Between 2017 and 2022, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Fire Island Pines — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two colonials, from 57 to 61 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 16 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (6), roof, chimney and attic (4) and pool (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2022, a colonial, about 61 years old: 4 items flagged: 1 roof, chimney and attic; 1 kitchen; 1 structure. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, soffit vents ventilation; verticle slats t & g wood siding, chimney: metal flue pipe; wood post foundation, 2 x 8 and 2 x 10 floor framing, wood piers, crawlspace: crawled; 20 gallon (small) and 40 gallon (1-2 people) electric and propane (quick recovery) water heater (basement and under kitchen sink base cabinet); 100-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; awning and thermal/insulated windows, carpet, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, laminate and tile counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Wood main beam under house right rear is sagging from termite damage”. Also noted: “Both decks have extensive water damage to planking and railing”; “Stair support column is resting on laundry shed roof, X bracing needed”; “Tree branch hitting house left rear”; “Tree branches overhanging house on front side”; “Rubber washer hoses can burst, and fittings are corroded”; “House cluttered with many items”. On the day: 72°F, cloud, light rain, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: automatic safety controls; ceilings; insulation in attic; normal operating controls; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: chimneys, flues and vents; cooling and air handler equipment; food waste disposer; normal operating controls; operation of gfci; outlets; pantry/closet doors; presence of installed cooling source in each room; presence of installed heat source in each room; range hood; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
2017, a colonial, about 57 years old: 12 items flagged: 6 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 3 pool. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 10 rafters; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; wood planking wood siding, chimney: stainless steel; wood posts foundation, 2 x 6, 2 x 8 and 2"x 10"x 2 main wood beams floor framing, wood piers (pressure treated) and locust posts, crawlspace: crawled; 75 gallon propane (quick recovery) water heater (exterior laundry closet); 200-amp circuit breakers (Cutler Hammer), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; awning, sliders and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g and slate floors, wood cabinets, silstone counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Leaf debris is trapped under decking”; “Fireplace chimney top three sections are not secured to structure”; “Leader pipes north side are emptying near corner support column”; “Non rust proof nails staining wood siding”; “Siding needs to be water-proofed”; “Headers are putting downward pressure on door frames”; “Triangle shaped window in hallway is single pane”; “Wood frame around glass is not water-proofed or caulked”; “Stains on inside stairwell wall may be from water intrusion of window sill”; “Exterior wood stairs from ground floor to 1st floor roof, treads nailed not screwed to stringers, also needs water proofing”; “Wood posts for exterior stairs are not supported by concrete footing”; “Exterior stairs railings loose and no balusters present”; “Wood post water damaged under deck of pool, rear middle”; “Lower roof deck rail no balusters present and rail loose”; “Caution trip hazard: Lower roof one deck board middle split and sticking up”; “Upper exterior stairs stringers not secured to wall, no balusters present, side boards not screwed to upper end post”; “Upper roof railing no balusters present”; “Front boardwalk to main boardwalk trip hazard at seam”; “Caution safety item: Gates to pool area need to be self closing”; “May also be from single pane triangle window that is not caulked”. Also noted: “Propane storage bin near front boardwalk”; “Main panel in closet in east bath”; “Outside on side wall of propane enclosure”; “Caution shock hazard: Pool pump is not on a GFCI circuit”; “Jacuzzi hot tub is not on a GFCI circuit”; “Pump not bonded, does not have ground wire to ground lug”. On the day: 75°F, cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: insulation in attic; pool liner condition; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: basement windows; burner; chimneys, flues and vents; does pool have any rescue equipment; food waste disposer; gas meter; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; is the pool depth marked on outside area of pool; is there a depth of at least 8 feet to allow safe diving; pool heaters; presence of installed cooling source in each room; presence of installed heat source in each room; pumps for vacuum or cleaning; range hood; roof ventilation; sump pump; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; walls; 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 Fire Island Pines inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
These are Census figures for zip 11782, which covers mainland Sayville, not Fire Island Pines. Median year built in zip 11782: 1965 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 6,680 units, the 1960s built the most, 25%; 8% is from 2000 on. Next come the pre-1940 houses at 19% and the 1950s 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. Lou’s reports here: 57 to 61 years old. (ACS)
These are Census figures for zip 11782, which covers mainland Sayville, not Fire Island Pines. 53% utility gas, 36% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 36% against 45% county-wide. 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)
These are Census figures for zip 11782, which covers mainland Sayville, not Fire Island Pines. 80% detached houses, 5% buildings of 10 to 19 units, 4% buildings of 3 or 4 units; 76% 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 Brookhaven: 153 basement tests, average 1.79 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (5%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 85, average 0.79. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 6th of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 15.6 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)
1,011 flood-insurance claims from zip 11782 since 1978, most in 2012 (454): 23rd 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 Brookhaven Building Division. Fire Island Pines is a Brookhaven hamlet on Fire Island; mailing zip 11782 is Sayville (Town of Islip) but permits are Brookhaven. 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: West Sayville · Bayport · Blue Point · Holbrook · Patchogue · Islip Terrace · all 250 towns.
His Fire Island Pines file goes back to 2017. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.