In 2020, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Heartland Village — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 12 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.
2020, a colonial, about 12 years old: 5 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 garage. As recorded: hip and flat roof, 3-tab fiberglass, rubber membrane and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 10 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, storage and light in attic, fiberglass and r-19 insulation, soffit vents, passive and thermostatically controlled fan ventilation; rock and mortar and clapboard vinyl and stone siding, chimney: metal flue pipe; poured concrete foundation, supporting walls; electric baseboard basement heat on electric, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and closet); 100-amp circuit breakers (Murray), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; casement, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Roof is 12 years old, with one layer”; “Ridge capping is raised right rear, most probably causing water stains on party wall in attic”; “Flat section of roof, right side rain trough is showing spider cracks, needs silver roof paint”; “Roofing tar can left on roof, will wear hole in flat section if not removed”; “Flat roofing material extended without support right front corner”; “Broken shingle right side rear”; “Right front short gutter, downspout needs elbow and pipe extension”; “Rear paver patio is not flat, very wavy and pitched toward house”; “Front sidewalk and driveway are pocked from salt damage”; “Safety item: Trip hazard. Driveway is cracked and raised near trough drain”; “Right rear fence wall is cracked”; “Garage concrete floor is cracked down middle and across width”; “Left front master casement window is fogged”; “Safety item: In attic, no fire-resistant sheetrock over furnace”. Also noted: “Gas shut off cock in wall behind dryer”; “Has ice maker and cold water connection”; “Safety item: In attic, no fire- resistant sheetrock over furnace”; “Shower diverter valve in tub faucet leaks”; “Water heater is 12 years old, near end of life”; “Meta round duct in attic is not insulated”; “Round flex duct slipping off main duct connector under evap unit”. On the day: 21°F, clear, cold, frozen ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces SE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; floors; insulation under floor system; plumbing water faucets; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls. Not present in this house: basement windows; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; range hood; sewage ejection pump; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders; windows.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
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The photograph is from Lou's own Heartland Village inspection report, chosen because it shows a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10314: 1976 (Staten Island: 1974). Of 33,554 units, the 1970s built the most, 29%; 7% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1980s at 24% and the 1960s 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: 12 years old. (ACS)
87% utility gas, 6% electricity; fuel oil 3% against 4% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Staten Island home oil spills under the borough, not Heartland Village. A tank is unlikely. 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% attached single-family houses, 29% detached houses, 25% two-unit buildings; 75% owner-occupied (Staten Island: 68%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 27%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. (ACS)
Staten Island (reported by borough): 253 basement tests, average 1.38 pCi/L, 16 at 4 or above (6%). First-floor tests there: 64, average 1.19. The highest basement reading was 14.1 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)
2,757 flood-insurance claims from zip 10314 since 1978, most in 1979 (813): 5th 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: Heartland Village (zip 10314) 1976, 3%, 75%; Port Richmond (zip 10302): built 1952, oil 8%, 57% owner-occupied; Staten Island (zip 10304): built 1966, oil 4%, 49% owner-occupied; Arden Heights (zip 10312): built 1981, oil 2%, 82% 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 Staten Island, 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: Meiers Corners · Port Richmond · Staten Island · Arden Heights · Concord · Shore Acres · all 250 towns.
His Heartland Village file goes back to 2020. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.