Bronx · colonial

Home inspector in Morris Park, NY

In 2020, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Morris Park — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 82 years old.

Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870

What the Morris Park report found

The report, as Lou wrote it up.

2020, a colonial, about 82 years old, a three-family house: 4 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane, seen from: walked; attic: no storage, passive ventilation; brick full brick (8" wall ) siding, chimney: brick; brick foundation, supporting walls; hydronic heat on natural gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (utility room under rear patio); 100-amp x 4 circuit breakers (Eaton), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, quartz counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Water is laying in right front corner of main roof”; “Right front corner of main roof, silver roof paint is peeling”; “Water is laying near roof hatch and silver roof paint is peeling”; “Lower front roof, needs silver roof paint”; “Front parapet wall roofing cement is peeling and cracked”; “Chimney right rear has cracked joints and cement cap is cracked”; “Safety Item: Old wooden roof access hatch is very heavy, difficult to open and is dangerously over the second floor stairs”; “Cement is cracked at many ceramic wall copping”; “Front left side and right side brick columns have vertical cracks extending upward”; “Left side yellow brick has vertical crack extending upward”; “Left side brick wall has crack near first bricked up window”; “Step crack in rear brick wall under left side lower window”; “Step crack in rear brick wall over left side lower window”; “Crack in brickwork right rear corner”; “Crack in brickwork right side near bricked up window”; “Step crack and damaged brick right rear above upper window”; “Step crack in brickwork under right rear lower window”; “Cement stucco is peeling above rear entrance and patio”; “Rear window brick arch is cracked”; “Right rear upper parapet wall is cracked”. Also noted: “Rear raised concrete deck is covered in ceramic tile, also boiler room roof”; “Dishwasher not installed, stored in garage”; “Dishwasher drain pipe not covered”; “Electric oven not plugged in at time of inspection”; “Sink faucet is very loose”; “Oven will not push to wall hits gas pipe”; “Safety item: 1st floor is also a basement apartment, that needs an alternate fire escape”; “Safety item: Second floor railing is loose and too close to flooring in stairwell”; “Sliding doors not installed for electrical closet in 1st floor apartment”; “Water pressure low at sink and shower tub”; “Wall tile broken near light switch”; “Whole house ground in pit near basement entrance”; “Main panels in basement electrical closet right front”. On the day: 18°F, clear, frozen ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces SE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; plumbing water faucets; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: cooling and air handler equipment; electrical; garage door operators; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; occupant door from garage to inside home; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; 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.

What the inspection can examine here

Supply and drain plumbing where it can be seen — materials, visible leaks, the water heater and its venting, and what moisture has already done.
The roof, chimney and attic — how the roof was observed is stated in the report, as New York requires, and the attic is entered wherever a hatch allows.
Siding, trim, flashing, grading and drainage — where water is being sent, and whether it is being sent at the house.
Radon — a separate, optional test arranged alongside the inspection.

Photographs from Morris Park reports

Looking up a brick column where a vertical crack is traced with a red line and a red arrow at the bottom. — Front left side brick column has a vertical crack extending upward. The report states all vertical column joints should be ground out and filled with high strength mortar with bonding agent.

Brick wall above a window arch with a stepped crack traced in red and a red arrow at the arch. — Step crack in the rear brick wall over the left side lower window, traced in red in the report photo. Listed with the exterior wall cladding pictures.

Both photographs are from Lou's own Morris Park inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Buying in Morris Park: the questions with sourced answers

Each answer is built from Morris Park’s own rows in public data — the Census, NYSDOH, NYSDEC, FEMA, the office that holds the permits — or from Lou’s reports, and cites its source. Data retrieved 1 November 2026.

How old are the houses in Morris Park?

Median year built in zip 10461: 1951 (Bronx: 1954). Of 20,418 units, 38% predates 1940; 9% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 14% and the 1960s 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: 82 years old. (ACS)

How are homes in Morris Park heated? Is an oil tank likely?

51% utility gas, 29% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 29% against 24% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Bronx home oil spills under the borough, not Morris Park. 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)

Is Morris Park mostly houses or apartments, owned or rented?

22% two-unit buildings, 18% buildings of 50 or more units, 17% buildings of 3 or 4 units; 31% owner-occupied (Bronx: 20%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 39%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. Lou’s jobs here included a three-family house. (ACS)

Is radon a concern in Morris Park?

Bronx (reported by borough): 101 basement tests, average 1.73 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (8%). First-floor tests there: 43, average 1.13. The highest basement reading was 20.9 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)

Has Morris Park flooded? Is the house in a flood zone?

33 flood-insurance claims from zip 10461 since 1979: 126th 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)

Who holds the permits and certificate of occupancy in Morris Park?

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.

How does Morris Park compare with the towns around it?

By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Morris Park (zip 10461) 1951, 29%, 31%; Castle Hill (zip 10462): built 1944, oil 29%, 23% owner-occupied; Throgs Neck (zip 10465): built 1957, oil 16%, 56% owner-occupied; Crotona Park (zip 10460): built 1963, oil 23%, 11% owner-occupied. (ACS)

Which code, water and sewer rules apply in Morris Park?

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 Bronx, so they are set out there with their sources instead of on each page.

How much does a home inspection in Morris Park cost, and how fast is the report?

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.

Bronx, town by town

Every Bronx place with a page here, each with the real count from Lou's records.

Where this sits in Lou's territory

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: Pelham Bay · Schuylerville · Castle Hill · Throgs Neck · Edgewater · Crotona Park · all 250 towns.

Buying in Morris Park?

His Morris Park file goes back to 2020. Yours would not be the first.

Schedule an inspection Call 516-330-3870

Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.