In 2015, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Chester — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a ranch, about 49 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.
2015, a ranch, about 49 years old: 9 items flagged: 3 roof, chimney and attic; 3 kitchen; 2 exterior. As recorded: gable roof, 3-tab fiberglass, seen from: walked roof, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: no storage, r-19 or better insulation, gable vents, soffit vents and thermostatically controlled whole house ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: metal flue pipe; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 8 and 2 x 10 x 4ea main beam floor framing, steel lally columns; hydronic heat on gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (Murray), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung windows, hardwood t&g floors, wood cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Although roof was not leaking at time of inspection. Mineral is worn out. Shingle are about 20 years old”; “Rubber Flashing Boot around drain vent is torn, leaking and metal flashing is rusted”; “No more than 25' between downspouts. This will help prevent icing up of gutters during winter months”; “Deck rear support header is not in contact with joists”; “Deck steps right side railing is loose and balusters are spaced too far apart”; “Deck rail balusters too far apart”; “Apron into garage is pitched wrong”; “Vinyl floor tile separating near rear door”; “Caution: Wall cabinets are hung with sheetrock screws through rear 1/8" panel. Possibility of pulling from wall”; “Oven door support springs are broken and handle is loose”; “Marble Saddle is cracked”; “Crack in foundation right side”. Also noted: “Whole house fan controls in hallway”; “Attic insulation filled up between ceiling joists”; “Toilet fill valve is filling very slow”; “Outside garage left side at meter and in garage left wall”; “Outside left side front of garage”; “Expansion tank on left side of boiler needs to be supported”. On the day: 32°F, cloudy, damp ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not present in this house: dishwasher; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; range hood; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; trash compactor; vapor retarders; windows.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
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All three photographs are from Lou's own Chester inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10918: 1982 (Orange County: 1975). Of 4,607 units, the 1980s built the most, 20%; 22% is from 2000 on. Next come the 2000s at 15% and the pre-1940 houses at 13%. 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: 49 years old. (ACS)
41% fuel oil or kerosene, 34% utility gas; fuel oil 41% against 28% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 209 petroleum spills at private homes in Chester since 1990, 106 since 2015. 9 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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)
74% detached houses, 9% buildings of 5 to 9 units, 7% attached single-family houses; 82% owner-occupied (Orange County: 68%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)
Town of Chester: 68 basement tests, average 5.88 pCi/L, 28 at 4 or above (41%). Orange County: 39% of 2,558. First-floor tests there: 37, average 3.22. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 8th of the county’s 22 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 48 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)
96 flood-insurance claims from zip 10918 since 1978, most in 1979 (21): 74th 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 Village of Chester Building Department. ZIP 10918 covers both the Village of Chester (this office, 845-469-2388 x243) and the Town of Chester outside the village (Town Building Department, 845-469-7000 x7); ask which one covers the property. 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: Chester (zip 10918) 1982, 41%, 82%; Suffern (zip 10901): built 1972, oil 2%, 73% owner-occupied; Pomona (zip 10970): built 1978, oil 5%, 78% owner-occupied; New City (zip 10956): built 1968, oil 1%, 94% owner-occupied. (ACS)
The New York State Uniform Code and the town water and septic arrangements: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Orange County, 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: Suffern · Pomona · New City · Congers · Croton-on-Hudson · Ossining · all 250 towns.
His Chester file goes back to 2015. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.