In 2017, Lou Rubino inspected one home in South Setauket — one job, one written report, and the photographs below come from it. The report describes a colonial, about 14 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.
2017, a colonial, about 14 years old: 13 items flagged: 6 exterior; 4 roof, chimney and attic; 1 garage. As recorded: gable and hip roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof, framed with 2 x 8 rafters and 2 x 10 rafters; attic: pull down stairs, storage and light in attic, fiberglass and r-19 insulation, ridge vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: vinyl siding and metal flue pipe; poured concrete foundation, engineered floor trusses 4"x 12" and laminated twin 2"x 12" main beams floor framing, steel lally columns; forced air heat on gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility room); 200-amp circuit breakers (Cutler Hammer), romex wiring, public water, air conditioner unit; double-hung, thermal/insulated and casement windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and laminated t&g floors, wood cabinets, corian and laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Roof is 12 years old, one layer”; “Shingle missing from left rear main roof”; “Hole in roofing where side hip meets garage peak”; “Garage ridge vent end cap is raised up”; “Mineral is wearing out from valley front section main roof”; “Moss building up where roof meets chimney”; “Fire-place chimney cap is starting to rust”; “Rear gutters filled with leaf debris”; “Primary cause of water in basement is improper disposal of roof water”; “Front dormer over garage needs leader and gutter system both sides”; “Right front leader pipe upper roof needs to be extended to lower leader pipe”; “Leader pipe to left of front entrance, elbow is berried in soil”; “Right rear leader pipe near basement entrance, needs extension pipe”; “Shed does not have leader and gutter system”; “Recessed lighting are a source of drafts during winter months”; “Noted a lot of construction material as well as empty boxes left in attic”; “Basement entrance door frame has water damage both sides”; “Basement entrance railing need paint or water proofing”; “Railing loose from concrete wall”; “Railing is not secured with rustproof fasteners”. Also noted: “Large hole in driveway next to garage”; “Asphalt is rutted up on left side of driveway near garage”; “Driveway is pitched toward steps left side”; “Truss engineered floor joists”; “Second floor laundry room washer drain pan does not appear to be connected to drain pipe”; “Only Cutler Hammer breakers should be used in panel to not void warranty”; “Light in basement Utility room is hanging from conductors”; “Left side rear exterior wall”; “Pool half empty and winterized”; “Removed for winter, placed in shed”. On the day: 57°F, cloudy, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east. Not inspected that day: electric lights secure; main water shut-off device; operational condition of pool; pumps for circulation of water; pumps for vacuum or cleaning; surface walls and floor of pool. Not present in this house: chemicals for pool capable of being stored with a lock; do steps or ladders exist on both sides of the pool; does pool have any rescue equipment; is the pool depth marked on outside area of pool; 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.
All three photographs are from Lou's own South Setauket inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11720: 1969 (Suffolk County: 1970). Of 9,407 units, the 1960s built the most, 26%; 10% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1970s at 22% and the 1950s 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: 14 years old. (ACS)
51% utility gas, 37% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 37% against 45% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 9 petroleum spills at private homes in South Setauket since 1994, 3 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)
90% detached houses; 86% 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 Brookhaven: 153 basement tests, average 1.79 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (5%). Suffolk County: 8% of 576. First-floor tests there: 85, average 0.79. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 6th of the county’s 10 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 15.6 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)
26 flood-insurance claims from zip 11720 since 1979, most in 1979 (6): 137th 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 Town of Brookhaven Building Division. 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: South Setauket (zip 11720) 1969, 37%, 86%; Lake Grove (zip 11755): built 1970, oil 52%, 80% owner-occupied; Farmingville (zip 11738): built 1972, oil 66%, 79% owner-occupied; Stony Brook (zip 11790): built 1965, oil 52%, 90% 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: Lake Grove · Farmingville · Stony Brook · Nesconset · East Setauket · Setauket · all 250 towns.
His South Setauket file goes back to 2017. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.