Between 2020 and 2021, Lou Rubino inspected two properties in Howard Beach — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe a colonial and a high ranch, from 55 to 87 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 23 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (7), roof, chimney and attic (5) and garage (4). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2021, a high ranch, about 55 years old: 11 items flagged: 4 garage; 3 exterior; 2 roof, chimney and attic. As recorded: gable and hip roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof, framed with 2 x 8 rafters; attic: attic hatch, fiberglass, below and r-19 insulation, gable vents, soffit vents and passive ventilation; brick and cement stucco full brick and eifs siding, chimney: metal flue pipe and PVC; poured concrete slab foundation, supporting walls; insulated ducts, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (utility room, 1st floor); 150-amp and 70-amp circuit breakers (General Electric # Tm2410ccu and Eaton # Br303b150), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, carpet and tile floors. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Water is cascading over front roof during heavy rain with one downspout front and rear”; “Down spouts and leader pipe needed left front and right front”; “Leader pipe near front and side entrances should go over brick retaining wall”; “Garage leader pipe needs splash block”; “Garage attic storm window left open”; “Rotted wood nailed to brickwork to left of front entrance”; “Right rear side door hits frame”; “Right front side door hits frame and has rust damage at bottom”; “Right rear sidewalk has trip hazard”; “Front sidewalk has trip hazard”; “Hole needs to be filled around A/C refrigerant pipes”; “Safety Item: Diamond plate steel covering trap pit, is badly rusted and edges sharp”; “Wood frame to right of garage door paint is peeling and cracked”; “Safety Item: Not safety cables in garage door lift springs”; “Shingle on garage roof raised from wind storm”; “In garage, back of doctors office wall sheetrock missing”; “Safety Item: No railing present to garage attic steps”. Also noted: “Roof is approx.15 years old with one layer”; “Construction debris and planking left at rear and side of garage”; “Flush control rod is broken”; “Toilet tank is cracked left rear but not leaking”; “Safety Item: Outlet is not GFCi protected and cover missing”; “Filters are over a year old on all units”; “Attic evap does have drip pan emergency float switch”. On the day: 32°F, clear, frozen ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: floors; insulation under floor system. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
2020, a colonial, about 87 years old: 12 items flagged: 4 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 3 kitchen. As recorded: hip roof, 3-tab fiberglass and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 8 rafters and 2 x 10 rafters; attic: storage and light in attic, fiberglass, below and r-19 insulation, soffit vents, passive and thermostatically controlled fan ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 6, 3 x 8 and planking sub floor floor framing, steel lally columns and supporting walls; electric heat heat on natural gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (General Electric and Eaton), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung, thermal/insulated and awning windows, hardwood t&g, soil and concrete floors, laminate cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Shingle cap missing at rear center ridge”; “Shingle cap missing ridge right rear”; “Shingle missing at base of chimney”; “Gutter leaking at left front corner”; “Left rear leader empties into flower bed next to foundation”; “Must be piped away from foundation”; “Needs pads on step stringer bottoms to prevent damage to hardwood floor”; “On rear deck vinyl siding bottom section is off”; “Siding end channel is missing from right side of door”; “Front brick stoop left side cheek wall is out of plumb and pushing to left”; “Rear deck ramp missing board”; “Decking boards and hand rails need to be painted”; “Broken baluster on deck ramp”; “Rear deck retractable awning does not operate, hand crank missing and cover fabric is worn”; “Floor is worn out and damaged”; “Vinyl dryer piping is a fire safety hazard”; “Door to entrance needs door knob installed”; “Ceilings cracked in front and rear bedrooms”; “Most likely from downward pressure of vertical roof supports”; “Front bedroom door hits floor”. Also noted: “Outlet next to radiator is loose and cover not installed”; “Basement ceiling has been removed in utility and rear rooms”; “Safety Item: Fire resident sheetrock needed over boiler and water heater”; “No insulation under floor system”; “Rear basement room, sheetrock and insulation have been removed”; “Basement rear bedroom wood floor is partially removed, exposing soil floor”; “Steps to second floor needs railing at lower section”; “Outlets in basement rooms are rusted and may have water damage”; “Cover missing from attic light switch, second floor landing”; “Main panel In garage, right front corner”; “Sub panel in front bedroom closet”; “No heat source in bathroom”. On the day: 87°F, hot and humid, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not present in this house: clothes dryer; clothes washer; cooling and air handler equipment; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; occupant door from garage to inside home; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; trash compactor; vapor retarders.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
Related: The Queens page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
All three photographs are from Lou's own Howard Beach inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11414: 1961 (Queens: 1953). Of 12,223 units, the 1960s built the most, 38%; 3% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 28% and the pre-1940 houses at 11%. 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: 55 to 87 years old. (ACS)
79% utility gas, 10% electricity; fuel oil 5% against 11% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 71 petroleum spills at private homes in Howard Beach since 1988, 7 since 2015. 51 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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)
39% detached houses, 25% two-unit buildings, 15% buildings of 3 or 4 units; 77% owner-occupied (Queens: 45%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 40%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. (ACS)
Queens (reported by borough): 598 basement tests, average 1.26 pCi/L, 22 at 4 or above (4%). First-floor tests there: 118, average 0.62. The highest basement reading was 23.8 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)
2,033 flood-insurance claims from zip 11414 since 1978, most in 2012 (860): 14th 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.
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 Queens, 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: Ozone Park · South Ozone Park · Cypress Hills · Woodhaven · Richmond Hill · Canarsie · all 250 towns.
His Howard Beach 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.