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 New Rochelle Team Behind Hearthstone Chimney Co.
We’re the crew that shows up at your door in New Rochelle with boot covers, a vacuum that actually works, and no patience for surprises on your bill. Russell Haines built this team on a simple idea: treat every chimney like it’s in your own mother’s house. That means photos you can see, prices you know before we start, and technicians who’d rather explain too much than too little. Every person here answers to the same 90-Day Done Right Promise - in writing, no arguing.
Our People
Russell Haines, Owner
I started Hearthstone in 1984 after watching my uncle’s chimney business in Yonkers and deciding Westchester needed someone who’d actually return calls. Forty-two years later, I’m still the one who picks up when the phone rings at odd hours - because a live person should answer, period. I hold a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep credential and a stubborn belief that every homeowner deserves to see what I see inside their flue. My favorite jobs are the ones where I find a bird’s nest the size of a basketball behind a damper that hasn’t moved since the Clinton administration. I live in Pelham with my wife and a dog who has zero respect for my schedule.
Marcus T., Lead Technician
Marcus joined us in 2017 after eight years running his own small handyman operation in Mount Vernon. He got tired of guessing at jobs and wanted to work somewhere that documented everything like an engineer and explained it like a craftsman - his words, not mine. He’s NFI-certified for gas appliance work and handles most of our Level-2 camera inspections in New Rochelle and Pelham. Marcus has a habit of drawing chimney cross-sections on scrap paper for homeowners who want to understand why their liner is failing. He commutes from the Bronx and complains about the Hutchinson River Parkway with the passion of a man who has no alternative route.
Elena V., Senior Installer
Elena came to us in 2019 with a background in commercial HVAC and a certification in HeatShield cerfractory flue sealant application that she earned on her own dime. She specializes in liner replacements and crown rebuilds, the kind of work that takes patience and a tolerance for tight spaces. Elena grew up in Larchmont and knows the local housing stock - the 1920s colonials with offset flues, the mid-century splits with factory-built fireplaces that nobody makes parts for anymore. She keeps a collection of obsolete damper handles in her truck because you never know what New Rochelle’s older homes will throw at you. On weekends she coaches a youth soccer team in Mamaroneck and pretends she doesn’t think about chimney draft dynamics during games.
James K., Service Coordinator
James is the voice you hear when you call (516) 927-2678 at 10 PM on a Saturday because you smelled something odd from your fireplace. He’s been with us since 2021 and has the uncanny ability to calm down a homeowner who’s just watched a YouTube video about chimney fires. James schedules every appointment, confirms every estimate, and follows up after every job to make sure we’re not done until it’s done right. He grew up in New Rochelle proper, graduated from New Rochelle High School, and still lives in the Wykagyl neighborhood with his parents and a cat who makes more appearances on our office webcam than most employees. He knows every permit office in Westchester County by name and can tell you which inspector prefers email and which one still wants a paper copy.
Darnell P., Apprentice Technician
Darnell started with us in 2023 through a workforce development program in White Plains and is working toward his CSIA certification while he learns the trade hands-on. He shadows Marcus on inspections, assists Elena on liner installs, and has developed a particular knack for chimney cap fitting - the kind of precise metalwork that looks simple until you try it on a 40-year-old flue tile that’s slightly out of round. Darnell lives in New Rochelle’s Lincoln Avenue corridor and walks to jobs when he can. He asks more questions than any apprentice we’ve had, which is exactly why we hired him. His current obsession is understanding why so many homes in the Glenwood Lake area have the same oddball 8×12 flue size.
One Standard, Every Job
Every technician on this page works under the same Keystone Standard that Russell established in 1984. That means background checks before the first day, uniforms before the first truck roll, and professional-grade materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield - never builder-grade substitutes that’ll fail in five years. The 90-Day Done Right Promise applies whether you’re in New Rochelle, Pelham, or anywhere else we serve across Westchester. In writing, no arguing. If it’s not right, we come back. Most jobs wrap in a single visit because we’ve learned that nobody wants to schedule their life around a chimney crew twice. The number on your estimate is the number on your invoice. A square deal, no surprises on the bill.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving New Rochelle since 1984.