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 Southampton Team Behind Hearthstone Chimney Co.
We’re the crew that shows up at your door in Southampton with boot covers, a camera rig, and the patience to explain what we actually found up your flue. Most of us have been at this long enough to remember when Level-2 inspections meant hauling a full-sized VHS camera up a ladder. What ties us together isn’t a handbook - it’s the stubborn belief that a homeowner deserves to see the problem, understand the fix, and pay exactly what they were quoted. No surprises, no scare tactics, no leaving until it’s done right.
Our People
Russell Haines - Owner & Lead Inspector
I’ve been climbing chimneys in Suffolk County since 1984, which means I’ve pulled enough bird nests out of flues to fill a small barn and seen liner deterioration that would make a fire marshal weep. I started Hearthstone because I got tired of watching homeowners pay for “repairs” they couldn’t verify - work that was recommended from the ground, without a camera, without proof. These days I handle the Level-2 inspections myself when the job’s complex enough to need a second opinion from someone who’s seen forty years of Long Island freeze-thaw cycles do their worst. I still get soot under my fingernails, and I still explain every photo to the homeowner like I’m talking to my own neighbor. My daughter says I dress like I’m headed to a funeral, but black hides creosote, and I’ve got no patience for laundry.
Mike T. - Senior Technician & Installer
Mike came to us twelve years ago from a commercial HVAC outfit in Riverhead, and he brought with him a hatred of sloppy sealing that borders on religious conviction. He specializes in liner installs and crown rebuilds, the kind of work where a half-inch gap turns into a $4,000 water damage claim by spring. He’s certified in HeatShield application and DuraFlex liner systems, and he’s the guy we send when a job’s tight enough that most techs would need three visits. Off the clock, he restores vintage motorcycles in a garage near Shinnecock Bay and complains that modern chimneys have “no character.” His wife has banned him from bringing home any more “project bikes.”
Dana L. - Service Coordinator
Dana’s the voice you get when you call (516) 619-2915 at 10 PM on a Saturday because you smelled something odd from the fireplace. She’s been with us eight years, knows every Southampton village code variation by heart, and has a preternatural ability to calm down a homeowner who’s just watched a YouTube video about chimney fires. She schedules around the weather, the ferry traffic, and your actual life - not some imaginary nine-to-five. She grew up in Sag Harbor, worked her way through Stony Brook answering phones for a marina, and still keeps a tide chart pinned next to her monitor because “the bay dictates everything out here, including whether we can get the ladder truck down your driveway.”
Jake R. - Apprentice Technician
Jake’s the newest addition, two years in, and he’s already developed the squint that means he’s spotted something the homeowner didn’t mention. He’s working toward his CSIA certification while handling the bulk of our standard sweeps and cap installs, and he’s got a knack for explaining creosote stages to first-time fireplace owners without making them feel foolish for skipping five seasons. He grew up in Hampton Bays helping his uncle frame houses, so he’s not afraid of heights, tight spaces, or the occasional raccoon eviction. He brings his own coffee, drinks it black, and has strong opinions about which Southampton bagel shop is worth the morning traffic. He’s wrong about the bagels, but he’s learning fast on everything else.
One Standard, Every Job
The K.E.Y.S. code isn’t a poster in our break room - it’s how we decide whether a job’s finished. Krafted right means Mike doesn’t leave a crown until he’s checked every mortar joint with a pick. Every time means Dana doesn’t let a call roll to voicemail, period. Your home first means Jake stops to lay down runners even when the homeowner says “don’t bother.” Standing behind it means I sign every 90-Day Done Right Promise myself, and I mean it when I say we’ll come back with no paperwork and no arguing.
We’ve got the same brands in our trucks whether we’re working on a 1920s Tudor in Southampton Village or a new build near North Sea - DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, Copperfield. No substitutes, no “just as good.” The materials don’t change because the zip code does. Neither does the inspection protocol: camera up, photos down, plain-English verdict, your choice on what happens next.
Most of our Southampton jobs wrap in a single visit. The ones that don’t, we tell you before we start - not when the invoice shows up. A square deal: no surprises on the bill. We’ll be there when we say. Photos you can see, a plain-English verdict. In writing, no arguing.
Call us at (516) 619-2915. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, every day.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Southampton since 1984.