible Poly-B. Some abandoned pipe always stays inside walls. That is normal and expected.
- A clear statement of the drywall scope. Open holes, patched to drywall ready, or patched and painted. Pick one and get it in writing.
- A completion letter for your insurer.
How long it takes
For a typical West Kelowna home, plan on three to five working days for the plumbing, then drywall and paint afterward if that is in scope. A large or multi level home can run a week or more. Water is generally off during the working day and restored at night.
Questions homeowners ask
How do I know for sure that I have Poly-B?
Look where pipe is visible, usually at the hot water tank, under sinks, or in the crawlspace. Poly-B is a dull grey flexible plastic, roughly copper sized, usually joined with crimped copper or grey plastic fittings.
Is it illegal?
No. It is no longer used for potable water in new construction in Canada, but existing installations are not illegal, which is why so many homes still have it.
Will my water pressure change?
Usually for the better, especially with a manifold layout, because decades of restriction and degraded fittings come out with the old pipe.
Can I do one bathroom at a time?
Technically yes. It costs more overall because of repeated setup and repeated drywall work, and it may not satisfy an insurer until the house is complete.
Getting a West Kelowna quote
Ask two or three companies, and make sure each quote states the same fixture count, the same layout type and the same drywall scope. Quotes that do not state those three things cannot be compared to each other.
View Ultimate Plumber on the Okanagan Trade Directory
Ultimate Plumber is the plumbing arm of Timbercove Construction Ltd, a local owner operated company serving West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country. The work is carried out by journeyman plumbers and gasfitters, and full and partial Poly-B replacement and repiping in copper and PEX is the company's specialty. Call 250-469-4046 or request a callback.