What Newark Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
Reviews matter because a chimney is one of the few parts of a house you can’t easily inspect yourself. You’re relying on someone else’s eyes, someone else’s honesty. We’ve been cleaning and repairing chimneys across Newark since 1999, and the reviews below come from people who let Wendell Pike and his crew into their homes, watched the work, and saw the camera footage with their own eyes. That’s how trust gets built around here. One flue at a time.
Recent Reviews
“Wendell showed up in a clean uniform, on time, and walked me through everything before he touched a thing. His crew swept our fireplace in the Ironbound and showed me video of a cracked flue tile I would have never known about. No pressure, no upselling, just the facts. Third-year using them.”
Michelle S.
Ironbound, Newark
“We bought a row house in Forest Hill and the home inspector said the chimney was fine. Top Hat came out for a sweep and found first-degree creosote buildup that should have been caught. Wendell quoted the cleaning on the phone and that’s exactly what I paid. Live person answered at 7 a.m. on a Saturday, which still surprises me.”
Craig S.
Forest Hill, Newark
“The chimney cap on our place in Weequahic was rusted through and birds had gotten in. Wendell and his crew replaced it, sealed the crown, and even showed me the old cap before they hauled it away. He spotted a loose brick near the top and fixed it same visit without adding a surprise line item. Called me when he was ten minutes out, like he said he would.”
Malik D.
Weequahic, Newark
“I had a written estimate from another company for a full liner replacement, almost four grand. Wendell came out, ran a camera through the flue, and said the liner had years left. He swept it, treated a small patch with HeatShield, and charged me a few hundred bucks. That free second opinion saved me thousands. Ask anyone on my street about him and you’ll hear the same.”
Robert K.
North Ironbound, Newark
“We’ve lived in our Roseville house for fifteen years and used three chimney companies before Top Hat. Wendell’s the only one who ever insisted I watch the camera footage while he explained what I was seeing. The sweep who shows up at your door is the same guy who answers the phone, which tells me all I need to know.”
Michelle S.
Roseville, Newark
“The firebox in our Central Ward home was spalling bricks and I expected a full rebuild quote. Wendell took one look, tapped around with a hammer, and told me exactly which bricks needed replacing and which were fine. He even pointed out where a previous patch job was done wrong. A hundred and sixty dollars and it’s solid. The 90-day promise is real too.”
Craig S.
Central Ward, Newark
Why Customers Trust Us
The pattern in these reviews is not an accident. It comes from a few rules we have never bent since 1999. The price Wendell quotes on the phone is the price you pay, before a single tool comes off the truck. If the work is not done right, the 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every job, and one call brings the crew back at no charge. You get camera footage and a plain-English verdict every time, no exceptions, because you should never have to take a chimney company’s word on faith. We are locally owned and owner-operated, not a franchise that rotated in last spring. Wendell Pike puts his name on the work and runs into you again at the grocery store, so he’d better stand behind it. If you live in Newark and need a sweep, a repair, or just a second opinion on an estimate someone else wrote, call (848) 331-2638. A live person answers, around the clock. It may well be Wendell himself.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Newark since 1999.