Between 2019 and 2021, Lou Rubino inspected two properties in Red Hook — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe a town home and a warehouse, from 3 to 108 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 13 items Repair or Replace, most for the kitchen (6), rooms (3) and roof, chimney and attic (2). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2021, a warehouse, about 108 years old, a condominium: 9 items flagged: 5 kitchen; 3 rooms; 1 heating and cooling. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; cement stucco cement stucco siding, chimney: metal flue pipe; supporting walls; heat pump forced air heat on one, non-insulated ducts, storage tank and 113 gal x 4 gas (quick recovery) water heater (attic and utility room); 300-amp apt only circuit breakers (Siemens), BX wiring, no access supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; awning and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, laminate cabinets, marble and quartz counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Pantry closet door hit frame at rear lower hinge”; “Draw to right of stove has black stain on front”; “Quartz counter top is chipped to right of stove top”; “Marble counter at sink is stained on edge”; “Left side end base cabinet has space in rear with wall”; “Shelves not installed in wall cabinets”; “Freezer tray has rusted wrench laying in tray”; “Grill under refrigerator is loose”; “Front edge of freezer draw is damaged”; “Front edge of hood, to left of controls, is dented”; “Dryer door hits bifold door, unable to open halfway”; “Concrete columns in apartment are not painted”; “Sliding door to master-bedroom from living room knocking on overhead track”; “Master closet does not have shelves installed”; “Medicine cabinet shelves not installed”; “Sheetrock corner needs to be repaired near door hinge”; “Seam open between ceramic tile and wood bedroom floor”; “Door lock handle and trim cover not installed”; “Heat pump support steel on roof is rusted”. Also noted: “Concrete pavers in driveway will be damaged by snow plowing during winter”; “Kitchen appliances are from 2016 make sure new appliance warranty still applies”; “Four screws missing from sub panel cover”; “Concrete rubble on ductwork in crawl space above hall bath”. On the day: clear, dry ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces SE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; columns or piers; decks, balconies, balconies, stoops, steps, areaways, porches, patio/cover and applicable railings; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; main water shut-off device; roof structure and attic; service entrance conductors; sump pump; visible electric wiring in attic; walls. Not present in this house: basement windows; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; skylights, chimneys and roof penetrations; solid fuel heating devices; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2019, a town home, about 3 years old: 4 items flagged: 2 roof, chimney and attic; 1 exterior; 1 kitchen. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 8 rafters steel channels; attic: no storage, fiberglass insulation, passive ventilation; architectural metal annodized aluminum siding; poured concrete foundation, steel pilings and concrete pile caps, crawlspace: no access; 70 gallon electric water heater (2nd floor utility closet); 200-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, heat pump forced air; awning, thermal/insulated and fixed windows, hardwood t&g floors, laminate cabinets, marble counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Water not draining from flat roof over stairwell”; “Painting flat roof sections with silver roofing paint will extend life of roof”; “Splash block needed at leader pipe from stairwell roof”; “Rear deck and front stoop, metal railings have only shop coat of paint”; “Marble counter tops are porous and must be sealed to avoid stains”; “No closes bar or shelves in any closets”; “Tub does not have shower door or curtain rod”; “Shower tile floor does not pitch to drain”. Also noted: “Safety Item: Both rear GFCI outlets have open grounds”; “Clothes washer, 3rd floor installation has drip pan and automatic water shut off vales with water alarm”; “Open junction box, with exposed conductors, no wire nuts, in ceiling near rear third floor evap”; “Main panel near front entrance left front”; “Filters do not fit in all air-handlers”; “Metal frames need to be adjusted”. On the day: 55°F, clear, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces SW. Not inspected that day: ceilings; columns or piers; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; roof structure and attic; vapor retarders; ventilation of foundation area; visible electric wiring in attic; walls. Not present in this house: basement windows; chimneys, flues and vents; combustion air; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; trash compactor; 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 Brooklyn page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
Both photographs are from Lou's own Red Hook inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11231: 1938 (Brooklyn: 1943). Of 18,265 units, 62% predates 1940; 13% is from 2000 on. Next come the 2010s at 8% and the 1940s at 8%. 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: 3 to 108 years old. (ACS)
65% utility gas, 18% electricity; fuel oil 10% against 7% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 4 petroleum spills at private homes in Red Hook since 2012, 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)
29% buildings of 3 or 4 units, 19% buildings of 20 to 49 units, 13% buildings of 5 to 9 units; 31% owner-occupied (Brooklyn: 30%). With 32% 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. Lou’s jobs here included a townhouse and a condominium. (ACS)
Brooklyn (reported by borough): 528 basement tests, average 2.07 pCi/L, 54 at 4 or above (10%). First-floor tests there: 116, average 0.88. The highest basement reading was 41.2 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)
297 flood-insurance claims from zip 11231 since 1978, most in 2012 (181): 45th of the 189 zips on these pages. A claim count describes the zip, not the house; 2012 was the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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.
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 Brooklyn, 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: Carroll Gardens · Cobble Hill · Brooklyn Heights · Fort Greene · Greenwood Heights · South Slope · all 250 towns.
His Red Hook 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.