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
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Before
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Before
AfterMeet the Newport News Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
Top Hat Chimney has been working on Newport News fireplaces since 1999, and the crew who shows up at your door hasn’t changed much in how they operate. Same trucks, same tools, same standard. Most of the team has been with Wendell for over a decade. They know the difference between a Deer Park flue that’s seen salt air and a Denbigh chimney that’s been fighting pine sap for twenty years. They’re local, they’re trained, and they don’t leave until the job is done right. Here’s who you’ll likely meet when you call.
Our People
Wendell Pike, Owner and Lead Inspector
Wendell started Top Hat Chimney in 1999 with one truck and a simple rule: tell people the truth about what their chimney needs, even if it means losing a job. Twenty-nine years later, he still runs every estimate personally. His specialty is chimney inspections and liner work, with deep experience in stainless steel and HeatShield applications, and he’s the one who reviews every camera inspection before a recommendation leaves the office. When he’s not on a roof in Newport News, he’s usually at a local hardware store or walking his dog through Hilton Village. And yes, if you call after hours, there’s a good chance Wendell himself picks up.
Marcus T., Senior Technician and Repair Lead
Marcus has been with Top Hat for 16 years, which makes him the second-longest-running member of the crew. He oversees most chimney rebuilds, cap and crown replacements, and masonry patch work. Marcus is certified in stainless steel liner installation and handles the bulk of DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney product work. His favorite jobs, he says, are the ones where a homeowner thinks they need a full rebuild and it turns out a repair will do. Marcus lived in the East End his whole life and is usually the one who gets stopped at the grocery store by customers asking about a weird smell from their fireplace.
Dana R., Service Coordinator
Dana is the voice you’ll hear when you call Top Hat at (757) 384-4719. She’s been coordinating sweeps and repair appointments for the team for eight years and knows each technician’s schedule, territory, and skill set well enough to book you the right person the first time. Dana walks every caller through upfront pricing before a truck rolls, and she’s the reason you get a real arrival window, not a four-hour stretch of wondering. She grew up in Yorktown, moved to Newport News after college, and keeps a small notebook of every customer’s chimney history so she can reference it when you call back next season. Her memory for flue sizes and past repairs is, frankly, a little alarming.
Eli V., Apprentice and Sweep Assistant
Eli is the newest member of the crew, hired two years ago after two seasons of roofing and gutter work. He’s currently learning the finer points of chimney sweeping under Wendell’s direct supervision, including creosote staging, proper brush selection for clay versus steel liners, and how to spot early spalling on brick crowns. He’s already taken on full sweeps solo and handles a brush with more patience than most guys twice his age. Eli is Newport News born and raised, and when he’s not covered in soot, he’s fishing off the James River pier or arguing about Virginia Tech football with anyone who will listen.
One Standard, Every Job
Every member of the crew operates under the same set of rules Wendell put in place in 1999, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise applies to every job, whether it’s a basic sweep or a full liner replacement. Before any tool comes off the truck, the homeowner knows the price. Before any recommendation is made, the camera footage is on the screen, not just a verbal summary. So when Marcus tells you a flue needs a repair, you see the crack for yourself. When Dana books your appointment, she tells you exactly what the visit will cost. And when Eli shows up, he’s in uniform, background-checked, and ready to work. That’s not a franchise checklist. That’s the way Wendell runs a business, and it’s why he tells people their flue doesn’t care how the fire looks, it cares how it breathes. The standard doesn’t change depending on which technician arrives, because every one of them answers to the same man and the same promise.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Newport News since 1999.