Between 2017 and 2020, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Hauppauge — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe a colonial and a ranch, from 51 to 57 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 14 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (7), roof, chimney and attic (5) and kitchen (2). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2020, a ranch, about 51 years old: 8 items flagged: 5 exterior; 2 roof, chimney and attic; 1 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, right front bedroom, fiberglass, below and r-19 insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard wood, vinyl and cedar siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 10 and 2"x 10"x 2ea main wood beam floor framing, supporting walls; hydronic heat on oil, 32 gallon (small) oil water heater (basement); 100-amp and (inadequate) circuit breakers (Crouse-Hinds), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; casement, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, carpet, tile and hardwood t&g floors, wood cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Right front gutter is full of pine needles”; “Right rear shed needs leader and gutter system to prevent water damage”; “Pine tree hanging over roof right front”; “Corner trim missing right front corner of garage”; “Piece of siding missing from right rear near soffit”; “Open seams in siding above gable vent”; “Right rear trim missing from fascia board”; “Left rear deck steps, rail is loose”; “Steps, left side stringer nail joint is separating”; “Nail heads popping on deck causing trip hazard”; “Deck boards need paint or water proofing”; “Front stoop, bluestone tread miter joints need pointing”; “Asphalt driveway has spider and roller cracks, and needs to be sealed”; “Left rear paver top step is undermining from water drainage”; “Left rear driveway drywell needs to be kept clear of debris”; “Safety Item: Fence with pool in yard must be high enough where a small child can not climb over”; “Left & right rear gates does not self close”; “Right rear wood stockade fence is water damaged and falling apart”; “Right rear shed fascia board needs paint”; “Left rear shed, fascia board is dry rotted”. Also noted: “Right front bedroom right side sliding windows are fogged”; “Main panel in garage left rear”. On the day: 55°F, clear, damp, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: garage floor; inground pool. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas meter; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; range hood; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; windows.
2017, a colonial, about 57 years old: 6 items flagged: 3 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in hallway and storage, fiberglass and r-19 or better insulation, gable vents ventilation; brick and clapboard vinyl and full brick siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 8 and 2"x 10" main beam x 3 x 2 ea floor framing, steel lally columns, crawlspace: from entry and limited access; hydronic heat on gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (Ite and Protrian Generator Circuit Panel), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, carpet and vinyl floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Left side of chimney flashing is torn from deteriorated brick”; “Many cracked and eroded brick joints on chimney for a height of 6' on all sides”; “Premium gutter guard installed throughout”; “Rear dormered section need leader pipe extension to lower gutter”; “Left rear leader pipe needs extension to direct water away from sun room footings”; “Left side concrete stoop cracked on sides”; “Caution fire hazard: In basement dryer vent piping has vinyl hose”. Also noted: “Extra insulation in attic”; “Wave ventilation system installed in basement”; “Some breakers observed in panel read half on/off. These breakers should be replaced”; “Outlet in garage needs is not GFCI protected”. On the day: 48°F, light rain, cloudy, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces NE. Not present in this house: cooling and air handler equipment; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; occupant door from garage to inside home; presence of installed cooling source in each room; trash compactor; 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 Suffolk County page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
All three photographs are from Lou's own Hauppauge inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11788: 1969 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 5,818 units, the 1960s built the most, 45%; 6% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1970s at 24% and the 1980s at 8%. 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: 51 to 57 years old. (ACS)
61% utility gas, 30% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 30% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 134 petroleum spills at private homes in Hauppauge since 1987, 36 since 2015. 10 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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)
78% detached houses, 8% buildings of 5 to 9 units, 6% buildings of 10 to 19 units; 84% 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 Smithtown: 64 basement tests, average 2.94 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (13%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 18, average 1.01. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 1st of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 42.6 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)
72 flood-insurance claims from zip 11788 since 1978, most in 1979 (25): 83rd 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 Town of Smithtown Building Department. 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: Smithtown · Central Islip · Commack · Nesconset · Islip Terrace · Kings Park · all 250 towns.
His Hauppauge 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.