In 2018, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in East Islip — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe an expanded ranch and a high ranch.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 15 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (7), roof, chimney and attic (5) and kitchen (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2018, an expanded ranch: 8 items flagged: 4 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 1 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in 2nd floor hallway, pull down stairs and light in attic, fiberglass and r-19 insulation, gable vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard wood siding, chimney: brick; masonry block foundation, 3 x 6, 2 x 8 and 2" x 8" main wood beam x 3 floor framing, masonry block, crawlspace: crawled; hydronic heat on natural gas, hot water off the boiler; 150-amp circuit breakers (Bryant and Murray), romex and BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; casement, double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, pine t & g and brick floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Loose shingle, left rear lower roof”; “Lower roof section over kitchen is covered in tree debris”; “Both chimneys need pointing”; “Fireplace chimney has loose bricks lower section, diagonal course both sides”; “Fireplace chimney cleanout door hinge is broken”; “Recessed lighting in attic can be a source of drafts”; “Left rear clapboard is cracked”; “Left side, rear upper clapboard has water, damage three pieces”; “Whole house and trim is in need of paint”; “Small rear wooden deck needs paint or water proofing”; “Large pine tree too close to kitchen wall”; “Much tree debris on kitchen roof”; “Small tree right front, too close to house”; “Front brick walkway is uneven and open joints”; “Wood stockade fence has water damage”; “Middle warmer burner does not get hot”; “Lower draw handle is loose”; “Steps on turn, seams are open and steps flex excessively”; “Front hallway casement windows won't open”; “Ceramic tile cracked left rear, tub wall”. Also noted: “Left side rear window sash weight chain is broken, sash won't stay up”; “Shower door are old and do not appear to be safety glass”; “Tub does not drain and stopper linkage is seized”; “Water pipes in crawl space are not insulated”; “Numerous two prong and open ground outlets throughout house”; “Loose BX cable next to breaker panel in office”; “Main breaker panel in dinning room”; “Baseboard blocking right side rear French doors”; “Heat pipes in crawl space are not insulated”; “Door in right side attic hits duct”. On the day: 44°F, clear, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not present in this house: basement windows; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; microwave cooking equipment; trash compactor; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2018, a high ranch: 7 items flagged: 3 exterior; 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in closet and storage, fiberglass and r-19 insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 6 floor framing, supporting walls, crawlspace: crawled; hydronic heat on oil, hot water off the boiler; 200-amp circuit breakers (Murray), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, window AC; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, laminate cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Chimney has hole in brick left rear”; “Splash block not under leader pipe left front”; “Gutter guard missing right rear”; “Rear patio door screen is off track”; “Front stoop, left side wrought iron railing is bent”; “Front stoop right side is cracked and hole”; “Rear concrete patio is cracked in half”; “Front concrete walkway, two flags cracked right side”; “Right front tree overhanging roof”; “Laminate is peeling of wall cabinet doors left side of refrigerator”; “Right side rear burner control not working and knob missing”; “Water stain in front of A/C unit”; “Master BR door damaged at bottom”; “Left front BR closet door damaged at bottom”; “Middle BR closet and entry doors damaged at bottom”; “Paneling water damaged below window to left of patio door”; “Door missing 1st floor stairwell”; “Bathroom door damaged at bottom”. Also noted: “Open junction box near whole house fan”; “Not fire-rated but covered with steel sheet”; “Switch cover missing middle bedroom 2nd floor”; “Outlet cover missing 1st floor front wall”; “Faucet handle set screw loose”; “Main water shut off valve in crawl space under front steps”; “Main panel in garage left front wall”; “Left front exterior wall of garage”. On the day: 81°F, partly, cloudy, dry ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: floors; insulation under floor system. Not present in this house: basement windows; food waste disposer; gas meter; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; microwave cooking equipment; presence of installed cooling source in each room; 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.
Related: The Suffolk County page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
All three photographs are from Lou's own East Islip inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11730: 1958 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 5,230 units, the 1950s built the most, 34%; 10% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 16% and the pre-1940 houses at 16%. 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. (ACS)
50% fuel oil or kerosene, 30% utility gas; fuel oil 50% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 168 petroleum spills at private homes in East Islip since 1986, 48 since 2015. 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)
80% detached houses, 7% buildings of 50 or more units, 4% buildings of 10 to 19 units; 85% owner-occupied (Suffolk County: 82%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)
Town of Islip: 70 basement tests, average 1.16 pCi/L, 3 at 4 or above (4%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 35, average 0.6. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 7th of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 10.4 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)
152 flood-insurance claims from zip 11730 since 1978, most in 2012 (59): 59th of the 189 zips on these pages. A claim count describes the zip, not the house; 2012 was the year of Hurricane Sandy. Flood zones follow the address. Check the address on FEMA’s map. (OpenFEMA)
The Town of Islip Building Division. 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.
The New York State Uniform Code, the Suffolk County Water Authority and private wells, and the Sanitary Code rules on cesspools (no in-kind replacement since 2017) and I/A septic systems: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Suffolk 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: Islip Terrace · Bay Shore · Central Islip · West Sayville · Fire Island Pines · West Islip · all 250 towns.
His East Islip file goes back to 2018. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.