Cristina Padilla
Owner
Reads the gauge on the first visit and writes every plan. Speaks Spanish.
Repiping in Des Moines and nearby suburbs
Low pressure in an older house? Often it's the pipes inside the walls.
Galvanized steel pipe rusts shut from the inside, a little more every year. We replace it with PEX, open your walls as little as we can, and write down your water pressure before and after.
- Licensed and insured
- Written plan before we start
- Se habla español
Before and after pressure
What the gauge says, before and after
On the first visit we put a gauge on your hose bib and read it twice: once with nothing running, once with a tap open. When the new lines are in, we read it the same way and write both pairs of numbers on your work order.
- Before
Old lines on a plaster wall
Corroded steel pipe and two old valves. Typical sign: the reading falls when a second tap opens.
- After
New lines, same wall
Fresh supply stubs with new shutoff valves. Same gauge, same tap, the reading written beside the first one.
- Before
Rust at the fitting
A galvanized tee rusted through its threads. The pipe is narrower inside than it looks from outside.
- After
New lines in the open wall
New pipe runs between the studs before we close the wall. The old steel comes out in pieces.
These photos are sample work, not a customer's job. Your own readings go on your work order.
What we open in your walls
Fewer holes than you'd think, and we tell you where
Most of a repipe happens in the basement or crawl space. Every opening is marked on your plan before we cut, and the plan says who patches it.
The wall behind the tub
The old riser and valves live here. We open from the closet or hall side when we can.
The wall between two rooms
Where a line has to cross upstairs, a narrow opening, cut square and patched with drywall.
A whole room, only if it must
Rare. If a pipe is buried where nothing else reaches it, the plan says so before the price.
How a repipe goes
Four steps, and you know each one the day before
Pressure check
A gauge on the hose bib, two readings, and a look at where the pipe enters the house.
Written plan
Which walls open, who patches them, what it costs. You can say no.
The swap
The water is off for part of a day. New lines go in, the old steel comes out.
Patch and final reading
Openings closed, the gauge read again, both pairs of numbers on your work order.
Who comes to your door
Four people you'll talk to, by name
Ten of us work out of the shop, in two repipe crews. These are the four you'll hear from before, during and after the job.
Luis Mejia
Repipe crew lead
Leads the first crew. Keeps the old pipe he cuts out, in case you want to see it. Speaks Spanish.
Edward Hutchinson
Repipe crew lead
Leads the second crew, mostly 1950s and 60s ranches.
Andrea Molina
Scheduling and office
Answers the phone, books the pressure checks and calls you the day before. Speaks Spanish.
Before any work starts
You get the number in writing before we cut
What moves the price
House size, bathrooms, how easy the pipes are to reach, and plaster or drywall.
What the plan lists
Labor, pipe, a permit when the city asks for one, and every opening and who patches it.
What it leaves out
Paint, wallpaper and tile behind the tub, unless the plan says otherwise.
From the neighbors
What people said after the water came back
“The shower ran hot and strong with the kitchen tap on. Luis showed me the old pipe he'd cut out, and you could barely see through it.”
Bronwyn K.Beaverdale, bungalow
“Cristina wrote down which walls they would open and who would patch them. They opened two. Nothing on the invoice surprised me.”
Marquis T.Merle Hay, ranch
“Andrea moved our day when the baby got sick and had the crew back the next morning. The gauge numbers were on the work order.”
Mihaela B.Highland Park
Sample reviews.
Where we work
From Beaverdale out to Ankeny and Waukee
Two crews work out of the shop on Beaver Avenue, in Des Moines and the suburbs around it.
Polk County
- Des Moines
- West Des Moines
- Windsor Heights
- Urbandale
- Clive
- Johnston
- Ankeny
- Altoona
- Pleasant Hill
- Grimes
Dallas County
- Waukee
- Adel
Warren County
- Carlisle
- Indianola
We don't go past Indianola or Adel. For Ames, Newton and Boone, call a plumber near you.
Quick answers
Questions before the first visit
How do I know it's the pipes and not the city?
We read a gauge on your hose bib with nothing running and again with a tap open. If the standing reading is fine and the running one falls, the restriction is usually in your own pipes. If both are low, we tell you to call the water utility.
How much of the wall do you open?
As little as the plan allows. Most of the new pipe runs through the basement or crawl space. The plan marks every opening before the price, and says who patches it.
Can we stay in the house?
Yes. The water is off for part of a day while we swap the lines, and we tell you the hours the day before. Fill a few jugs and plan on a restaurant lunch.
Start here
Book a pressure check
Tell us about the house and what the water does. Andrea or Cristina will call or text you a time.
Office line(515) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed