In 2017, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Laurelton — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 87 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.
2017, a colonial, about 87 years old: 8 items flagged: 3 garage; 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane, painted silver, seen from: walked; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: vinyl siding; masonry block foundation, 4" x 8" main beam x 2 and 3"x 8" floor framing, steel lally columns; steam boiler heat on oil, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility closet); 100-amp circuit breakers (Murray), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; casement, double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, parqet, pine t & g and painted concrete floors, wood and laminate cabinets, laminate and corian counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Most of roof is in good condition, has been painted with reflective paint”; “About 1/2" of standing water on roof in front”; “Will not drain into Yankee gutter, leader pipe”; “Right rear leader pipe needs elbow pointed toward rear and splash block or leader extension”; “Left side front leader pipe needs extension to direct water toward front”; “Leader pipe on left side of front stoop needs extension”; “Gutter rear lower roof has metal debris inside”; “Garage leader pipe are berried in debris surrounding garage”; “Right side entrance concrete step is falling apart”; “Front stoop top limestone tread broken right side from railing installation”; “Water laying in front of garage door”; “No key available to open garage”; “Sheetrock ceiling in garage extension has water damage in right rear corner”; “Odor of urine in extension possibly from racoon infestation”; “Exterior of garage debris pilled up over 1' berrying leader pipe elbows”; “Water damage to rear fascia of screened in patio”; “Termite damage to columns and sill plates of screened in patio”; “Many screens are torn in screened in patio”; “Debris and water accumulating on roof”. Also noted: “Clothes Dryer Vent Material”; “GFCI outlet to left of sink did not trip”; “Stove will not push back to wall”; “Gas pipe hitting back of stove”; “Bay window right side window won't open, frame out of square”; “Right front room floor boards are damaged”; “Need steel plate over trap pit”; “Steam radiators should be balanced with proper venting valves”. On the day: 63°F, light rain, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces NW. Not inspected that day: electrical; garage door; garage door operators; garage floor; roof structure and attic. Not present in this house: cooling and air handler equipment; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; occupant door from garage to inside home; outlets & fixtures; presence of installed cooling source in each room; roof ventilation; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
“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.
The photograph is from Lou's own Laurelton inspection report, chosen because it shows a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11413: 1952 (Queens: 1953). Of 14,485 units, 28% predates 1940; 7% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 22% and the 1940s at 18%. 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: 87 years old. (ACS)
83% utility gas, 8% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 8% against 11% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 34 petroleum spills at private homes in Laurelton since 1991, 5 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)
52% detached houses, 31% two-unit buildings, 12% attached single-family houses; 73% owner-occupied (Queens: 45%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 34%; 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)
149 flood-insurance claims from zip 11413 since 1978, most in 1999 (21): 60th 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: Laurelton (zip 11413) 1952, 8%, 73%; Saint Albans (zip 11412): built 1940, oil 11%, 74% owner-occupied; Queens Village (zip 11429): built 1942, oil 13%, 71% owner-occupied; Elmont (zip 11003): built 1952, oil 24%, 80% 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: Springfield Gardens · Cambria Heights · Saint Albans · Addesleigh Park · Valley Stream · Queens Village · all 250 towns.
His Laurelton 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.