Brooklyn

Brooklyn brownstone inspections: century-old townhouses fail differently

A 1900 row house and a 1995 colonial have almost nothing in common behind the finishes. Attached walls, a flat roof, a cellar rather than a basement, and a hundred years of other people's repairs.

Historic brownstone facades in New York City

What is actually different

The things a suburban checklist misses

Lou spent thirty years building and renovating before he started inspecting, and pre-war city housing is where that matters most. These are the items a suburban checklist does not contain.

Party walls. An attached house shares structure with its neighbors. Movement, moisture and fire separation all behave differently when the building next door is part of yours.
Flat roofs and drainage. Ponding, failed flashing at the parapet, and internal drains that nobody has opened in years.
The facade. Spalling brownstone, failed pointing, and previous repairs done in the wrong material — which fails faster than the stone it was meant to protect.
Knob-and-tube. Pre-war wiring hidden behind newer renovation work. Finding it is a safety issue, not a footnote.
Cast iron waste stacks. A century-old stack can look sound and be paper-thin at the joints.
Lead and galvanized supply. On one inspection Lou found a lead service line the previous owners did not know was there.
Steam heat and old boilers. One-pipe steam is its own discipline, and the cost of getting it wrong is a heating system.
Settlement, old versus new. Cracking that has been stable for eighty years, and cracking that started last winter, do not look the same to someone who has built.

A Brooklyn brownstone, on very short notice

“We needed a home inspection on very short notice, and he made himself available for a 3-hour inspection to keep us within our timeline. Lou possesses a deep wealth of knowledge about Brooklyn brownstones and townhouses, and was able to explain historic quirks and issues specific to the home, and provided suggestions about facade restoration and electrical upgrades.”

Daniel L.Angi · May 2021

Buying a co-op or a condo instead?

The unit is only part of what you are buying into.

For condos and co-ops, common areas sit outside a standard unit inspection — the roof, the cellar, the mechanicals you will be paying to maintain through your monthly charges whether you ever see them or not. Where building management will grant access, Lou will look at what they let him into, so it is worth asking them before the inspection is booked. Whatever he cannot reach is listed in the report as not observed, with the reason.

One Brooklyn client had several condo inspections done and put it plainly: “He can work with a tight schedule and does a very thorough inspection. His reports are excellent.”

Under contract on a brownstone?

Call and describe the building — age, how many units, whether it has been renovated. Lou will tell you what he would be looking for, and whether he can make your deadline.

Call 516-330-3870 What New York requires Schedule an inspection

The water service where it enters the cellar - shut-off, meter and bonding jumper.

Decay and growth in a narrow side yard, out of sight from both houses.

Real photographs from Lou's own inspections, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Service area

Where Lou works

Long Island, the five boroughs and Westchester. The eight areas below each have their own page, because a house in Levittown and a brownstone in Brooklyn fail in completely different ways.

The real Google map, focused on Brooklyn — the area this page covers. Every area in the list below opens with its own map.

From the Brooklyn files

More of what Lou has actually photographed on Brooklyn inspections. Open any note to learn what the finding means for a buyer — every link stays on this site.

Close-up of a heavily soiled pleated air filter with a red arrow on the dust — The red arrow points to dust loaded into a pleated air filter. A clogged filter restricts airflow and makes the heating and cooling equipment work harder than it should.

Why this matters — why findings are photographed

Every photograph in a report exists to make a finding checkable — the point is not the picture, it is that you and your attorney can see exactly what the inspector saw. Read a complete sample report.

Screwdriver stuck into a wood beam above a painted brick basement wall, with a crack traced in red lines — The screwdriver is sunk into the main wood beam where it bears on the rear foundation wall — it penetrates easily because the beam has deep termite damage — and the red lines trace a crack in the brick wall below. The report recommends installing a steel or concrete block column on a concrete footing under this beam.

Why this matters — the structure

Cracks and damaged framing are information: their pattern and extent tell the report whether further evaluation by an engineer or the right contractor is the honest next step. The report documents location and extent so change can be seen later. What a condition report does and does not rule on.

Dark wood cabinet door beside a refrigerator cabinet wall, with a yellow label and red arrows marking where the door hits — The label marks the left side of the refrigerator cabinet, and the arrows show where a wall cabinet door hits it when opened. The report recommends evaluation and repair by a licensed cabinet contractor.

Why this matters — interior evidence

Interior finishes are read as evidence, not decoration — a crack pattern, a stain edge or a new patch of paint each say something about what the building has been doing. See how findings are documented.

Interior brick masonry with a long vertical crack traced in red, firewood stacked beside it — The red line traces a large crack down the side of the basement fireplace, with a small gauge card fixed across it to track movement. The report lists the crack as structural damage and recommends repair with high-strength mortar by a licensed fireplace contractor.

Why this matters — the structure

Cracks and damaged framing are information: their pattern and extent tell the report whether further evaluation by an engineer or the right contractor is the honest next step. The report documents location and extent so change can be seen later. What a condition report does and does not rule on.

Blue tarp and debris at the base of an exterior wall beside a black pipe and chain-link fence, red arrow pointing at the debris — The arrow marks steel debris and an old tarp left against the base of the wall during the construction process. The report documents this leftover material — nearby, similar debris covered the aluminum wall flashing so it could not be seen.

Why this matters — the exterior envelope

Siding, trim, masonry and parged walls are the building's raincoat, and cracks or failed mortar can give water a way in. The report documents their location and pattern so the right contractor or specialist can evaluate them when warranted. Where water gets in, explained.

Large cast iron drain elbow with banded couplings turning down beside a framed wall cavity, red arrow pointing into the enclosed space — The main cast iron drain turns down toward the whole-house trap, but the arrow shows the trap area closed up behind a framed sheetrock wall. The report says this must be opened up so a plumber can reach the trap.

Why this matters — the drains

Drains are judged where they are visible — traps, materials, slopes and improvised repairs. An improper fitting works right up until it does not, which is why it belongs in the report while it is still cheap. See how findings are written up in a real report.

All photographs are from Lou's own inspection reports for jobs in this area, screened so nothing identifies a property or an owner.