Between 2014 and 2016, Lou Rubino inspected two homes in West Hempstead — two jobs, each with a written report, and the photographs below come from them. The reports describe a cape and a colonial, about 91 years old.
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Lou’s two summaries flagged 6 items Repair or Replace, most for the exterior (3), garage (1) and roof, chimney and attic (1). Each report, newest first, as Lou wrote it up.
2016, a colonial, about 91 years old, a two-family house: 6 items flagged: 3 exterior; 1 roof, chimney and attic; 1 garage. As recorded: gable and flat roof, architectural and asphalt/fiberglass, seen from: walked roof; attic: no storage, gable vents and soffit vents ventilation; clapboard vinyl siding, chimney: metal flue pipe; masonry block foundation, 2 x 8 and 2 x 10 floor framing, steel lally columns, crawlspace: from entry and limited access; hydronic heat on gas, hot water off the boiler; (2) 200-amp service panel circuit breakers (Cutler Hammer and Murray), romex and BX wiring, copper supply pipes, public water, window AC; casement and thermal/insulated windows, hardwood t&g, carpet and tile floors, wood and laminate cabinets, tile and laminate counters. Flagged, in Lou’s words: “Shingle roof is about 15 years old”; “One layer of shingle on pitched roof”; “Moss growing on pitched roof sections”; “Flat roof middle seam is lifting and 3'x 6' patch lifting on edges”; “Leader pipe on garage need elbows and splash blocks to direct water away from structure”; “Support spikes pulling out of gutters”; “Bay windows in kitchen and living rooms need support bracket”; “Kitchen window is starting to drop and difficult to open”; “Living room window has dropped and can not be opened”; “Windows not insulated on bottoms”; “Second floor wooden steps and platform are not screwed together and sections are loosening”; “Railing support posts nails are loosening”; “Platform railing bottom rail has warped”; “Platform deck boards are weathered”; “Caution Safety Item: Third floor fire-escape rail brackets are not fastened to wall”; “Fire-escape is rusted and in need of scraping and paint”; “Asphalt driveway has many cracks and damaged near sidewalk”; “Handle broken on clothes dryer”; “First floor needs to be sanded and finished”; “Third floor front bedroom window crank missing”. Also noted: “Manufacturers will not warranty panels with other brand breakers”; “Cover missing from junction box in basement right front corner”; “Pipe in wall between crawl space and basement has asbestos like insulation”; “Baseboard radiator in living room first floor missing seam kit”; “Radiator in 2nd floor bath not working”. On the day: 61°F, cloudy, light rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces south. Not inspected that day: fence; insulation in attic; roof structure and attic; visible electric wiring in attic. Not present in this house: gas/lp firelogs and fireplaces; solid fuel heating devices; ventilation fans and thermostatic controls; windows.
2014, a cape, over 50 years old: nothing flagged. As recorded: masonry block foundation, 2 x 8 floor framing, steel lally columns, crawlspace: could not access. Also noted: “Foundation Inspection Only”. On the day: 55°F, light rain, wet ground, rain in the three days before; the house faces east.
“Flagged” is HomeGauge’s Repair or Replace mark, not a verdict on the house. See a complete report.
Related: The Nassau County page · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
Both photographs are from Lou's own West Hempstead inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
Median year built in zip 11552: 1953 (Nassau County: 1955). Of 7,736 units, the 1950s built the most, 38%; 5% is from 2000 on. Next come the pre-1940 houses at 23% and the 1940s at 17%. 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: 91 years old. (ACS)
65% utility gas, 26% fuel oil or kerosene; fuel oil 26% against 28% county-wide. NYSDEC logs 229 petroleum spills at private homes in West Hempstead since 1986, 37 since 2015. 7 were logged in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 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)
93% detached houses; 91% owner-occupied (Nassau County: 82%). Detached houses dominate, so most inspections here run from the roof to the foundation of one building. Lou’s jobs here included a two-family house. (ACS)
Town of Hempstead: 401 basement tests, average 1.22 pCi/L, 11 at 4 or above (3%). Nassau County: 6% of 837. First-floor tests there: 124, average 0.62. On the share at 4 or above, it ranks 4th of the county’s 5 towns and cities. The highest basement reading was 8.3 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)
42 flood-insurance claims from zip 11552 since 1979, most in 1979 (9): 110th 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 Hempstead 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.
The New York State Uniform Code, groundwater from 46 public water systems, the county sewer-connection rule and the Article XI heating-oil tank closure program: county-wide, written once. They are the same for every town in Nassau 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: Franklin Square · Malverne · Rockville Centre · Garden City · Garden City South · Stewart Manor · all 250 towns.
His West Hempstead file goes back to 2014. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.