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Inspect This Home Inspections Army Veteran Owned · NY Licensed
Bronx · colonials

Home inspector in Wakefield, NY

Between 2019 and 2021, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in Wakefield — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe two colonials, from 106 to 110 years old.

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What the Wakefield reports found

Lou’s two summaries flagged 20 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (7), roof, chimney and attic (5) and rooms (3). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.

2021, a colonial, about 106 years old: 9 items flagged: 3 exterior; 3 rooms; 2 roof, chimney and attic. As recorded: flat roof, asphalt/fiberglass, 90 w paper, seen from: walked roof; attic: no attic access and no storage, passive ventilation; cement stucco and clapboard vinyl and eifs siding, chimney: brick; rock and mortar foundation, supporting walls; 40 gallon (1-2 people) gas (quick recovery) water heater (basement and utility closet); 60-amp circuit breakers (Crouse-Hinds # Lc012df and General Electric # Lm12df), BX wiring, lead supply pipes, public water, window AC; awning, double-hung and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g, tile and vinyl floors, wood and laminate cabinets, granite and laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Main roof is about 2 years old with one layer”; “Main roof is full of tree debris and acorn, from large oak tree overhanging roof”; “Front lower roof needs to be painted with silver roof paint”; “Main roof can be painted with silver roof paint to reflect sun during summer”; “Roof hatch has been covered over”; “Both chimney flue need rain caps”; “Skylight vent metal frame is rusted”; “Right front lower leader pipe is too short for cast iron drain pipe”; “Front lower yankee gutter and leader pipe, full of tree debris”; “Front cast iron drain pipe full of debris”; “Rear shed roof does not have leader and gutter system”; “Main roof yankee gutter drain hole is too small and needs screen”; “Main roof, rear down spout is full of tree debris”; “Rear lower roof, right side gutter full of debris”; “If valley leaks water will penetrate left side of house”; “Rear metal storm door is corroded from water entering inside door”; “Front deck middle joist needs support in middle”; “Front stoop top platform joints are cracked at limestone mitered joints and concrete platform”; “Rear wood deck and steps paint is peeling”; “Left front retaining wall is cracked from frost heaving”. Also noted: “Left rear awning window cracked opposite rear pantry”; “Handle missing from corner cabinet door”; “Outlet on front wall protrudes from wall and is loose”; “Stove not connected to gas supply pipe”; “Yellow gas flex pipe not connected to stove”; “Main gas supply pipe for stove, located where refrigerator was placed”; “Safety Item: Window, lower sash, won't stay up”; “Shower water valve control handle missing”; “Space behind tub faucet spout”; “Only partially visible in boiler utility closet”; “Outlet below main panel in basement is blocked by heavy BX cable”; “Black wire in main panel left upper quadrant has no wire nut”; “Main panel in basement kitchen front wall above refrigerator”; “Sub panel in 1st floor hallway”; “Pilot light was out at time of inspection”; “Ignited pilot light and unit operated well”. On the day: 62°F, clear, damp ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces south. Not inspected that day: ceilings; columns or piers; cooling and air handler equipment; floors; insulation in attic; insulation under floor system; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic; walls. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; presence of installed cooling source in each room; solid fuel heating devices; sump pump; vapor retarders; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.

