In 2023, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Fort Greene — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two town homes, from 123 to 124 years old.
Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870
Lou’s two summaries flagged 17 items Repair or Replace, most for the roof, chimney and attic (7), exterior (6) and rooms (2). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2023, a town home, about 124 years old: 6 items flagged: 3 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 kitchen. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; cement stucco cement stucco siding, chimney: brick; brick and rock foundation, 2 x 10 x 16 o/c wood joists, section) and 3 x 10 x 24 o/c wood joists floor framing, supporting walls; insulated ducts, hot water off the boiler; 200-amp circuit breakers (Eaton), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; casement and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g floors, laminate cabinets, quartz counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “White roof mineral is starting to wear”; “Loose object left on roof can become a missile in a wind storm”; “Metal roof hatch needs paint, only has shop primer coat of paint”; “Metal roof ladder is designed to hang vertical, needs to be cut shorter and secured to wall under hatch”; “Left side of rear rain gutter is full of debris and standing water and gutter guard is torn”; “Large tree left front is cracking stoop left side cheek wall, as seen from under steps”; “Block retaining wall cracked right front garden”; “Tree branches overhanging and damaging roof in front”; “Pocket door difficult to lock”. Also noted: “No rear exterior outlet present at ground level”; “Handles missing from kitchen cabinets”; “Safety Item: Outlet to left of toilet is not GFCI protected”; “Wood sauna seats are removable for cleaning”; “Only partially visible in front utility rooms”; “Whole house trap in cellar right front corner”; “Main gas shut off cock in cellar right front next to gas meter”; “Sump pump in cellar left front utility room, tested”; “Main ground cable on water main, and jumping out water meter”; “Main panel in cellar, left front”; “Combustion air duct into cellar right front”; “Radiators not getting hot throughout house”. On the day: 39°F, light rain, cloudy, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: ceilings; insulation in attic; roof structure and attic; service entrance conductors; visible electric wiring in attic; walls. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; pantry/closet doors; roof ventilation; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2023, a town home, about 123 years old: 11 items flagged: 4 roof, chimney and attic; 4 exterior; 2 rooms. As recorded: gable and flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, turbines ventilation; brick and cement stucco full brick and cement stucco siding, chimney: brick; rock & mortar foundation, supporting walls & arches, crawlspace: no access; insulated ducts, hot water off the boiler; 200-amp, 60-amp plp and 40-amp 1f circuit breakers (Crouse-Hinds and General Electric), BX wiring, lead supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung, single pane and thermal/insulated windows, carpet, hardwood t&g and ceramic tile floors, wood and laminate cabinets, laminate and granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Safety Item: Debris left on roof can become a missile in a wind storm”; “Roof is about 10years old”; “Mineral is showing signs of wear”; “Water pooling and not flowing to drain over front facade”; “Flashing behind left rear chimney is open”; “Left front chimney cement cap needs to be built up”; “Left rear chimney has no cement cap, stainless flue pipe do not protrude brickwork”; “Brick are cored and holes exposed to weather”; “Large skylight frame is very rusted and section missing”; “Right side skylight frame is rusted”; “Bathroom skylight vent frame is rusted and door vent does not open”; “Roof hatch is very rusty, heavy and does not lock against intruders”; “Three roof turbine not turning bearing worn”; “Crack in flower pot concrete shelf front wall”; “Cracks in ornate shelf (concrete) brackets”; “Front wood doors finish is wearing off”; “Rear garden level sliding glass door handle is loose”; “Soil flowing into drain at front tree planter”; “Front upper facade missing ornate wood support brackets”; “Cracked ceramic tile by refrigerator and rear door”. Also noted: “Sink is installed over dishwasher to save on space”; “Instant hot water unit leaking under sink cabinet”; “No date on water filter under sink”; “GFCI outlets to left of sink no current”; “Hood not installed over stove”; “DR299BKSGLP / DOM March 2009”; “Outlet to right of stove loose and open ground”; “Light in pantry closet not working”; “Refrigerator door handle lower screw missing”; “Open junction boxes on basement ceiling and walls”; “Exposed conductors above 2R sub panel”; “PLP panel has uncapped conductor in panel”; “Ductwork to hallway register not connected on 1st floor”; “Leak in radiant heat in master bath floor as seen on infrared photo”; “Leak in radiant heating under atrium stone patio as seen on infrared photo”; “Outside temp 46 degrees to cold to operate units”. On the day: 46°F, cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; outlets & light fixtures; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: burner; presence of installed cooling source in each room; 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.
Related: The Brooklyn page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
Both photographs are from Lou's own Fort Greene inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11217: 1938 (Brooklyn: 1943). Of 21,590 units, 54% predates 1940; 26% is from 2000 on. Next come the 2010s at 19% and the 1940s at 6%. 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: 123 to 124 years old. (ACS)
58% utility gas, 26% electricity; fuel oil 8% against 7% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Brooklyn home oil spills under the borough, not Fort Greene. A gas conversion can leave a tank behind. 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)
33% buildings of 50 or more units, 19% buildings of 3 or 4 units, 16% buildings of 5 to 9 units; 29% owner-occupied (Brooklyn: 30%). With 42% 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 townhouse and a multi-family building. (ACS)
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)
40 flood-insurance claims from zip 11217 since 1978, most in 2012 (15): 114th 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 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.
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.
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: Prospect Heights · Park Slope · Clinton Hill · Brooklyn Heights · Greenwood Heights · South Slope · all 250 towns.
His Fort Greene file goes back to 2023. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.