Alvin Ubell is an architectural designer, building inspector, business owner, author, and TV and radio personality based in Brooklyn, NY. [1] He is an advocate for do-it-yourself home improvements and repairs that enhance safety, comfort and energy savings. [2] He currently serves as vice president, senior inspector (partner) and founder of Accurate Building Inspectors. [3]
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933 to Russian-Polish immigrants, Alvin Ubell was raised speaking Yiddish. He is the third son of four brothers: Earl Ubell (1926), Seymour Ubell (1931), and Robert Ubell (1938). [4] [5]
Ubell graduated from Tilden High School in Brooklyn, NY. [6] He attended Purdue University as an undergraduate and studied architecture at the Pratt Institute. [1] He joined the U.S. Navy in 1953 during the Korean War as a 3rd Class Petty Officer serving two years as a radiological warfare technologist and damage controlman on the troop training vessel, the USS Randall APA 224. [7]
During his early career, Alvin Ubell worked as a construction manager and architectural designer. He also worked as a cabinetmaker, carpenter, stair builder and draftsman. [1] [6]
In 1961, Ubell co-founded, with his wife Estelle Rita, Accurate Building Inspectors (ABI), a home and building inspection firm in Brooklyn NY. [8] In 1983, Ubell’s son, Lawrence joined the company. [8] In addition to providing inspection services within the Greater New York area, [9] Ubell has provided expert testimony before the courts on matters involving construction standards and regulatory codes. [10] He has also been interviewed by news organizations in matters of construction hazards and public safety. [11]
From 1975 through 1981, the ABC Television Network hired Ubell to be featured as “Al Ubell” the “Household Hints & Safety Reporter” on the TV series Good Morning America (GMA). [12] [13] During the weekly morning segment, Ubell was allotted two minutes and thirty seconds to demonstrate various home improvements and do-it-yourself home repairs such as replacing a home door lock. [14] During the approximate 250 episodes in which he appeared, Ubell was often joined by a Good Morning America host or reporter such as Steve Bell, David Hartman, Sandy Hill, Joan Lunden and others. [12] At the end of each TV segment, Ubell signed off by saying either, “America, go forth and save energy” or “America, go forth and fix.” [15]
From 1982-1983, Ubell worked on ABC TV’s “Kids are People Too”. [16] Thereafter, Ubell appeared on the WABC-TV “Regis Philbin Show” from 1982–84 and then on the WCBS-TV “New York” show from 1983-1990. Subsequent TV appearances include the ABC-TV Home Show [13] from 1991-1992, CNN [17] [18] and a recorded video for ABC Video Entertainment titled, “America Go Forth & Save Energy”. [13]
In 1981, Alvin Ubell made his first radio appearance on WNYC FM when Marty Wayne invited him as a guest on the “Senior Edition” program. [1] When Leonard Lopate assumed the role of new host for the program in 1985, Ubell was invited again as a regular monthly guest. In 1997, Ubell was joined on-air by his second son, Lawrence Ubell. Writing in 2006 about the Ubells on WNYC radio, New York Times journalist Jennifer Bleyer explained,
The Ubells are father and son, a pair of short, sturdy men with piano-key smiles. As independent building inspectors who describe themselves as the “Gurus of How-To,” they appear once a month on Mr. Lopate’s afternoon program, doling out home-repair tips along with friendly banter in robust Brooklynese. [1]
During the live radio broadcast of The Leonard Lopate Show, Ubell and his son advised WNYC callers on home improvements, building regulations, and preventive home repairs. [19] The Ubells also challenged Lopate listeners with a word quiz derived from the building industry nomenclature. [20] Ubell’s final guest appearance on WNYC FM was September 14, 2018. [21]
Ubell also appeared on the ABC’s TalkRadio Network from 1984-1988. [13] [22]
In December 2018, Ubell and his son Lawrence joined the Leonard Lopate At Large show at WBAI New York 99.5 FM. [23]
Ubell was a product spokesperson for several national companies including Black & Decker, Brooklyn Union Gas, Carrier Corp., Rust-Oleum Corporation, and Slant/Fin. He has appeared in ad campaigns such as the Oldsmobile AAA “Winter Driving Safety Tips” TV commercials. [13] In 1982-83, Ubell was hired by General Electric to “promote the company's new "Quick Fix" program aimed at guiding appliance-buyers in making their own repairs on GE and Hotpoint washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerator-freezers and ranges.“ [24]
As a spokesperson, Ubell also wrote articles for Rust-Oleum and True Value. [25]
Ubell has written and co-authored several books on home improvement and repair which have been translated from English into Polish and French. [26]
From 1980-2005, Ubell was “Household Hints & Safety Editor”, and contributing author for Family Circle magazine writing articles on safe housekeeping and home repairs. [27]
Ubell was a member of American Institute of Architects (AIA) [13] and was a 1976 charter member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and chair person of the Ethics Committee at a time when home inspectors were not required to have licenses or permits, only insurance. [13] [8]
Alvin Ubell has three children from his marriage with Estelle Rita Ubell: Charles Ubell, Lawrence Ubell, and Anna Ubell Garcia. [29]
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