From rough-in piping for new builds to modern fixture installations, we ensure your home's plumbing systems are reliable, efficient, and strictly up to code.
Dealing with a failing repipe candidate, a dead water heater, or a backed-up sewer line? Apex Build manages the entire plumbing project for you, handling permits, scheduling, and code compliance, while a licensed C-36 plumbing partner handles the licensed trade work itself. You get one point of contact and one project plan instead of coordinating separate contractors on your own.
Licensed California General Contractor (CSLB Class B) · Fully Insured · Serving Los Angeles and surrounding cities
Apex Build project-manages the full range of residential plumbing work, coordinating licensed C-36 plumbing partners for every scope below:
Whole-house and partial repiping (copper, PEX, and CPVC)
Water heater replacement and installation, tank and tankless
Fixture installation: toilets, faucets, sinks, and tubs
Drain and sewer line repair and replacement, including trenchless lining and pipe bursting
Galvanized pipe replacement in older homes
Slab leak diagnosis and repair coordination
Hydro jetting and camera inspection for stubborn or recurring clogs
Free consult and scope walkthrough. We look at your pipe material, water heater age, and what you're trying to solve, whether that's a standalone repair or plumbing tied to a larger remodel.
Diagnosis and project design. For sewer or repipe concerns, this can include a camera inspection to confirm what's actually happening underground before anyone digs.
Permit filing with LADBS. Apex Build handles the paperwork and submission for repipes, water heater swaps, sewer work, and anything else that requires a permit.
Licensed plumbing work. A licensed C-36 plumbing contractor we coordinate performs the actual installation or repair, under Apex Build's project management and schedule.
LADBS inspection and sign-off. An inspector verifies the completed work meets code before it's considered done.
Final walkthrough. We confirm everything works and answer questions before closing out the project.
Plumbing pricing depends on scope, pipe material, and how much of the job is hidden behind walls or underground. These are the typical ranges homeowners in the LA market are seeing right now.
A whole-house repipe in Los Angeles averages around $8,900, roughly 37% above the national average. The full range runs $1,704 to $17,040, with most homeowners landing near $8,520 and standard-sized homes commonly falling between $9,000 and $15,000. Copper pipe runs $3 to $9 per linear foot, while PEX and CPVC start around $1 per linear foot. Plumber labor in LA generally runs $50 to $230 per hour. Sources: Angi, RenovCost.
A standard 40 to 50 gallon tank water heater replacement typically runs $799 to $1,499 installed, with labor around $150 to $450 and equipment costs of $700 to $1,500 for a 40-gallon unit or $900 to $2,200 for an 80-gallon unit. Source: Angi.
Tankless water heater installation runs $1,499 to $3,499 total. Equipment alone costs $700 to $2,500 for gas units or $900 to $3,000 for electric, with labor around $600 to $1,850. If your home needs a gas line upgrade, add $1,500 to $2,300; venting runs $40 to $100, and the permit itself is $25 to $300. Tankless units generally cost about twice as much upfront as a tank, but they last longer and run more efficiently over time. Sources: Angi, Western Rooter.
A general plumber service call in LA averages $385, with a typical range of $193 to $600 and an hourly rate of $81.45 to $135.75. A toilet install runs $350 to $800 total, with labor alone landing at $150 to $450 and complex jobs reaching $900 or more. Faucet or sink installation costs $180 to $480 when the hookups already exist, or as little as $100 to $300 for a simple faucet swap. New-construction fixture installs run $200 to $1,000 per fixture. Sources: Angi, HomeGuide, LA Plumber Service.
Sewer and drain line pricing varies by method and by which local source you check, so we're giving you the wider verified range rather than a single narrow number. Trenchless sewer repair in LA runs roughly $90 to $400 per linear foot, with most full trenchless projects totaling $4,000 to $15,000. Trenchless methods (pipe lining or pipe bursting) avoid digging up your whole yard, which is why they tend to cost less in restoration than a full dig-and-replace job on top of the pipe work itself. Sources: Angi, Covina Septic, Monrovia Septic.
Get a free, itemized estimate for your specific scope.
Yes, in most cases. LADBS requires a permit for the installation or modification of drainage, waste and vent systems, fuel gas piping, and potable water piping. Many of the most common jobs qualify for an over-the-counter (OTC) express permit that skips plan check and gets issued the same day, including straightforward water heater swaps and fixture replacements. Source: LADBS Plumbing Permits.
