Westchester County

Westchester home inspections: the ground here is not Long Island

Lou works up here regularly, and the honest summary is that the house above ground is often familiar while everything below it is not.

Septic and wells, under county rules

In northern Westchester, being on a septic system is close to the norm rather than the exception, and a great many houses draw their water from a private well. The county health department sets its own rules for how those are designed and built.

Both matter more than anything cosmetic you will look at on the day, and New York's standards do not require an inspector to evaluate either one. A septic inspection is its own job and water testing goes to a laboratory. Lou will note what is visible and the evidence around it, and the report will say plainly where his scope ended.

Worth knowing before you pay for it

Radon here is not what the map says it is

The EPA's radon zone map puts Westchester in the same zone as New York City, Nassau and Suffolk — the lowest of the three. That map was drawn in 1993, it is county-wide, and the EPA's own instruction is that it “should not be used to determine if individual homes need to be tested”.

More recent data points the other way. New York State Homes and Community Renewal requires passive radon mitigation in Westchester and does not require it in Nassau or Suffolk. State health department testing has found roughly one basement in six here above the EPA action level. Northern Westchester sits on the same granite as Putnam next door, which is in the highest zone.

So: test. The kit is inexpensive, and a county-wide map drawn in 1993 is not an answer for your address. Here is what the State's own testing found, county by county and town by town.

Buying in Westchester?

Different ground, different rules, and different questions to ask.

Schedule an inspection Call 516-330-3870

Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.

A gutter run holding debris and standing water, arrowed along its length.

Chimney and flue cap at roof level. Venting is checked from both ends.

Real photographs from Lou's own inspections, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.

Service area

Where Lou works

Long Island, the five boroughs and Westchester. The eight areas below each have their own page, because a house in Levittown and a brownstone in Brooklyn fail in completely different ways.

The real Google map, focused on Westchester — the area this page covers. Every area in the list below opens with its own map.

From the Westchester files

More of what Lou has actually photographed on Westchester inspections. Open any note to learn what the finding means for a buyer — every link stays on this site.

Gray manual generator transfer switch with six breakers and two wattage meters — A gray manual generator transfer switch with six circuit switches labelled A through F; the arrow points to the switch bank, whose positions are labelled GEN, OFF, and LINE. The two dials below are watt meters, one for each labelled bank of circuits.

Why this matters — the electrical panel

An inspector removes the readily accessible panel covers because New York requires it — most of what matters in a panel is invisible with the cover on. Double-tapped breakers, mixed wire eras and scorched connections are all findings that only appear with the cover off. Why the covers come off.

Moss-covered asphalt shingle roof edge with red arrows at overhanging evergreen branches — Red arrows mark evergreen limbs reaching the roof edge; the report notes tree limbs hitting the shingles on both sides of this roof. It also warns that the moss visible on the surface will loosen the shingles' protective aggregate if allowed to keep growing.

Why this matters — roof wear

Asphalt and slate-type roofs age in legible stages: curling, cracking, slipped pieces, exposed fasteners. Reading the stage helps establish the visible wear and whether maintenance, repair or further evaluation is the honest next step. The report must say how the roof was examined.

Thermal image of a window with blue cold areas and a 49 degree reading label — An infrared image of a window, with arrows and blue areas showing where surfaces read cold, including a labelled 49-degree reading. A thermal camera makes drafts and cold spots visible that the eye cannot see.

Why this matters — thermal imaging

A thermal camera reads surface temperature differences — the starting point for finding air leaks, missing insulation and wet materials that warrant a closer look. It is evidence for further investigation, not a verdict by itself. How thermal evidence gets used.

Thermal image with red arrows at a blue cold streak along an uninsulated pipe run — A thermal image with red arrows at a blue streak running along a pipe. The report flags missing insulation on this leader pipe, and the bare section shows up under the camera as a band colder than the surfaces around it.

Why this matters — thermal imaging

A thermal camera reads surface temperature differences — the starting point for finding air leaks, missing insulation and wet materials that warrant a closer look. It is evidence for further investigation, not a verdict by itself. How thermal evidence gets used.

Red arrow at a fresh-air vent low on a dark-sided wall, partly hidden by an evergreen shrub above a gravel bed — The arrow marks a fresh-air vent low on the wall, partly hidden behind an evergreen bush. The report notes the bush is covering this vent and contributing moisture into the basement utility room, and recommends having the bush evaluated and removed.

Why this matters — drainage

Managing roof runoff is often one of the most cost-effective maintenance jobs a house gets — discharge against the foundation raises the risk of moisture problems below. Why drainage decides basements.

Electrical outlet pulled from a wall opening, red arrow at the green grounding screw — A receptacle pulled from its wall opening, with the arrow at the green ground screw where a thin aluminum bonding wire is attached. The report flags this thin bonding wire on the outlet's ground lug and recommends evaluation and repair by a licensed electrician.

Why this matters — older wiring

Old wiring is not automatically a defect — it is a question of condition, capacity and what was added to it over the decades. The report describes what era of wiring is present and where it needs a closer look. Old wiring and panels, explained.

All photographs are from Lou's own inspection reports for jobs in this area, screened so nothing identifies a property or an owner.