Between 2016 and 2018, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Holbrook — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe a colonial and a ranch, from 22 to 24 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 20 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (8), roof, chimney and attic (5) and kitchen (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2018, a ranch, about 24 years old: 5 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 plumbing. As recorded: gable roof, architectural, seen from: walked, framed with 2x6 wood trusses; attic: light in attic and no storage, fiberglass and r-30 or better insulation, soffit vents, passive and thermostatically controlled fan ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: vinyl siding and metal flue pipe; poured concrete foundation, slab and rienforced concrete floor framing, supporting walls; forced air heat on natural gas, 30 gallon (small) gas (quick recovery) water heater (garage utility closet); 150-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, ceramic tile and hardwood t&g floors, laminate cabinets, silestone counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Metal chimney cap is rusted”; “Hallway bath skylight is fogged”; “Right side gutter is filled with leaves, debris and water”; “Right side won't drain leader pipe filled with leaves”; “Right side leader needs gutter guard”; “Rear dining room sliding door has water in lower track”; “Sprinkler heads near foundation can cause water damage to underling wood”; “Sprinkler heads near A/C units can shorten the life”. Also noted: “Roof and ceiling is a truss system”; “Too cold to operate thermochemically controlled fan”; “Good insulation coverage in attic”; “Two tiles are cracked near rear sliding door”; “Light switch near kitchen entrance is not a three-way or wired wrong”; “Shower diverter in faucet spout is jammed”; “Left side front , next to gas meter”; “Exterior, kitchen, and bath outlets are all tied to main GFCI outlet in garage”; “Outside left side, left front of garage”; “Register at side entrance is not getting hot”. On the day: 41°F, light rain, cloudy, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces north. Not inspected that day: floors; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls. Not present in this house: basement windows; fence; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; insulation under floor system; microwave cooking equipment; pantry/closet doors; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; trash compactor; windows.
2016, a colonial, about 22 years old: 15 items flagged: 6 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 3 kitchen. As recorded: hip roof, architectural, seen from: walked roof, framed with 2 x 10 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in closet, pull down stairs and light in attic, r-19 insulation, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard vinyl and full brick siding, chimney: vinyl siding; poured concrete foundation, 2 x12 and 2"x 12"x 2 ea laminated beams floor framing, steel lally columns; forced air heat on gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and closet downstairs); 200-amp circuit breakers (General Electric and Thomas& Betts(T&B)), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung and sliders windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Missing shingle on right front peak”; “Shingle are near end of life”; “Fiberglass is starting to show in many areas”; “Chimney cap on right side chimney is rusted”; “Right front gutter is ripped in two places”; “Many hanger spikes are pulling out”; “Leader pipe from main roof onto front entrance roof needs to be relocated to side and down to ground”; “Leader elbow on left side should have splash block to keep water away from foundation”; “Leader pipe left side of entrance needs pipe extension”; “Leader pipe on right side upper should lead all the way to ground not running on garage roof”; “Right rear near chimney no gutter installed”; “Keep in mind there should be a downspout for every 25 feet of leader”; “Main attic insulation missing from wall and floor”; “Lentil iron over front door is rust-jacking left side”; “Lentil irons need to be maintained or they will crack your brick work”; “Garage passage door is rusted, needs paint”; “Garage passage door jamb is dry-rotted”; “Rear patio double doors all frames and trim have water damage at bottom and top”; “Screen doors are missing and or doors damaged and closing pistons missing and not secured”; “Left side entrance paint is worn out and storm door screen is missing”. Also noted: “Second floor laundry room with drain in floor”; “Outside next to meter left side front”; “Pool sub panel in left rear yard near pool heater”; “Smoke detectors disconnected”; “Basement return disconnected from duct”; “Insulation torn away from steel duct work in two places, large attic”; “Insulation peeled away from ductwork in basement near furnace”. On the day: 52°F, cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; trash compactor; vapor retarders; 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 Holbrook inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11741: 1975 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 9,310 units, the 1970s built the most, 39%; 6% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 21% and the 1990s 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: 22 to 24 years old. (ACS)
54% fuel oil or kerosene, 30% utility gas; fuel oil 54% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 298 petroleum spills at private homes in Holbrook since 1986, 117 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)
73% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses, 5% buildings of 10 to 19 units; 77% 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 Islip: 70 basement tests, average 1.16 pCi/L, 3 at 4 or above (4%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 35, average 0.6. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 7th of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 10.4 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)
19 flood-insurance claims from zip 11741 since 1978, most in 2014 (5): 151st 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 Islip Building Division. 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: Farmingville · Blue Point · Bayport · Fire Island Pines · West Sayville · Patchogue · all 250 towns.
His Holbrook file goes back to 2016. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.