Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterMeet the Catonsville Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
Top Hat Chimney has been working in Catonsville and the surrounding Baltimore County neighborhoods since 1999, and the crew you’ll see pulling up in the truck are local people, not a rotating cast from some regional outfit. Wendell Pike built this company on a simple idea: the person who shows up at your door should be someone you’d trust to stay for dinner. These are the people who make that happen. They’re background-checked, they show up in uniform, and they call you if the arrival window slips. Ask anyone on your street. Chances are, one of these names already rang their doorbell.
Our People
Mike D. – Lead Technician
Mike has been with Top Hat Chimney for 14 years, and he’s the guy Wendell sends when a chimney has been neglected long enough to get interesting. He holds a CSIA certification and has seen just about every kind of flue failure Baltimore County weather can produce, from spalling brick on Frederick Road colonials to third-degree creosote glaze in woodstove flues out in Woodlawn. Mike keeps a notepad in the truck where he sketches chimney anatomy for homeowners who want to understand what he’s seeing. He’s a Ravens season ticket holder and will talk masonry repair with you until one of you runs out of time.
Darnell R. – Senior Liner Installer
Darnell runs the liner and rebuild work, which means he spends more time on rooftops than anybody else on the crew. He’s been installing stainless and HeatShield systems for over a decade and is the reason Top Hat can offer a straight answer on whether a liner can be saved or needs full replacement. Darnell is meticulous about the flex-to-crown connection, and he photographs every step because he knows the homeowner wants to see what got put in there. He grew up in Catonsville, went to Catonsville High, and still lives close enough to walk his dog through the same neighborhoods he works in.
Patty S. – Service Coordinator
Patty is the voice on the phone when you call Top Hat Chimney, and she’s been answering that phone for nine years. She knows the schedule cold, knows which streets are in the county for the no-trip-charge offer, and she will give you a real arrival window, not a four-hour shrug. Patty came from a property management office and treats every caller like a neighbor who needs a straight answer on pricing. She keeps a list of standing discounts taped to her monitor: $40 off any repair over $200, free second opinions on competing written estimates, and the 10% senior and veteran discount. If your flue has been making a smell, Patty will make sure you understand what the camera inspection involves before anyone gets in a truck.
Kevin T. – Apprentice Sweep
Kevin is in his second year with Top Hat Chimney, learning the trade from Wendell and Mike the old way: brush in hand, boots in the firebox, ears open. He came over from a roofing crew, so he’s already comfortable at height, and he’s working through his manufacturer training on DuraFlex and Gelco products as he goes. Kevin is the one who double-checks drop cloths and makes sure the workspace is cleaner than we found it, which is a Top Hat habit he picked up early. He’s got a young family in Lansdowne and a standing Friday night poker game he will not elaborate on.
One Standard, Every Job
Wendell puts his name on every invoice because he still shows up on the jobs himself, which means the standard doesn’t change depending on who’s on the schedule that day. Every crew member knows the rules: upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck, camera footage shown to the customer before any repair is recommended, and no work done that can safely wait. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every job, so if something isn’t right, one call brings Wendell back. No arguing, no re-quoting, no waiting until spring. He’s run into too many Catonsville homeowners at Saturday soccer games to let his crew cut corners. That’s the part a franchise can’t buy, the fact that the owner lives down the road and has to look you in the eye at the grocery store. The crew knows it. The standard holds because the guy who owns the truck is the same guy whose name is on the work.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Catonsville since 1999.