In 2017, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Gowanus — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes an apartment building, about 117 years old.
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The report, as Lou wrote it up.
2017, an apartment building, about 117 years old: 6 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 kitchen. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane, seen from: walked; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; brick full brick siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, steel lally columns; steam boiler heat on natural gas, 120 gallon gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 300-amp three phase and 40-amp for apartment circuit breakers (General Electric and General Switch), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, laminated t&g, carpet and linoleum floors, laminate cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Water ponding at rear of roof, will damage roof over time and cause a leak”; “Skylight frame over stairwell is rusted”; “Left front chimney flues need to be covered (no longer in use)”; “Right rear chimney flue needs to be covered (no longer in use)”; “In basement, door to center court yard is sealed shut”; “Fire escapes front and rear need to be painted”; “Metal is peeling and rusting”; “If not painted metal components will rust-jack”; “Fire escapes must be maintained to insure the safety of occupants and firemen”; “Left front burner does not ignite”; “Hall door to apartment is not square to frame”; “No ceramic tile in shower”; “Masonite with faux tile design, finish is worn-out around shower control valves”. Also noted: “No emergency lighting in common hallway and stairwell”; “Make sure to put money aside for replacement”; “Water heaters typically last 12 years on average depending on temperature and usage”; “Less for multi family buildings”; “Safety Item: Green ground wire is not clamped to water main and does not jump across water meter”; “Main panel in basement left side front”; “Cover silicone glued to wall and box”; “Thermostat had a locked cover over it, unable to operate at time of inspection”; “Water was low in site glass on boiler”; “Green indicator light is out on automatic water feed”; “Thermostat in third floor hallway”; “Auto water feed is very important on steam boilers. If boiler is run dry it will crack”. On the day: 70°F, heavy rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces south. Not inspected that day: ceilings; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; roof structure and attic; sump pump; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: basement windows; clothes dryer; clothes dryer vent piping; cooling and air handler equipment; dishwasher; exhaust fan; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; outlets & fixtures; pantry/closet doors; presence of installed cooling source in each room; roof ventilation; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
“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.
All three photographs are from Lou's own Gowanus inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11215: 1938 (Brooklyn: 1943). Of 32,197 units, 71% predates 1940; 10% is from 2000 on. Next come the 2000s at 5% and the 1940s at 5%. 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: 117 years old. (ACS)
72% utility gas, 13% electricity; fuel oil 9% against 7% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Brooklyn home oil spills under the borough, not Gowanus. 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)
23% buildings of 3 or 4 units, 23% buildings of 5 to 9 units, 13% two-unit buildings; 41% owner-occupied (Brooklyn: 30%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 36%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. Lou’s jobs here included 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)
98 flood-insurance claims from zip 11215 since 1978, most in 2021 (14): 73rd 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 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.
By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Gowanus (zip 11215) 1938, 9%, 41%; Sunset Park (zip 11232): built 1938, oil 10%, 24% owner-occupied; Fort Greene (zip 11217): built 1938, oil 8%, 29% owner-occupied; Carroll Gardens (zip 11231): built 1938, oil 10%, 31% owner-occupied. (ACS)
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: Greenwood Heights · South Slope · Park Slope · Sunset Park · Prospect Heights · Fort Greene · all 250 towns.
His Gowanus 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.