In 2021, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Bathgate — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 111 years old.
Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870
The report, as Lou wrote it up.
2021, a colonial, about 111 years old, a two-family house: 9 items flagged: 3 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 2 garage. As recorded: gable and flat roof, 3-tab fiberglass and rubber membrane, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; brick full brick siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, steel lally columns and supporting walls; heat pump forced air heat on two, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); (2) 200-amp service panel circuit breakers (Eaton), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g floors, laminate cabinets, quartz counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Roof appears to be about 15 years old”; “Bricks and old roof hatch on roof right rear”; “Old roof cement can left by chimney”; “Right side chimney damaged and rain water getting inside”; “If not repaired water will stain party wall sheetrock”; “Safety Item: Left side chimney terracotta chimney cap is cracked”; “Left front leader pipe is not secured to building, elbow and splash block missing”; “Down spout near chimney needs screen to prevent clogging”; “Right and left side fascia boards need paint”; “Safety item: Door not fire rated”; “Wood floor damaged from moving dish washer”; “Stain in base cabinet left side of stove”; “Sink base cabinet door hits dishwasher door”; “Broken ceramic tile over basement drain cleanout”; “Large hole cut inside of vanity by plumbers”; “At entrance to shower, curb needs to be caulked to wall”; “Ceramic tile loose between vanity and toilet”; “Tile appear to be laid on plywood not concrete”. Also noted: “Rear patio, water pooling near berried oil tank fill cap”; “Sink trap glued in on one side can not be removed for cleanout”; “Toilet supply speedy hose leaking”; “No light bulbs in vanity fixture”; “No exhaust fan vent cover mounted on outside wall”; “Front door bells not working”; “Main panels in basement electrical closet”; “Filters not installed in return registers”. On the day: 40°F, rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: automatic safety controls; ceilings; floors; hot water systems, controls, chimneys, flues and vents; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; plumbing water faucets; plumbing water supply and distribution systems and fixtures; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic; walls. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; roof ventilation; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
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Both photographs are from Lou's own Bathgate inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10457: 1959 (Bronx: 1954). Of 27,795 units, 34% predates 1940; 17% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1970s at 10% and the 1990s at 9%. An older house is not a worse house, but its wiring, plumbing and roof were installed under different rules and replaced piecemeal, which is what the inspection looks for. Lou’s reports here: 111 years old. (ACS)
46% utility gas, 27% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 27% against 24% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Bronx home oil spills under the borough, not Bathgate. Ask about a tank, and for closure papers. A tank can be buried in the yard or sit in the basement, and a removed one should come with paperwork. Buried tanks are outside the standards New York sets for a home inspection, so the seller’s answer matters. (ACS, NYSDEC)
40% buildings of 50 or more units, 31% buildings of 20 to 49 units, 7% buildings of 3 or 4 units; 6% owner-occupied (Bronx: 20%). With 71% of units in buildings of 20 or more, many purchases here are apartments: the inspection covers the unit, and the roof, plant and risers belong to the board. Lou’s jobs here included a two-family house. (ACS)
Bronx (reported by borough): 101 basement tests, average 1.73 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (8%). First-floor tests there: 43, average 1.13. The highest basement reading was 20.9 pCi/L. EPA’s action level is 4 pCi/L, and it advises testing every home whatever the area’s results. Radon testing is optional. (NYSDOH)
1 flood-insurance claim from zip 10457 since 2021: 187th of the 189 zips on these pages. A claim count describes the zip, not the house. Flood zones follow the address. Check the address on FEMA’s map. (OpenFEMA)
The NYC Department of Buildings. Look the address up on BIS or DOB NOW. Your attorney usually runs the search. The inspection reports the condition of what is there and flags work that typically needs a permit, such as a finished basement, a dormer or a moved panel, so you know what to ask about.
By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Bathgate (zip 10457) 1959, 27%, 6%; Morris Heights (zip 10453): built 1954, oil 20%, 5% owner-occupied; Crotona Park (zip 10460): built 1963, oil 23%, 11% owner-occupied; Highbridge (zip 10452): built 1955, oil 17%, 3% owner-occupied. (ACS)
The New York City Construction Codes, the NYC Department of Buildings records and NYC water and sewer: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Bronx, so they are set out there with their sources instead of on each page.
Lou quotes the actual property, not a flat rate — what drives the price is size, age and what is included. The written report arrives the same day as a rule; a large or complex house can run to the next morning. Call or text 516-330-3870.
Lou covers Long Island, the five boroughs and Westchester from his base in Wantagh, and the archive behind these pages shows where that work has actually concentrated.
Nearby towns Lou has inspected: East Tremont · Morris Heights · Crotona Park · Highbridge · Castle Hill · Melrose · all 250 towns.
His Bathgate file goes back to 2021. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.