What Poly B replacement costs in Ottawa

Ranges, not a price. Anyone quoting a firm number before seeing your basement ceiling is guessing, and the guess will be revised.

Typical Ottawa ranges

These cover plumbing labour, PEX and fittings, fixture reconnection and pressure testing. Drywall and ceiling repair is listed separately because that is how contractors price it — and where one quote differs most from the next.

Planning ranges for the Ottawa area, 2026. Your quote may fall outside them.
Home	Plumbing only	With drywall and ceiling repair
Townhouse, 1–2 baths	$3,500 – $6,500	$5,000 – $9,000
Bungalow, unfinished basement	$4,000 – $7,500	$4,500 – $9,000
Bungalow, finished basement	$5,500 – $9,000	$7,500 – $13,000
Two-storey, 2–3 baths	$6,500 – $11,000	$9,000 – $15,000
Larger or heavily finished home	$9,000 +	$13,000 – $22,000

Industry analysis published in June 2026 put Ottawa-area Poly B replacement at roughly $9,000 to $15,000 for the plumbing portion on the projects it reviewed, which skews toward larger detached homes. Smaller homes with accessible basements land well below that.

The five things that actually move your number

Basement ceiling

Open joists versus finished drywall is the single largest swing. Everything above it has to be reached from somewhere.

Fixture count

Each bathroom, laundry, kitchen and outdoor hose bib is a run, a connection and a test point.

Storeys

Second-floor bathrooms mean vertical access, usually through a closet, a bulkhead or a wall cavity.

Who patches

Drywall repair, taping, priming and paint can add thousands. Confirm whether it is in the quote and to what finish.

What you add while walls are open

Shut-off valves, a manifold, a new laundry box, sometimes a backwater valve. Cheap now, expensive later.

Six questions to put to the quote

Is every fixture on the new system, or are two awkward runs being left on Poly B?
Is drywall repair included — and does that mean patched, taped, primed, or painted to match?
Who pulls the plumbing permit, and is the inspection in the price?
How many days will water be off, and does the crew work weekends?
What is the warranty on labour, separate from the PEX manufacturer warranty?
Is old pipe removed or abandoned in place? Both are normal; the price should reflect it.

On insurance and cost. Replacement is almost never covered — insurers pay for sudden damage, not for upgrading a material they consider risky. But removing Poly B often removes a surcharge or an exclusion at renewal, so ask your broker what the policy looks like afterward before you decide on scope.

Is a partial replacement worth it?

Sometimes. If half the house was repiped during a renovation and the remainder is accessible, finishing the job is straightforward and cheap. If the plan is to replace only the sections you can see, understand what you are buying: the runs still hidden in the walls are the same age, the same material and the ones most likely to cause damage when they fail. Insurers generally ask whether Poly B remains in the home, not how much.