Between 2015 and 2016, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Rego Park — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe an apartment house and a colonial, from 71 to 76 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 10 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (5), roof, chimney and attic (3) and garage (1). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2016, a colonial, about 71 years old, a townhouse: 9 items flagged: 4 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 1 garage. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane painted silver, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, none found ventilation; brick full brick, artificial stone and brickside siding siding, chimney: brick; brick and poured concrete foundation, supporting walls; steam boiler heat on gas, 34 gallon (small) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 150-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung and casement windows, carpet, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Rear sun porch roof shingle are worn”; “Chimney has old TV antenna”; “Roof drains into drain hole near entrance”; “Drain must be kept free of leaf debris or roof will fill with water”; “Rear sun porch artificial brick siding joints are open”; “Rear A/C in rear upper wall is wrong size for sleeve”; “Roof, rear parapet wall brick joints are cracked”; “Front upper awning needs paint”; “Caution trip hazard: Front sidewalk raised up near tree and near front walk to house”; “Left side brick pier joint cracked at bottom”; “Gate to front garden lower hinge is broken”; “Wood frame to garage door has dry rot from water damage both sides”; “Washer hoses are too long and not stainless steel braided”; “Ceilings are cracked and poor repairs”; “Floor is not level near entrance to living room”; “Original metal frame single pane window”; “Basement stair railing is loose”; “Living room fireplace damper is clogged with debris and weather stripping”; “Basement fireplace damper is wired closed”. Also noted: “Water meter in pit in front garden”; “Main water shut off valve in basement floor near front wall middle”; “Gas cock in basement cabinet for stove connection”; “Main ground wire to water main is not connected”; “Many outlets throughout house are two prong”; “Too cold to run A/C without damage”. On the day: 27°F, clear, damp ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces NE. Not inspected that day: ceilings; cooling and air handler equipment; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; occupant door from garage to inside home; presence of installed cooling source in each room; roof ventilation; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2015, an apartment house, about 76 years old: 1 item flagged: 1 exterior. As recorded: flat roof, rubber membrane, seen from: walked roof; none found ventilation; brick full brick siding, chimney: brick; poured concrete foundation, rienforced concrete floor framing, conrete piers; steam boiler heat on oil, hot water off the boiler; 60-amp circuit breakers (General Switch), BX wiring, cast iron supply pipes, public water, window AC; double-hung and casement windows, hardwood t&g and tarazzo floors, laminate cabinets, laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Brick joints in front showing signs of erosion”. Also noted: “Fire-escape showing signs of paint blistering”; “Working hose faucets at three locations”; “Ceiling fixture not working”; “No emergency lighting in stairwell”; “Light out in hallway outside apartment # A68”; “Overhead vanity light out”. On the day: 81°F, clear, damp ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: automatic safety controls; burner; combustion air; heating equipment; normal operating controls; roof structure and attic. Not present in this house: cooling and air handler equipment; exhaust fan; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; outlets & fixtures; pantry/closet doors; roof ventilation; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.
“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.
Both photographs are from Lou's own Rego Park inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11374: 1955 (Queens: 1953). Of 21,197 units, the 1950s built the most, 30%; 6% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1960s at 19% 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: 71 to 76 years old. (ACS)
70% utility gas, 13% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 13% against 11% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 34 petroleum spills at private homes in Rego Park since 1990, 1 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)
60% buildings of 50 or more units, 12% buildings of 20 to 49 units, 9% attached single-family houses; 40% owner-occupied (Queens: 45%). With 72% 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 co-op apartment and a townhouse. (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)
33 flood-insurance claims from zip 11374 since 1978, most in 1979 (7): 127th 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.
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: Forest Hills · Middle Village · Richmond Hill · Woodhaven · Glendale · Ridgewood · all 250 towns.
His Rego Park 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.