Does new Irvine development use pex or copper pipes?

I don't know anything about construction, but I would imagine developers use the cheapest available option.  If they could get away with it, they would use toilet paper rolls for plumming.
 
Many sites list out advantages and disadvantages between both. 

The average consumer will value copper more and when there is copper, you will see the listing agent highlight it due to the perception.

I have heard plumbers and GCs swear by both so I really look at it from a cost point of view.  If it is minimal savings, I go with copper and if its major, I go with pex.  We have done remodels with both and have not had issues with either in the last 2 years.
 
PEX is cheaper and easier to install so of course you'll see that in the new builds.

I think PEX has the advantage because metals can corrode but at the same time you wonder about polyethylene long term durability.
 
At some point there was a class action lawsuit against a manufacturer of brass fittings in PEX systems. Leaks can happen both in copper and PEX. With cholramine in the water supply, copper is getting more susceptible to pin hole leaks then it used to. With PEX, there is not a lot of data on long term leaching of chemicals into your water supply. When I was looking at re-piping it seemed that there was a 50/50 split on copper vs. PEX. I ended up going with higher quality copper + filtering the water.
 
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