What Hempstead Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
Reviews matter because a chimney is one of the few parts of your house you can’t easily inspect yourself. You’re trusting someone to get up on the roof, look down the flue, and tell you the truth. Around Hempstead, that trust gets built one job at a time. Wendell Pike has owned Top Hat Chimney since 1999, and most of our new customers come from a neighbor saying, “Call the guy I used.” Here’s what some of those neighbors have said.
Recent Reviews
“We moved into our house near Hempstead Turnpike and had no idea when the chimney was last cleaned. Wendell showed up on time, ran the camera down the flue, and showed me the footage on his tablet before he even picked up a brush. There was maybe a decade of creosote in there. He swept it out, bagged everything, and left the hearth cleaner than he found it. The invoice matched the quote to the penny.”
Amit R.
Hempstead, NY
“I called at 7:30 on a Saturday morning expecting a machine. Wendell answered. That alone got my attention. He came out to our place off Front Street the same week, did a full sweep, and found a cracked flue tile I had no idea about. He didn’t pressure me to fix it that day. He showed me the camera image, explained what it meant, and said it could wait until spring if we weren’t burning heavily. Who does that? He’s got my business for life.”
Travis A.
Hempstead, NY
“We use our fireplace every winter, and for years we had a different company come out. It was always fine, I guess, but I never felt like I knew what was actually done. Top Hat was different. The sweep who showed up was in uniform, background-checked, and gave me a straight answer on every question. He pulled a dead bird out of the flue, which explained the smell we’d been noticing. Camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time.”
Shannon T.
Hempstead, NY
“I had a written estimate from another company for $2,400 to reline my chimney. Something felt off, so I called Top Hat for a second opinion. Wendell came out, ran the camera, and told me the liner had a few hairline cracks but was nowhere near failure. He said to sweep it, keep an eye on it, and save my money. Zero charge for the visit. I’m still using that other estimate as scratch paper.”
Alejandro M.
Hempstead, NY
“Third year using Top Hat for our annual sweep. Wendell’s crew remembers the house, remembers the quirks, and always gives us a real arrival window. If they’re running behind, they call. That never happens with other trades. Last visit they noticed the chimney cap was rusting through and recommended a replacement before winter. The price was fair, the work took an hour, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped right on the invoice. No fine print.”
Amit R.
Hempstead, NY
“Our fireplace had been drafting badly for months. Smoke backing into the living room, soot on the mantel, the whole thing. Top Hat came out and found first-degree creosote built up in the smoke chamber plus a cap that was practically sealed shut. Once a year, burn or no burn, that’s the rule I should have followed. They cleaned everything, replaced the cap, and now the fire draws like a champ. Wendell even called a few days later to make sure it was still burning right.”
Shannon T.
Hempstead, NY
Why Customers Trust Us
Every one of those reviews shares a pattern. We show up when we say we will, we put a camera down the flue before we recommend anything, and the price you hear on the phone is the price on the invoice. Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and he still runs it the same way: owner-operated, locally owned, with a published address right here in Hempstead. The crew is background-checked and uniformed. The work is backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise, in writing, on every single job. If it’s not right, one call brings us back at no charge.
We also understand that nobody likes feeling sold. That’s why we offer a free second opinion on any written estimate, $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and 10% off always for seniors and veterans. If a liner or rebuild isn’t urgent, we’ll tell you it can wait. If it is urgent, we’ll show you why on camera before a single tool comes off the truck.
Call (516) 963-1068 to book a sweep or ask about a repair. A live person answers, around the clock. It might be Wendell himself.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Hempstead since 1999.