2019, a colonial, about 110 years old: 11 items flagged: 4 exterior; 3 roof, chimney and attic; 2 kitchen. As recorded: gable roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked, framed with 2 x 6 rafters; attic: storage and light in attic, below and r-19 insulation, soffit vents and passive ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: brick; rock and mortar foundation, 2 x 6 floor framing, wood piers, crawlspace: crawled; forced air heat on natural gas, 50 gallon (2-3 people) electric water heater (basement and utility room); 100-amp circuit breakers (Crouse-Hinds), romex wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, window AC; double-hung, thermal/insulated and sliders windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and pine t & g floors, wood cabinets, quartz counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Metal debris left on roof right rear”; “Chimney flashing cement is peeling off rear face and near roof line”; “Ceramic liner does not rise above brickwork and no rain cap present”; “Right rear old kitchen exhaust vent should be closed off”; “Below front door siding trim is loose”; “Front storm door closing piston loose and storm glass not installed”; “Front concrete steps bottom step and top platform cracked”; “First step is 10", too high”; “Front stoop stone cheek walls cracked and stone copping cement joints cracked both sides”; “Front stone rubble retaining wall is cracked in many places”; “Safety Item: Rear concrete walkway section has lifted causing trip hazard”; “Saddle needed at kitchen entrance from dinning room and at rear door to prevent damage to ceramic tile edge”; “Hood light bulbs are burnt out”; “Dinning room floor near out-cove is cold”; “Front entrance ceramic tile cracked and loose”; “Ceramic tile should never be laid on wood floors, only in cement”; “Safety item: Basement stairwell needs railing with balusters 4" apart both sides”; “No plastic vapor barrier present on dirt floor in front crawl space”; “Many old tires stored in crawl space”; “Asphalt rubble piled up against front wall in crawl space”. Also noted: “Front dormer does not have leader and gutter system”; “Front gutter is full of debris and leader pipe not installed”; “Master, outlet right side near bed cover missing and outlet is loose”; “Dinning room floor near out- cove is cold”; “Above second floor hallway work light hanging from conductors”; “Outside second floor storage closet gang box incomplete and sheetrock needs repair”; “Second floor middle room outlet covers missing”; “Safety Items: In main breaker panel, right side romex and orange extension cord wired to breakers without connectors”; “Left side Romex cable connected with BX connector”; “Number one breaker right side does not fit panel cover”; “If installing central A/C”; “Safety Items: In basement, 2 Open junction boxes left front over sink in ceiling”; “Open junction box center front over gas shut off valve”; “Open junction box in basement left rear”; “Light fixture hanging from conductors at bottom of basement steps”; “Right rear of basement, BX cable hanging down with open junction box and Gem Box”; “Light fixture hanging from conductors over dryer”; “Metal ductwork in crawl space and basement is not insulated, very inefficient”; “If installing new furnace the chimney will have to be lined with stainless steel liner, unless direct vent unit is used”. On the day: 32°F, clear, frozen, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces west. Not inspected that day: cooling and air handler equipment; microwave cooking equipment; normal operating controls; plumbing water faucets; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: food waste disposer; gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; outlets & fixtures; pantry/closet doors; presence of installed cooling source in each room; sewage ejection pump; solid fuel heating devices; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls.

“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.

Related: All towns · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.

What the inspection can examine here

Photographs from Wakefield reports

Brick chimney coated in black flashing cement peeling away, with red arrows and labels reading no rain cap and flashing cement is peeling.
Chimney flashing cement is peeling off the rear face and near the roof line, and the ceramic liner does not rise above the brickwork.
White PVC drain pipes passing through notched basement floor joists above a green wall board, marked with two red arrows.
Four floor joists have been compromised by plumbers, including this one at the left rear of the basement. Lou recommended evaluation and repair by a licensed carpenter contractor.
Bare metal ductwork running under floor joists in a crawl space, marked with a red arrow.
Metal ductwork in the crawl space and basement is not insulated, which the report calls very inefficient. Lou recommended evaluation and repair by a licensed insulation contractor.

All three photographs are from Lou's own Wakefield inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Buying in Wakefield: the questions with sourced answers

Each answer is built from Wakefield’s own rows in public data — the Census, NYSDOH, NYSDEC, FEMA, the office that holds the permits — or from Lou’s reports, and cites its source. Data retrieved 1 November 2026.

How old are the houses in Wakefield?

Median year built in zip 10466: 1952 (Bronx: 1954). Of 26,303 units, 35% predates 1940; 6% is from 2000 on. Next come the 1950s at 21% and the 1960s 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: 106 to 110 years old. (ACS)

How are homes in Wakefield heated? Is an oil tank likely?

59% utility gas, 19% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 19% against 24% county-wide. NYSDEC logs Bronx home oil spills under the borough, not Wakefield. 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)

Is Wakefield mostly houses or apartments, owned or rented?

20% two-unit buildings, 18% detached houses, 14% attached single-family houses; 41% owner-occupied (Bronx: 20%). Two- to four-unit buildings are 33%; a multi-family house means shared systems, separate meters and what each unit controls. (ACS)

Is radon a concern in Wakefield?

Bronx (reported by borough): 101 basement tests, average 1.73 pCi/L, 8 at 4 or above (8%). First-floor tests there: 43, average 1.13. The highest basement reading was 20.9 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)

Has Wakefield flooded? Is the house in a flood zone?

36 flood-insurance claims from zip 10466 since 1979, most in 2007 (6): 119th 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)

Who holds the permits and certificate of occupancy in Wakefield?

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.

Which code, water and sewer rules apply in Wakefield?

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 Bronx, so they are set out there with their sources instead of on each page.

How much does a home inspection in Wakefield cost, and how fast is the report?

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.

Where this sits in Lou's territory

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: Williamsbridge · Woodlawn · Pelham Manor · Kingsbridge · Morris Park · Pelham Bay · all 250 towns.

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