What Catonsville Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
We could tell you we do good work. Wendell could tell you he’s been at it since 1999. But the people who matter are the ones who’ve already had us out to their homes in Catonsville, Arbutus, and Ellicott City. They’re the ones who watched the sweep show up on time, saw the camera footage with their own eyes, and got a straight answer about what their chimney actually needed. Here’s what they said after we left.
Recent Reviews
Neil V. – Catonsville, Paradise Avenue area
“Top Hat came out to clean a fireplace we hadn’t used in three years. The camera showed a creosote glaze I couldn’t see from the ground, and Wendell walked me through every frame of it before recommending anything. He could have pushed a rebuild, but he said a sweep plus a follow-up in six months would tell us more. That honesty is rare. The tech left the hearth cleaner than he found it and the price matched the phone quote to the dollar.”
Tyrone B. – Catonsville, off Edmondson Avenue
“Booked a chimney cleaning after my neighbor mentioned the standing offer for seniors. The live person who answered was actually the owner, and he asked about my setup before quoting anything. The sweep arrived in a uniform, gave me a real window, and called ahead to say he was ten minutes out. He found a cracked flue tile and showed me the footage before I paid a cent. I got the $40 off because the repair went over $200, no arguing.”
Adriana M. – Catonsville, Frederick Road corridor
“Our chimney cap was rusted through and birds had gotten in. Top Hat replaced it with a stainless cap and did a full cleaning while they were up there. They showed me photos of the old cap and the new one side by side. Wendell made a point of telling me the liner looked fine on camera and nothing else needed doing. Six months later everything still works and the birds are gone. That’s the whole story.”
Veronica G. – Catonsville, near the Community College
“I got three estimates for a liner repair and two of them felt like scare tactics. Wendell from Top Hat gave me a free second opinion on a written quote from another company and talked me out of a $2,400 job. He showed me camera footage proving the liner had years left. We did a sweep and he said call in a year. That was last spring. No issues, no pressure, and the 90-day guarantee was right there in writing on the invoice.”
Neil V. – Catonsville, second visit, same house
“We had Top Hat back this fall after last year’s clean job. Same crew, same truck, same straight talk. The sweep remembered the house and asked if we’d noticed any smoke smell since last visit. We hadn’t, and the camera confirmed the chimney was still in good shape. Paid for a basic cleaning, got no upsell, and the receipt had Wendell’s 90-Day Done Right Promise stamped across the bottom. I’ll keep using them.”
Adriana M. – Catonsville, near Lurman Woodland Theatre
“Called Top Hat in late winter because I smelled something odd when the wind picked up. Wendell himself answered at 8pm on a Sunday and scheduled me for that week. The sweep found a dead squirrel in the smoke chamber and cleaned everything out including a cap from a previous owner. He showed me the before and after on a tablet before I wrote a check. The price was exactly what the phone quote said, and the senior discount applied without me even asking.”
Why Customers Trust Us
The pattern in those reviews isn’t an accident. Wendell has run Top Hat Chimney out of Catonsville since 1999, which means the sweep who shows up at your door likely went to high school with someone on your street. Every job gets upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck. Every cleaning includes camera inspection at no extra cost, so you see what we see, plain English, no exceptions. And the 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every completed job in writing. If it isn’t right, one call brings Wendell back at no charge. That’s how you earn a review like the ones above. That’s how you stay busy for 29 years without a franchise name on the side of the van.
Call (443) 332-7798 to book your sweep or ask for a free second opinion on a repair quote. A live person answers, around the clock, and it might be Wendell himself picking up.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Catonsville since 1999.