Even a like-for-like water heater replacement needs an OTC permit, not just a courtesy swap. California's Health and Safety Code also requires seismic strapping and a temperature-pressure relief valve on the unit, both of which LADBS checks at final inspection. Sources: LADBS Water Heater Permit FAQ, LADBS Express Permits Guide.
Sewer alteration, repair, and replacement also fall under the express permit category: no plan check, but a permit is still required. Underground water line repiping, done at the same size and material as the existing pipe, qualifies the same way, though the old pipe has to stay uncovered until an LADBS inspector confirms it in the field. A full or whole-house repipe that goes beyond a like-for-like swap may need plan check depending on the scope. Source: LADBS Express Permits Guide.
The permit rules above reflect City of Los Angeles and LADBS process specifically. If your property sits in a different city or unincorporated LA County, your local building department's process and fees may differ.
Most whole-house repipes take about 4 days start to finish. Smaller homes can wrap in 1 to 2 days, while larger or more complex layouts can stretch to a week. The actual pipe installation itself is usually only 1 to 2 days of that; the rest of the timeline is inspections, permit sign-off, and drywall patching. Jobs pulled with a permit tend to run 3 to 4 days; without one, 2 to 3 days, though we don't recommend skipping the permit. Water service is typically restored by the end of each work day, and most homeowners are able to stay in the house through the project. Source: Repiping.com.
Apex Build holds a California Class B general contractor license, which covers general construction and remodeling work. It does not include C-36 plumbing licensure. Plumbing is a specialty trade under CSLB rules, and standalone plumbing jobs (a repipe on its own, a water heater swap on its own, a sewer repair on its own) require a licensed C-36 plumbing contractor. Sources: Contractors I School, CSLB Licensing Classifications, California Plumbing Authority.
That's why Apex Build works as the general contractor on your plumbing project rather than as the plumber of record. We manage the scope, the permits, and the schedule, and we coordinate licensed C-36 plumbing partners to perform the actual installation and repair work. You get a single project manager overseeing a licensed trade professional, instead of vetting and scheduling a separate plumbing company yourself.
Homes built before the 1960s in the LA area often still run on original galvanized steel pipe, which typically lasts 40 to 60 years depending on water quality and household use. LA and Southern California's hard water accelerates the internal corrosion that eventually kills these pipes. Watch for discolored or rust-tinged water (especially after the tap sits overnight), recurring leaks at fittings and joints, dropping water pressure from corrosion buildup inside the pipe, visible external corrosion, or a metallic taste. Sources: Western Rooter, Repipe Service.
Older homes with clay or cast-iron sewer lines are also prone to tree-root intrusion, a pattern documented across older Southern California neighborhoods. Roots find their way in through hairline cracks or loose joints while chasing moisture, then grow from a thread into a full root mass over months or years. Homeowners usually only find out it's happening once a camera inspection turns it up, and the trapped moisture from root pressure speeds up cast-iron pipe corrosion at the same time. Sources: Western Rooter, AYS Plumbing.
If your home falls into that older build range, our initial walkthrough includes a pipe-age assessment, and a camera inspection for sewer concerns, so you know what you're actually dealing with before you commit to a scope.
Most plumbing companies in LA are standalone plumber shops. They're licensed for the trade work, but they don't manage the rest of your project, and most don't publish pricing on their site, so you end up requesting a quote just to get a ballpark figure.
Apex Build works differently because we're a general contractor first. If your plumbing scope is part of something bigger, like a kitchen remodel that includes new fixture rough-ins or a bathroom addition that needs a repipe, we plan the plumbing work as one piece of that larger project instead of treating it as a separate job with its own timeline. We handle the LADBS permit process, coordinate diagnosis and design against your actual project plans, and line up the licensed C-36 plumbing partner doing the trade work, so you're not the one juggling multiple contractors and matching up their schedules.
Apex Build provides plumbing project management across Los Angeles and the surrounding area, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Malibu, and Venice.
Have questions? We've got answers. Here are some of the most common questions we receive from our customers.
Get a clear estimate and a realistic timeline before you commit to anything. We'll walk your property and tell you exactly what the work involves.
Request a no-obligation estimate based on your home and needs.
We're based in Los Angeles for fast response and scheduling.
We pull permits and manage inspections, so the paperwork doesn't land on you.
Consistent finishes that hold up over time
