Builders Are Making More Strategic Plumbing Decisions in 2025

For builders and contractors, staying competitive means moving beyond code compliance to embrace smarter systems and labor-saving innovations while navigating labor shortages and rising material costs. Plumbing systems are no longer just a functional necessity—they’re a strategic differentiator.

In the past, plumbing was considered a commodity component, a necessary but routine part of home building typically handled by subcontractors who stuck with familiar copper or CPVC pipes. But that mindset is changing. Today’s builders are making more informed decisions about which systems to use, how projects are roughed in and what materials their subcontractors install. These decisions drive schedule reliability, cost savings and reduced callbacks—especially at scale. Plumbers still control much of the how of installs, but their material choices are shifting to align with builder-specified systems.

As builders take a closer look at plumbing materials that have a positive influence on project costs, installation time, code compliance and performance, there is increasing demand for complete solutions due to:

• Rising material costs – Traditional copper piping is subject to price volatility, tariffs and theft risk due to its high scrap value. While less expensive, CPVC is also affected by global supply chain disruptions. These issues are accelerating the shift to cost-efficient plumbing materials.
• Skilled labor shortages – A shortage of skilled tradespeople has made it difficult for builders and plumbers to staff projects. With 88% of construction firms reporting difficulty hiring,¹ the potential for delays has increased the demand for building methods that simplify installation and enable smaller crews to work on multiple jobs.
• Time-to-completion pressures – The tight housing supply, higher material costs and higher interest rates incentivize builders to deliver homes more quickly. Time-saving construction techniques minimize builders’ carrying costs and increase profitability while meeting housing demands.
• Code compliance complexity – To keep up with changing IPC and UPC requirements, more builders are turning to compliant-by-design systems that inherently meet or exceed code.

Shifting From Copper Components to PEX Systems

To address these challenges, builders are increasingly choosing materials that have a positive impact on project costs, timelines and even market appeal. This has resulted in a shift from traditional copper to PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) systems.

PEX adoption surged in the early 2000s as builders began to realize its benefits. By the late 2010s, the majority of new builds used PEX piping. While CPVC also gained traction as a lower-cost alternative to copper, issues such as brittle joints and longer solvent-weld curing times left an opening for PEX as a faster and more durable solution. The widespread adoption of PEX, which is now approved in all plumbing codes across the U.S., has removed the last barriers to transitioning.

Modern builders view plumbing holistically—as a unified system, rather than disbursed assemblies of pipes and fittings. This forward-thinking approach integrates all piping, fittings, manifolds, valves and smart controls into a single solution. By making a thoughtful system choice, builders can minimize leak risks, accelerate schedules and simplify coordination with other trades.

Smart system designs can support water-saving appliances, improve user experiences and even reduce energy bills.

Maximizing the Value of PEX-Based Plumbing Systems

PEX’s rise exemplifies how the plumbing decision can influence a builder’s bottom line. The numerous advantages of PEX systems demonstrate how they address industry challenges and why they have become the go-to choice of builders and plumbers.

Reduced Plumbing Installation Times

With plumbing rough-in accounting for approximately 20% of the total build time,² shortening this phase protects timelines across multiple trade schedules. Flexible PEX tubing comes in long coils, allowing installers to run continuous lines with few interruptions. Compared to heavy copper pipe, PEX is flexible, lightweight and much faster to install. This eliminates time-consuming manual steps, like soldering copper joints or waiting for CPVC glue to cure, enabling crews to rough-in plumbing much more quickly. A plumbing rough-in that might take a crew a week with copper could be done in a few days with PEX. Case studies show that PEX installs up to 50% faster than traditional copper in some projects.³ Faster installs mean shorter project timelines and an ability to meet tight completion schedules.

Lower Labor Requirements

Compared to crimp-and-solder methods, the flexible piping and streamlined connections of PEX systems enable smaller crews to get more work done faster, ensuring projects stay on schedule. PEX’s ease of use enables contractors to train new team members more quickly and allows for fewer skilled workers on-site. This simpler, quicker installation process reduces labor costs and increases capacity—a strategic advantage in today’s labor shortage climate.

Fewer Leak Points

Every fitting or joint in a plumbing line is a potential leak point. PEX’s flexibility reduces the number of fittings required. Continuous PEX runs can snake through joists and studs, eliminating the elbows and couplings required of a copper system. Modern PEX connections further improve reliability. For example, expansion fittings and push-to-connect fittings eliminate the need for open flames or glue, reducing installation errors. Builders receive fewer callbacks for leaks. Trusted manufacturers, like SharkBite, offer 25-year system warranties, reflecting the reliable, leak-free performance of these systems.

Home-Run Manifold Compatibility

PEX enables centralized system layouts that aren’t feasible with rigid pipes. Each fixture in the house is fed by its dedicated line from a central manifold, usually near the water heater. This approach, illustrated below, sends PEX supply lines directly to each fixture, reducing the total number of fittings, eliminating many branch joints, simplifying the network and allowing for easy isolation of individual fixtures. These layouts also minimize pressure drops and temperature fluctuations when multiple fixtures run, improving homeowner satisfaction. Home-run systems also speed up installs—running many small PEX lines is made practical by the material’s low cost and flexibility.

