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You're not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it doesn't burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.

You're not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it is far less likely to burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.

EDIT NOTE: I updated my answer to include information provided by other comments and my further research. In a nutshell, PEX is far less likely to burst than copper or iron pipe, but it's still a possibility. Thanks for the other contributors comments.

You're not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak. (Dang, I just used which 3 times in one sentence I'm going to have to study up on my grammar!) Anyway, on to the question.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it doesn't burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.

You're not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it doesn't burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.

Your not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak. (Dang, I just used which 3 times in one sentence I'm going to have to study up on my grammar!) Anyway, on to the question.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it doesn't burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.

You're not an idiot because you asked an intelligent question!

The problem with old iron/steel pipes is they rust on the inside which narrow downs the interior which results in reduced flow which gets worse over time and eventually they might even rust thru and cause a leak. (Dang, I just used which 3 times in one sentence I'm going to have to study up on my grammar!) Anyway, on to the question.

You've got it opened up, now is the time to upgrade. You'll hate yourself if you have to rip up a remodeled bathroom to replace 70 year old plumbing. PEX isn't hard to install and would make a great replacement and if you get the right tools (like a PEX expander), you can DIY, but if you're not comfortable with it, a decent plumber should be able to replace all that with PEX for a LOT LESS than $10K. I know pricing is off topic here, but just wanted to say.

The other advantage of PEX is even if it freezes, it doesn't burst like iron or copper would. DK where you are, but if in a cold climate area, that can be a plus.