Brooklyn · town homes

Home inspector in Cypress Hills, NY

Between 2017 and 2018, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Cypress Hills — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two town homes, from 9 to 107 years old.

Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870

What the Cypress Hills reports found

Lou’s two summaries flagged 13 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (7), roof, chimney and attic (5) and electrical system (1). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.

2018, a town home, about 107 years old: 8 items flagged: 4 roof, chimney and attic; 3 exterior; 1 electrical system. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 8 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in closet and no storage, fiberglass and r-19 insulation, skylight vents ventilation; brick and cement stucco full brick siding, chimney: brick; brick foundation, 2 x 8 floor framing, supporting walls; hydronic heat on natural gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp and 50-amp x 3 circuit breakers (General Electric), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, hardwood t&g, linoleum and laminated t&g floors, wood and laminate cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Roof is over 20 years old with many cracks, air and water bubbles especially in rear”; “Old TV antenna attached to plumbing vent pipe should be removed to prevent roof damage”; “Roof ladder closet filled with garbage”; “Rear leader and gutter is filled with tree debris”; “Installation of gutter guard do to close proximity of large tree in rear yard”; “Left side parapet wall is falling apart for a length of 20 feet”; “Ceramic wall copping is displaced”; “Front door dead bolt is missing”; “Concrete rubble left on side of front walkway”; “Front walkway need protection from undermining”; “Safety Item: Left rear dividing wall has nails protruding”; “Rear wall has large tree log pushing on it”; “Ceramic floor tile are cracked”; “Front window upper sash is cracked”; “Cabinet drawn left side missing”; “Black ceramic tile are broken in front of stove”; “Oven ignitor did not light”; “Boiler room ceiling needs fire-resistant sheetrock”; “In basement boiler room dirt and debris on left, right and rear sides”; “Floor is damp from leaking middle boiler”. Also noted: “Viewed from roof ladder, partially visible”; “Safety Item: Cover missing from trap allowing sewer gas to escape”; “Pipe emptying into trap pit”; “Main panel in basement left side front cabinet”; “Basement sub panel in right front room”. On the day: 80°F, clear, dry ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces SE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; floors; insulation under floor system; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: cooling and air handler equipment; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; normal operating controls; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.

2017, a town home, about 9 years old, a two-family house: 5 items flagged: 4 exterior; 1 roof, chimney and attic. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, passive ventilation; brick and clapboard vinyl and full brick siding, chimney: PVC; poured concrete foundation, supporting walls; hydronic heat on gas, 45 gallon (1-2 people) indirect fired water heater (first floor utility closet); 100-amp and 60-amp circuit breakers (Murray and Siemens), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, window AC; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g, vinyl and tile floors, wood cabinets, granite and laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Seams in roofing are opening up toward rear”; “Brickwork starting to rust-jack on right side of stoop from steel lentil iron over doorway”; “Front and rear storm doors missing door closing piston”; “Rear wooden steps, first tread is split”; “Rear wooden steps, left side rail post loose and split at bottom”; “Rear wooden steps and platform need paint or waterproofing”; “Front stoop top tread has open joint on bottom and is cracked on right side from railing post”; “Underside of top platform has water damage”; “Bottom post front railing right side hole needs to be filled in with anchoring cement”; “Unable to check rear outlet, cover blocked by railing post”; “Microwave door latch is broken”; “Clogged with lint on roof”; “Old water damage in basement hallway”; “Old water damage in basement bath”; “Old water damage in 1st floor bath, sheetrock and insulation removed to repair pex water leak 2nd floor rear bedroom closet”; “Old water damage in 1st floor hallway”; “Old water damage to paint in basement hallway”; “Old water damage to paint in basement bath”; “Old water damage to paint in 1st floor hallway”; “Old water damage to paint in first floor hall bath”. Also noted: “Checked plumbing water supply for leaks non found, (verified with water meter no movement)”; “Infrared photography of walls and ceiling no leaks found”; “Main water shut off in storage space under front stoop”; “Conduit is corroded in storage space under front steps”; “Front doorbell button is broken”; “Main panels in front next to meters”; “Sub panel on wall in basement hallway”; “Sub panel on wall in first floor hallway”; “Radiators are not getting hot in basement and in second floor front bedroom”; “Checked heat system for leaks non found, (verified with water meter no movement)”; “Too cold to operate window A/C units with out damage”; “Window A/C units do not fit wall sleeves properly”. On the day: 50°F, clear, 5 mph wind, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: ceilings; cooling and air handler equipment; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; normal operating controls; roof structure and attic; vapor retarders; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; presence of installed cooling source in each room; skylights, chimneys and roof penetrations; solid fuel heating devices; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.

