In 2026, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Gramercy Park — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes an apartment house, about 95 years old.
Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870
The report, as Lou wrote it up.
2026, an apartment house, about 95 years old: 4 items flagged: 3 kitchen; 1 heating and cooling. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane, seen from: not allowed access; brick full brick, stone and masonry panel siding; 40-amp circuit breakers (Murray), BX wiring, public water, window AC; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g floors, metal and wood cabinets, marble counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Temp set at 41 degrees for refrig. and -1 degree for freezer”; “When tested with my Raytek Mini laser thermometer was 38 degrees and 13 degrees respectively”; “Refrigerator door handle, upper screw is loose”; “Dishwasher smelled when opened”; “Not all water is draining from waste water hose”; “Dishwasher was very noisy when operating”; “Floor spongy where living room meets entrance hallway”; “Loose gravel is behind fireplace damper plate, not allowing for good seal”; “Smoke test with Regin 45 Second Smoke Emitters, updraft was very good”. Also noted: “Not allowed entrance to roof”; “Commercial unit in basement not allowed access to inspect”; “Main water shut off valve behind toilet does work”; “Safety Item: Outlet near sink is not GFCI protected”; “Not allowed access to main electrical room”; “Safety Item: None present”; “Only in Bedroom and Living room”. On the day: 62°F, partly cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces NE. Not inspected that day: automatic safety controls; burner; chimneys, flues and vents; electric meter location; fuel storage and distribution systems; heating equipment; main fuel shut off; main water shut-off device; roof coverings; service entrance conductors; sump pump; trash compactor; wall cladding flashing and trim. Not present in this house: clothes dryer vent piping; exhaust fan; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; microwave cooking equipment; operation of gfci; presence of installed cooling source in each room; range hood.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
Related: The Manhattan page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
The photograph is from Lou's own Gramercy Park inspection report, chosen because it shows a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10010: 1954 (Manhattan: 1951). Of 19,014 units, 35% predates 1940; 12% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 14% and the 1970s at 13%. 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: 95 years old. (ACS)
47% utility gas, 33% electricity; fuel oil 9% against 15% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Manhattan home oil spills under the borough, not Gramercy Park. 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)
71% buildings of 50 or more units, 14% buildings of 20 to 49 units, 7% buildings of 10 to 19 units; 28% owner-occupied (Manhattan: 25%). With 85% 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 multi-family building. (ACS)
Manhattan (reported by borough): 131 basement tests, average 2.09 pCi/L, 16 at 4 or above (12%). First-floor tests there: 68, average 2.7. The highest basement reading was 49.5 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)
70 flood-insurance claims from zip 10010 since 1979, most in 2012 (26): 85th 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.
By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Gramercy Park (zip 10010) 1954, 9%, 28%; Chelsea (zip 10011): built 1938, oil 13%, 36% owner-occupied; Midtown East (zip 10017): built 1957, oil 8%, 31% owner-occupied; Greenwich Village (zip 10012): built 1938, oil 16%, 22% owner-occupied. (ACS)
The New York City Construction Codes, the NYC Department of Buildings records, NYC water and sewer and the offering-plan rules for co-ops and condos: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Manhattan, 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: Flatiron · Chelsea · Midtown East · Greenwich Village · Sutton Place · Midtown · all 250 towns.
His Gramercy Park file goes back to 2026. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.