In 2018, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in South Ozone Park — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two colonials, from 93 to 93 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 20 items Repair or Replace, most for the roof, chimney and attic (8), exterior (7) and kitchen (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2018, a colonial, about 93 years old: 9 items flagged: 4 roof, chimney and attic; 4 exterior; 1 garage. As recorded: gable, hip and flat roof, 3-tab fiberglass and rubber membrane, seen from: walked; attic: no storage, passive ventilation; brick and cement stucco full brick and stucco siding, chimney: brick; brick and poured concrete foundation, 3"x 8" floor framing; steam boiler heat on natural gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement, right / rear and utility area); 100-amp circuit breakers (General Electric), BX wiring, lead supply pipes, public water; double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, carpet, parqet and hardwood t&g floors, metal and wood cabinets, metal and laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Flat roof on house is over 20 years old”; “Roof is in need of silver paint”; “Lower roof is about 20+ years old”; “Two layers of shingle on lower roof”; “Flat roof over basement rear entrance, is pitched wrong way”; “Flashing is cracked around chimney”; “Flashing is cracked left front cheek wall”; “Old TV antenna on plumbing vent pipe”; “Left rear leader pipe needs to be extended down driveway”; “Rear basement door lock and striker do not align and door hits frame”; “Rear driveway door frame out of square and lock and striker do not align”; “Front door upper hinge is loose, causing door to hit frame”; “Front and side steps joints are eroded and bricks loose”; “Front stoop right side cheek wall is cracked”; “Front stoop right side railing post is rusted thin”; “Garage left, right and rear sides fascia board has water damage”; “Rodents getting into garage from damaged fascia”; “Right side driveway gate post is loose”; “Water damage to drop ceiling tile and plaster, second floor front bedroom”; “Stairwell plaster is cracked at corner”. Also noted: “Not enough breakers in panel to support house circuits”; “House is in cluttered condition unable to get to all outlets”; “Not enough outlets on walls throughout house”; “Caution boiler can run dry”; “Automatic water fill is not working, on auto or manual”; “Caution: Asbestos like insulation on heat pie fittings in basement”. On the day: 32°F, cloudy, damp ground, no rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: insulation in attic; plumbing water faucets; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: columns or piers; cooling and air handler equipment; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; insulation under floor system; normal operating controls; occupant door from garage to inside home; operation of gfci; outlets & fixtures; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2018, a colonial, about 93 years old: 11 items flagged: 4 roof, chimney and attic; 3 exterior; 3 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, 3-tab fiberglass and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: ladder; attic: scuttle hole over stairs, soffit vents ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: brick and masonry stucco; masonry block foundation, 2 x 8 and 4"x 6" wood main beam floor framing, steel lally columns and supporting walls, crawlspace: crawled; hydronic heat on natural gas, 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement left rear corner); 100-amp circuit breakers (Murray), BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water; double-hung, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, hardwood t&g and tile floors, wood cabinets, silestone counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Chimney flashing is cracked”; “No gable vent present front or rear”; “Right side gutter is full of debris”; “Both side gutters need rear down-spout and leader pipes”; “A leader pipe is required for every 25' of gutter”; “Rear basement Bilco door is rusted”; “Front stoop top limestone tread is cracked and side limestone copping are broken”; “Vine crawling on right side garage roof and on rear wall of garage”; “Garage walls are made of metal”; “Refrigerator door handle is loose”; “Front bedroom right side window locks are broken”; “Safety item: Basement steps, railing needs balusters”. Also noted: “North side of roof was covered in snow”; “Light in garage did not operate”. On the day: 50°F, clear, wet ground; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: dishwasher; insulation in attic; plumbing water faucets; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: clothes dryer; clothes dryer vent piping; clothes washer; cooling and air handler equipment; food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; presence of installed cooling source in each room; range hood; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; 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 Queens page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
All three photographs are from Lou's own South Ozone Park inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11420: 1943 (Queens: 1953). Of 14,835 units, 45% predates 1940; 7% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 15% and the 1940s at 14%. 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: 93 to 93 years old. (ACS)
82% utility gas, 8% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 8% against 11% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 42 petroleum spills at private homes in South Ozone Park since 1986, 6 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)
51% detached houses, 33% two-unit buildings, 9% attached single-family houses; 72% owner-occupied (Queens: 45%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 37%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. (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)
113 flood-insurance claims from zip 11420 since 1978, most in 1979 (38): 69th 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: Ozone Park · Howard Beach · Jamaica · Briarwood · Richmond Hill · Woodhaven · all 250 towns.
His South Ozone Park file goes back to 2018. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.