In 2017, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Jamaica Estates — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 67 years old.
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The report, as Lou wrote it up.
2017, a colonial, about 67 years old: 8 items flagged: 4 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 1 garage. As recorded: gable roof, architectural, seen from: ladder, framed with 2 x 8 rafters; attic: storage and light in attic, fiberglass, below and r-19 insulation, gable vents ventilation; brick and clapboard vinyl and full brick siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, 2 x 8 floor framing, steel lally columns and supporting walls; hydronic heat on gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 150-amp circuit breakers (Federal Pacific and Murray), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; casement, double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Snowing at time of inspection unsafe condition”; “Three layers of shingle on roof over front entrance only”; “One layer of shingle on rest of house”; “Reinspection of roof after snow melted on 3/23/2017”; “Roof is about 13 years old”; “Nail popping on front ridge at ridge vent cap”; “Nail popping at ridge cap near roof transition front section”; “Chimney flashing is cracked on upward side”; “Shingle missing and loose from left side rear middle”; “Small front roof over front entrance ridge capping mineral is worn out”; “Long section of roof draining against chimney”; “Chimney does not have stainless steel liner and no rain cap present”; “Satellite dish on front upper roof does not have sealer over anchor bolts”; “Front lower roof section gutter-guard not installed under shingle and sections missing”; “Right side rear roof section gutter-guard not installed under shingle and sections missing”; “Left side rear roof section gutter-guard not installed under shingle and sections missing”; “Left side near chimney, gutter-guard not installed under shingle and sections missing”; “Left rear upper section near window amateur vinyl siding repair”; “Left side near entrance hole in siding and panel loose”; “Driveway side door does not have weather stripping, cold draft”. Also noted: “Driveway side of front stoop platform needs pointing of cross joints”; “Front steps need handrail lower section”; “Driveway from gate to end of steps pavers not complete”; “Main water shut off in garage left front corner”; “Main panel and sub panel at top of basement steps is Federal Pacific brand”; “Main panel and disconnect switch are located in garage right front”; “Sub panel in 1st floor stairwell to basement, behind door”; “Sub panel in second floor hallway opposite bathroom”. On the day: 34°F, snow, cloudy, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces NE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; flashings; floors; insulation under floor system; roof ventilation; vapor retarders. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
“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 Jamaica Estates inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11432: 1957 (Queens: 1953). Of 21,618 units, 28% predates 1940; 14% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 20% and the 1950s at 15%. 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: 67 years old. (ACS)
77% utility gas, 9% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 9% against 11% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 10 petroleum spills at private homes in Jamaica Estates since 1994, 0 since 2015. 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% buildings of 50 or more units, 20% detached houses, 14% two-unit buildings; 37% owner-occupied (Queens: 45%). With 49% of units in buildings of 20 or more, many purchases here are apartments: the inspection covers the unit, and the roof, plant and risers belong to the board. (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)
29 flood-insurance claims from zip 11432 since 1978, most in 1984 (7): 133rd 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: Jamaica Estates (zip 11432) 1957, 9%, 37%; Jamaica (zip 11435): built 1953, oil 9%, 36% owner-occupied; Saint Albans (zip 11412): built 1940, oil 11%, 74% owner-occupied; Richmond Hill (zip 11418): built 1938, oil 12%, 49% 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 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: Jamaica · Briarwood · Saint Albans · Addesleigh Park · Richmond Hill · Forest Hills · all 250 towns.
His Jamaica Estates 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.