“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.

What the inspection can examine here

Siding, trim, flashing, grading and drainage — where water is being sent, and whether it is being sent at the house.
The heating plant and any central air — operated in normal mode, dated from the data plate, with the flue and clearances looked at where accessible.
The roof, chimney and attic — how the roof was observed is stated in the report, as New York requires, and the attic is entered wherever a hatch allows.
Radon — a separate, optional test arranged alongside the inspection.

Photographs from Cypress Hills reports

Brick side wall of a building seen from below with a red line and 20 foot label marking the deteriorated parapet. — Left side parapet wall is falling apart for a length of 20 feet. The red markup measures the affected run along the top of the wall.

Attic framing with a red arrow pointing to where roof rafters bear on a wall, insulation and debris below. — In the attic the roof rafters are supported in the middle to a bearing wall, as recorded in the structural section of the report.

Open trap pit in a basement floor with red arrows at two pipe openings and the label pipe emptying into trap pit. — Cover missing from the trap, allowing sewer gas to escape. Red arrows mark the open pipe ends emptying into the trap pit.

All three photographs are from Lou's own Cypress Hills inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Buying in Cypress Hills: the questions with sourced answers

Each answer is built from Cypress Hills’s own rows in public data — the Census, NYSDOH, NYSDEC, FEMA, the office that holds the permits — or from Lou’s reports, and cites its source. Data retrieved 1 November 2026.

How old are the houses in Cypress Hills?

Median year built in zip 11208: 1950 (Brooklyn: 1943). Of 37,261 units, 42% predates 1940; 11% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 10% and the 1950s 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: 9 to 107 years old. (ACS)

How are homes in Cypress Hills heated? Is an oil tank likely?

87% utility gas, 5% electricity; fuel oil 4% against 7% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 1 petroleum spill at private homes in Cypress Hills since 2018, 1 since 2015. A tank is unlikely. An abandoned tank is most likely in a house that was converted from oil. Buried tanks are outside the standards New York sets for a home inspection, so the seller’s answer matters. (ACS, NYSDEC)

Is Cypress Hills mostly houses or apartments, owned or rented?

30% two-unit buildings, 28% buildings of 3 or 4 units, 15% buildings of 50 or more units; 26% owner-occupied (Brooklyn: 30%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 58%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. Lou’s jobs here included a two-family house and a multi-family building. (ACS)

Is radon a concern in Cypress Hills?

Brooklyn (reported by borough): 528 basement tests, average 2.07 pCi/L, 54 at 4 or above (10%). First-floor tests there: 116, average 0.88. The highest basement reading was 41.2 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)

Has Cypress Hills flooded? Is the house in a flood zone?

16 flood-insurance claims from zip 11208 since 1978, most in 2014 (5): 158th 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)

Who holds the permits and certificate of occupancy in Cypress Hills?

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.

Which code, water and sewer rules apply in Cypress Hills?

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 Brooklyn, so they are set out there with their sources instead of on each page.

How much does a home inspection in Cypress Hills cost, and how fast is the report?

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.

Brooklyn, town by town

Every Brooklyn place with a page here, each with the real count from Lou's records. The Brooklyn page covers the county as a whole.

Where this sits in Lou's territory

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: Ozone Park · Woodhaven · Howard Beach · Glendale · Ridgewood · Brownsville · all 250 towns.

Buying in Cypress Hills?

His Cypress Hills file goes back to 2017. Yours would not be the first.

Schedule an inspection Call 516-330-3870

Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.