95% of the houses here are slabhomes. We don't have crawlspaces and few homes have basements. That makes fixing the problem a pretty big ordeal.

The burst pipe situation doesn't come up here as often as it does in the midwest because we don't get that cold very often but we do range from 35 degrees to 125 degrees every year so the expansion and contraction still causes things to get loose.

That's tough, lookout. Is there any other alternative to digging this up?

Now that you've had a leak in one spot, you can count on others developing later.

You should consider stipulating that the replacement line be made of PEX.

It is much less likely to burst when frozen, and is much more flexible than most other water lines. In fact, if they are ripping up the floor, you could consider having them put in a conduit and run the PEX in that, so if there is ever a problem in the future, they can just pull new PEX through the conduit without tearing anything up.

That sounds like a good approach, glatt.

I'll have to look into it. or I might just burn the house down and be done with it.

Be sure to collect the insurance money.
:tinfoil:

Who me? Nah, but now that I think about it I have been storing all my diamonds, gold, and other valuables there...

I'll phone the sheriff with an anonymous tip that you have a body buried under the floor. Then they'll come dig it up for free.

This would be fine, except that they might find the bodies that you really do have buried under the floor.

Something like this?

That's a big problem with the burst pipe. After reading the comments it seems like it's common practice to put pipes under the slab. That doesn't happen too much over here though. Mostly the pipes are on the exterior of the house running around the base of the walls etc or under garden beds so they're accessable (in case they burst).

Is it still common practice to put pipes under the slab over there or is it mainly in older constructions?

around here exposed piping wouldn't last long. theft, vandalism, or just plain old sun exposure would destroy it pretty quickly. Most importantly, it would be unsightly.;)

Concrete eats copper, aluminum, galvanized steel, and even some plastics. :(

We have pretty harsh weather here which doesn't seem to destroy domestic plumbing. I've never heard of anyone having their pipes stolen from their house other than those under construction, and even then it's more often tools left onsite. As far as unsightly goes, I suppose it's what you're used to, but I think there are some very beautiful homes in Australia and they all have pipes exposed externally.

I believe you, just because all the photos I've seen from friends & family in Aus have looked great. But for the record, could you post an example?

It's absolutely what you are used to. In much of the U.S., we have utility poles with wires strung from them. They are just about the most ugly thing you have ever seen, and they are virtually everywhere in some regions. But the locals don't even see them any more.