Between 2015 and 2020, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in New City — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two high ranches, from 46 to 51 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 7 items Repair or Replace, most for the roof, chimney and attic (3), exterior (2) and garage (1). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2020, a high ranch, about 51 years old: 2 items flagged: 1 roof, chimney and attic; 1 structure. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, storage and light in attic, below and r-19 insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; cement shingle cement-fiber siding, chimney: brick and metal flue pipe; poured concrete slab foundation, 2 x 6 crawl space only floor framing, supporting walls, crawlspace: crawled; forced air heat on natural gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 200-amp circuit breakers (Murray), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, wood cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Master closet door handle loose”; “Insulation fell from between joists in crawl space under front entrance”. Also noted: “Roof has one layer, about 18 years old with minor mineral wear left side upper”; “Brick chimney is in good condition”; “Front concrete stoop aggregate is showing”; “Trees left and right sides crowding structure, hitting roof and blocking sun from solar panels”; “Bush crowding A/C compressor”; “Safety Item: Furnace utility room louver door is not fire- resistant”; “When utility room door is replaced fresh air vent will need to be installed in wall”; “Sink faucet leaking under vanity”; “Special meter that turns in reverse for solar panels”; “Furnace has two thermostats but one zone”; “Metal non-insulated duck work is a great heat loss”. On the day: 88°F, clear, wet ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces south. Not inspected that day: floors; whole house trap. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; microwave cooking equipment; trash compactor; vapor retarders; windows.
2015, a high ranch, about 46 years old: 5 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 2 exterior; 1 garage. As recorded: gable roof, architectural, seen from: walked roof, framed with 2 x 8 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, r-19 insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; bevel cement asbestos shingle asbestos slate shingle siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, steel lally columns; non-insulated ducts, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung windows, hardwood t&g floors, wood cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Copper Flashing is not mortared into brick work on north side of chimney”; “Cement chimney cap is cracked and ceramic flue crumbling at corners. The cement cap is important to sustain the integrity of the chimney”; “Paint peeling left front top trim”; “Paint not finished above garage near old leader placement”; “Front door mounted out of square, opening at bottom, hitting at top”; “Floors need to be sanded and finished”; “Middle bedroom closet door has hole in front”; “Wrought iron railing loose”. Also noted: “Wall exhaust fan not working”; “Outside garage left front”; “Filter in left side unit held in with wire, positioning clips broken”. On the day: 48°F, clear, damp ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces south. Not inspected that day: fence; normal operating controls. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; range hood; sump pump; trash compactor; vapor retarders; windows.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
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Both photographs are from Lou's own New City inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10956: 1968 (Rockland County: 1970). Of 9,892 units, the 1960s built the most, 27%; 3% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1970s at 25% and the 1950s at 21%. 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: 46 to 51 years old. (ACS)
91% utility gas, 7% electricity; fuel oil 1% against 2% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 177 petroleum spills at private homes in New City since 1991, 49 since 2015. 10 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. A tank is unlikely. 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)
90% detached houses, 5% attached single-family houses; 94% owner-occupied (Rockland County: 68%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)
Town of Clarkstown: 1,215 basement tests, average 2.08 pCi/L, 114 at 4 or above (9%). Rockland County: 15% of 3,004. First-floor tests there: 421, average 1.15. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 5th of the county’s 5 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 75.4 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)
522 flood-insurance claims from zip 10956 since 1978, most in 1979 (77): 33rd 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 Clarkstown Building Department. New City is an unincorporated hamlet of Clarkstown (Town Hall, 10 Maple Ave, New City). 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 State Uniform Code, the county water supply and the county well-testing law: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Rockland 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: Congers · Pomona · Suffern · Croton-on-Hudson · Briarcliff Manor · Ossining · all 250 towns.
His New City file goes back to 2015. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.