Easier Coordination With Other Trades

The flexibility of PEX benefits the whole build sequence, allowing it to be fished through studs and around HVAC ducts or electrical work with minimal interference. It bends around corners, often negating the need to notch studs or drill large holes that copper requires. This makes it easier to coordinate sequencing with framing and HVAC crews. The plumber can route lines in tight spaces after HVAC, or vice versa, without a tangle of rigid piping dictating layout. With no open flame required for soldering, other trades can work nearby. The result is a more harmonious build process and a reduced chance of rework due to trade clashes.

Lower Material Costs

PEX pipe is approximately 75% less expensive per foot than copper and isn’t subject to the price volatility of commodity metals.⁴ Add in labor savings—contractors save on specialized copper fittings and soldering labor—and the total system cost with PEX is even lower. Compared to CPVC, PEX offers better value when avoiding the added time and risk of errors associated with glued joints.

Scalability and Standardization

For production builders, standardizing on PEX-based plumbing systems offers economies of scale. Crews can repeat the same installation process on house after house, achieving assembly-line proficiency that drives down per-unit time and cost. Components like manifolds and flexible tubing can be stocked in bulk, offering consistency in quality across all homes in a development. This uniformity offers the added benefits of:

• Simplified training – Every plumber or subcontractor learns the same system.
• Faster inspections – Code officials become familiar with the method.
• Streamlined maintenance – Upkeep relies on standard replacement parts and known configurations.

Code Compliance

PEX tubing is a well-established, code-compliant material recognized by IPC and UPC for use in hot and cold water distribution. PEX has been incorporated into these model codes for many years and is treated on par with copper or CPVC, as long as it complies with the applicable ASTM standards and listings. PEX is approved for potable water systems in all model plumbing and mechanical codes across the U.S. and Canada. This means that if you’re building in a state or city that uses IPC or UPC, which is almost everywhere, aside from local amendments, you can use PEX pipe and the inspector will sign off, provided it’s installed correctly.

Supporting Broader Trends

As modern builds are increasingly tied to broader goals of efficiency, sustainability and smart home technology, builders are leveraging PEX systems to support these trends through water efficiency, energy savings and smart home integrations. Here’s how:

Water Efficiency

Aiding in a home’s water efficiency, PEX home-run systems with smaller diameter PEX lines can be run directly to fixtures. This leaves less water to cool in the pipes, so occupants waste less water waiting for hot water to arrive. Additionally, new plumbing codes and standards are setting stricter requirements for fixtures and encouraging designs that minimize excess water use. Builders who choose plumbing systems like PEX that deliver hot water more efficiently and support low-flow fixtures without performance complaints are ahead of the game.

Energy Savings

A well-designed PEX plumbing network can save energy in water heating by reducing heat loss and enabling the effective use of efficient water heaters. Unlike copper, PEX material has a slight insulating effect and doesn’t draw heat from water as quickly. Flexible PEX lines also facilitate energy-saving strategies like hot water recirculation and demand-controlled pumping. PEX is the renewable energy material of choice for integrating solar hot water or heat pump water heaters with domestic plumbing due to its high-temperature ratings and resistance to corrosion. For builders focused on high-performance homes and green building standards, PEX can handle advanced setups—ensuring features like high-efficiency water heaters, low-flow fixtures and even greywater reuse systems function optimally.

Smart Home Integration

Plumbing is joining the Internet of Things, with smart leak detection devices and smart water shut-off valves now protecting homes from water damage and helping owners monitor their usage. Many of these devices pair well with PEX systems. For instance, builders can easily insert an ultrasonic smart water meter or leak detector, such as RWC’s StreamLabs control, into PEX piping near the main, providing homeowners with real-time alerts on leaks or abnormal usage. If a leak is detected, the system can automatically shut off water to prevent damage—a selling point for new homes. Furthermore, the data from smart water monitors helps homeowners optimize their water consumption, aligning with green building goals. Modern PEX systems with compatible push-fit connectors make it straightforward to incorporate such upgrades.

Turning a Build-Side Decision Into a Competitive Advantage

Plumbing has transformed from a background commodity to a strategic choice for builders navigating the current construction landscape. With pressures like high material costs, skilled labor shortages and tight schedules, labor-intensive installs using rigid and expensive copper piping have given way to smarter solutions. Adopting PEX-based system-oriented plumbing is a win-win. It meets code and quality demands while delivering tangible business advantages—faster builds with smaller teams, lower costs and greater project scalability. It also aligns with the future of housing, supporting water efficiency and smart home trends that buyers and regulators are coming to expect in new builds. As plumbing becomes a strategic priority, builders who get it right are gaining more than code compliance—they’re gaining a competitive edge.