In 2019, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Pelham Manor — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two colonials, from 71 to 98 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 21 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (8), roof, chimney and attic (8) and garage (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2019, a colonial, about 98 years old: 13 items flagged: 5 exterior; 4 roof, chimney and attic; 2 garage. As recorded: gable and flat roof, architectural, rubber membrane and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: light in attic, no storage and walk up stairs, rock wool insulation, soffit vents and windows ventilation; cement stucco stucco siding, chimney: brick; rock foundation, 2 x 10 and 6" x 10" main beam x 2 floor framing, wood piers and brick piers; hydronic heat on natural gas, tankless gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (Square D and Bulldog Pushmatic), BX wiring, lead supply pipes, public water, window AC; double-hung, single pane and storm windows windows, pine t & g floors, laminate cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Chimney is in good condition with small cracks in cement crown”; “Front and rear dormers need rain gutters and leader pipe”; “Leader pipe needs extension on side of garage to prevent water intrusion into garage”; “Personal items left in right front attic section”; “Old bed mattress left in left rear attic section”; “Front windows are original without storms”; “Wood trim around windows needs paint”; “Wood basement entrance door needs paint”; “Left side balcony door needs storm door”; “Many original windows, with and without storms, throughout house”; “Windows are oversized wide and will be more expensive”; “Right front Bay window frame dropped in elevation, won't open”; “Safety item: Caution, left side and right side balcony decking is dry rotted and railings loose”; “Left front stone retaining wall, has car damage and needs copping stone on top”; “Right side stone retaining wall near steps to driveway is cracked”; “Rear patio retaining wall needs copping stone”; “Asphalt driveway has many spider cracks and both driveways need to be sealed”; “Right side lower soffit area needs insulation”; “Left side lower soffit area under bay window needs insulation”; “Heavy to lift. Springs have to be adjusted”. Also noted: “Main Roof is about 15 years old with one layer”; “Roof should last about 11-15 years more depending on weather conditions”; “Old cedar shakes have been removed and replaced with 3/4" plywood”; “No new termite damage found”; “Main panel in basement right side middle”; “Sub panel in sun room left side behind panel”; “Safety Item: Trip hazard, heat pipe elbow in front of living room radiator”; “Heat pipe in garage is leaking water when sun porch water valve is opened”; “Safety item: Asbestos like insulation found on ceiling heat pie, in storage area of garage”. On the day: 54°F, rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces NE. Not inspected that day: cooling and air handler equipment; normal operating controls. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; microwave cooking equipment; plumbing water faucets; presence of installed cooling source in each room; trash compactor; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
2019, a colonial, about 71 years old: 8 items flagged: 4 roof, chimney and attic; 3 exterior; 1 garage. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: ladder, framed with 2 x 6 rafters and 2 x 8 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, storage and light in attic, fiberglass and r-19 or better insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard and stone vinyl and westchester granite siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, steel lally columns and supporting walls; hydronic 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, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, stone, hardwood t&g and laminated t&g floors, wood cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Chimney needs to be pointed, many brick are broken, and needs new cement cap”; “Old doors in attic left front”; “Rear basement entrance door paint is peeling”; “Post holes need to be filled up with anchoring cement”; “Post are rusted at anchor point”; “Rear basement steps railing post holes need to be filled with anchoring cement”; “Asphalt driveway needs to sealed and spider cracks filled”; “Rear Slate flag-stone patio, slates are loose and joints eroded”; “Termite damage to left side sill plate on either side of entrance door”; “In basement, asphalt asbestos tile on floor behind wall section near water meter”. Also noted: “Jacuzzi is GFCI protected”; “No repair access panel for jacuzzi”; “Shower regulator handle is loose”; “One in basement boiler room and one in basement laundry room”; “Many painted over, two prong outlets throughout house”; “Generator sub panel with disconnect switch, left front corner next to electric meter”; “Panel on generator itself”. On the day: 40°F, rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: insulation under floor system; whole house generator. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; occupant door from garage to inside home; range hood; trash compactor; vapor retarders.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
Related: The Westchester page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
Both photographs are from Lou's own Pelham Manor inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 10803: 1938 (Westchester: 1958). Of 4,360 units, 65% predates 1940; 3% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 12% and the 1960s at 7%. 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: 71 to 98 years old. (ACS)
69% utility gas, 21% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 21% against 30% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 181 petroleum spills at private homes in Pelham Manor since 1990, 54 since 2015. 8 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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)
61% detached houses, 10% buildings of 50 or more units, 9% two-unit buildings; 81% owner-occupied (Westchester: 62%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)
Town of Pelham: 31 basement tests, average 2.65 pCi/L, 6 at 4 or above (19%). Westchester: 18% of 2,826. First-floor tests there: 5, average 0.74. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 11th of the county’s 23 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 9.1 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)
144 flood-insurance claims from zip 10803 since 1978, most in 2021 (46): 64th 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 Village of Pelham Manor Building & Zoning Department. 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 local water suppliers and the county rule on testing private wells at sale: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Westchester, 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: Wakefield · Williamsbridge · Bronxville · New Rochelle · Woodlawn · Larchmont · all 250 towns.
His Pelham Manor 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.