In 2020, Lou Rubino inspected one home in Saint James — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a ranch, about 60 years old.
Rated 4.9 on Google as of November 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870
The report, as Lou wrote it up.
2020, a ranch, about 60 years old: 11 items flagged: 5 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 1 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: scuttle hole in closet, below and r-19 insulation, gable vents, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; cement stucco eifs and stucco siding, chimney: brick; masonry block foundation, 2 x 8 and 2 x 12 x 3ea wood main beam floor framing, steel lally columns; hydronic heat on oil, 30 gallon (small) oil water heater (basement and utility room); 200-amp circuit breakers (Square D), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, air conditioner unit; casement, double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, laminate cabinets, granite counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Cement chimney cap is cracked in three places and top courses need to be pointed”; “Right rear extension leader pipes need splash blocks”; “Left rear extension leader pipe need splash block”; “Right side front of extension, gutter needs to be extended”; “Right front extension, gutter needs to be extended and shingle trimmed”; “Right and left front gutters full of leaves”; “Front extension gutter full of leaves”; “This overheats the roofing material during summer months and shortening the life of the roof”; “Insulation missing from between floor joists in attic”; “On in rear stucco wall center”; “Crack in window frame right front”; “Many window screens missing”; “Brick border not complete for rear paver patio”; “Asphalt driveway has spider racks midsection and near front apron”; “Asphalt driveway has rough area right side midway”; “No walkway to front entrance”; “Front planters attached to house, weep holes have been covered over”; “Make sure stone slabs clear casement windows”; “Tree hitting roof right front”; “Right side of extension needs fascia board to cover unfinished edge of stucco”. Also noted: “Roof is about 18 years old with 1 layer”; “Mineral is worn in many areas and fiberglass backing showing on south side”; “Roof may last 5-8 years depending on weather”; “Flat roofing material should have been used over extension front window”; “Safety item: Received electric shock from hood to stove contact”; “Rear dryer exhaust cover is missing”; “Generator plug must be mounted on wall with a weather proof box and conductors in conduit”; “Vacuum does work but no vacuum lines and outlets in house”; “No hose and wand in house”; “Safety Item, Fire Hazard: Unfinished walls in boiler room need fire resistant sheetrock”; “Doors needed for family room closet”; “Door hits frame at bottom”. On the day: 79°F, clear, dry ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not present in this house: clothes dryer; clothes washer; food waste disposer; gas meter; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; instant hot water; insulation under floor system; trash compactor; 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.
Related: The Suffolk County page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
The photograph is from Lou's own Saint James inspection report, chosen because it shows a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11780: 1973 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 5,907 units, the 1960s built the most, 20%; 9% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1980s at 18% and the 1970s 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: 60 years old. (ACS)
43% fuel oil or kerosene, 35% utility gas; fuel oil 43% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 142 petroleum spills at private homes in Saint James since 1988, 49 since 2015. 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)
77% detached houses, 10% attached single-family houses, 7% buildings of 5 to 9 units; 87% owner-occupied (Suffolk County: 82%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. (ACS)
Town of Smithtown: 64 basement tests, average 2.94 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (13%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 18, average 1.01. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 1st of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 42.6 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)
67 flood-insurance claims from zip 11780 since 1978, most in 2012 (17): 88th 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 Town of Smithtown Building 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.
By median year built, fuel-oil share and owner-occupancy: Saint James (zip 11780) 1973, 43%, 87%; Stony Brook (zip 11790): built 1965, oil 52%, 90% owner-occupied; East Setauket (zip 11733): built 1969, oil 50%, 85% owner-occupied; Kings Park (zip 11754): built 1967, oil 39%, 86% owner-occupied. (ACS)
The New York State Uniform Code, the Suffolk County Water Authority and private wells, and the Sanitary Code rules on cesspools (no in-kind replacement since 2017) and I/A septic systems: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Suffolk 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: Stony Brook · East Setauket · Setauket · Kings Park · Smithtown · Nesconset · all 250 towns.
His Saint James file goes back to 2020. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.