In 2019, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Islip Terrace — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 55 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.
2019, a colonial, about 55 years old: 13 items flagged: 4 exterior; 4 garage; 3 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 8 rafters; attic: pull down stairs and no storage, r-30 or better insulation, gable vents, soffit vents and thermostatically controlled fan ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: brick and metal flue pipe; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 8 and 2"x 10"x 3ea main wood beam floor framing, steel lally columns, crawlspace: from entry, limited access and obstructed; forced air heat on electric, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement, utility room and washer dryer room); 200-amp circuit breakers (Challenger), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; casement, thermal/insulated and double-hung windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, laminate cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Safety item: Pull down ladder folding joints very loose and ladder wobbly”; “Ladder is installed over 2nd floor stair well”; “Holes in siding, left side rear, most likely from weed wacker damage”; “Fascia board under right side entrance needs paint”; “Right side entrance door paint is worn near top”; “Right rear den sliding door step is too high”; “Front concrete paver stoop, has open joints”; “Front stoop needs railings, both sides”; “Front main sidewalk across driveway is cracked”; “Paver driveway has open joints”; “Paver patio has dropped in elevation near steps”; “Tree overhanging roof right rear”; “Vines growing out of garage right rear”; “Old tree stump in yard is a termite and carpenter ant magnet”; “Right side driveway gate is off hinges”; “Rear exterior wall of garage, top vinyl siding section missing”; “Rear fascia board cover trim missing both sides”; “Side door handle not installed”; “Hardwood floor buckled in right doorway entrance to kitchen”; “Sink base cabinet does not have bottom”. Also noted: “Extra insulation in attic over 10" thick, very good”; “Electric in garage not working at time of inspection”; “Rear window connective hardware broken”; “Right side basement ceiling is damaged and needs paint”; “Left side basement luan door is peeling and hits frame”; “Right side basement door missing”; “Den two, right rear window cranks broken”; “Pedestal sink waste pipe pitched wrong”; “Left rear window crank hardware broken and sash is loose and screen missing”; “Pinned shut in basement closet right front”; “Open jem box over water heater”; “Open jem box on main beam in furnace utility room”; “Metal ductwork throughout house is not insulated”; “No filter installed in second floor return”. On the day: 75°F, clear, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces SW. Not inspected that day: garage ceilings; garage door operators; range hood. Not present in this house: clothes dryer; clothes washer; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; microwave cooking equipment; refrigerator; trash compactor; 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 Islip Terrace inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11752: 1965 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 3,180 units, the 1960s built the most, 39%; 7% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 16% and the 1970s at 14%. 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 years old. (ACS)
51% utility gas, 41% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 41% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 88 petroleum spills at private homes in Islip Terrace since 1988, 23 since 2015. 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)
91% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses; 87% 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)
12 flood-insurance claims from zip 11752 since 1978, most in 2014 (4): 168th 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.
By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Islip Terrace (zip 11752) 1965, 41%, 87%; Central Islip (zip 11722): built 1969, oil 32%, 77% owner-occupied; East Islip (zip 11730): built 1958, oil 50%, 85% owner-occupied; West Sayville (zip 11796): built 1955, oil 38%, 84% owner-occupied. (ACS)
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: Central Islip · East Islip · West Sayville · Hauppauge · Bay Shore · Fire Island Pines · all 250 towns.
His Islip Terrace file goes back to 2019. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.