Nassau County · southwest Nassau

Home inspector in Valley Stream, NY

Between 2017 and 2025, Lou Rubino inspected 10 homes in Valley Stream. The village incorporated in 1925 and most of its neighbourhoods — the Gibson section, the prewar blocks, late-1930s Green Acres — were planned and built as pieces, so whole streets share an age, a style and, decades later, the same list of things wearing out together.

Rated 5.0 on Google as of August 2026 · U.S. Army veteran owned · NY licence #16000039568 · 516-330-3870

Valley Stream wears out street by street

A house from the 1920s or 30s is on at least its third roof, second or third heating plant, and an electrical system that has been extended by every owner since. None of that is a reason not to buy — it is the reason to know which round of replacements this particular house is due for, because on these blocks the neighbours' recent bills are a preview of yours.

Lou's job is to put dates and conditions on those systems: how much life the roof covering has, what the boiler and its piping say about their age, and whether the panel has kept up with the house above it.

What the inspection can examine here

The roof covering's real remaining life — curling and cracking read differently, and the report says which this is.
The heating plant and the piping around it — the boiler is often newer than the system it serves.
The panel, covers off — 1920s-40s houses carry 1920s-40s wiring questions.
Moisture at the lowest level — the history is legible even on a dry day.

Photographs from Valley Stream reports

An asphalt shingle roof with curled and cracked shingles marked by red arrows and a box. — Curled, cracking shingles on a Valley Stream roof, marked for the report — this is what "due for its next roof" looks like up close.

Copper and steel piping connections above a boiler, two findings arrowed. — Near-boiler piping on a Valley Stream heating plant, findings arrowed. The boiler may be new; the system around it often is not.

Light-coloured roof shingles with a hairline crack arrowed and a dark patched area at the corner. — A hairline crack arrowed on a Valley Stream roof beside a patched area — the patch answers one question and asks another.

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

From the Valley Stream files

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

Close-up of panel breakers with two red arrows pointing at wire terminal connections — Red arrows mark wire connections at breaker terminals inside the panel. Inspectors look closely at each terminal to confirm it holds only the conductors it is designed for and that nothing is loose or overheated.

What this means: 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.

Brick chimney with metal cap and screen above a shingle roof ridge, red arrow at the cap — The arrow marks the metal cap and screen on top of this brick chimney. A cap keeps rain and animals out of the flue, so its condition is checked from the roof during an inspection.

What this means: the chimney

Chimney crowns, caps and screens are the cheap parts that protect the expensive parts. Cracked crowns and missing screens let water and animals into a flue, and the damage below can run for years unseen. What happens when part of a system cannot be seen.

Uncovered metal junction box with wire connectors and armored cables among wood debris — This junction box has no cover, leaving its wire splices exposed; the arrow marks wiring running loose outside the box. Covers matter because they contain any spark or heat a failing splice can produce.

What this means: 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.

Approximate town-centre locator — Valley Stream in red, Lou’s Wantagh base in navy. Not a job location, an office, or a service boundary.

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.

Also nearby: Oceanside · Floral Park · all 26 towns.

Buying in Valley Stream?

His Valley Stream file goes back to 2017. Yours would not be the first.

Schedule an inspection Call 516-330-3870

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