How Hearthstone Chimney Co. Was Born in Bedford
We opened our Bedford branch in 2014 because we’d seen enough. A homeowner in Katonah had called three companies for a “sweep and inspection” that year. The first outfit spent twenty minutes in her driveway with a shop vac, handed her a carbon-copy receipt, and charged her $280. The second found “critical liner damage” she couldn’t see, quoted $4,200, and pressured her to book that afternoon. She called us last, skeptical and near tears.
We brought a camera. We showed her the flue on a screen while she stood in her living room. The liner had minor staining, nothing more. We swept it, documented everything, and explained what to watch for. She paid for the sweep. That was it. She asked why the others hadn’t done the same, and we didn’t have a good answer for her. That night, we decided Bedford deserved a company that wouldn’t make a homeowner choose between being frightened and being overcharged. Hearthstone Chimney Co. already existed as a brand built on exactly that principle. Bringing it here meant we could offer something the market lacked: a square deal, documented and explained, every single time.
Russell Haines’s Personal Connection to the Chimney Cleaning Trade
We got into this work the old way - by doing it wrong first, then learning to do it right. Russell Haines started sweeping chimneys over a decade ago, not because it was glamorous, but because a tradesman who trained us needed help on a busy Saturday and Russell had strong shoulders and no plans. The first flue he ever brushed was in a 1920s colonial in Mount Kisco, packed with glazed creosote that smelled like burnt sugar and regret. His arms ached for three days. He was hooked.
What grabbed him wasn’t the labor. It was the moment after, when the homeowner - a woman in her seventies who’d been heating with that fireplace for thirty winters - watched the camera feed and saw her own chimney clean for the first time. She said, “So I’m safe now?” and Russell realized nobody had ever shown her before. They’d told her. They’d billed her. They’d never let her see.
That’s what gets him out of bed. The work is soot and ladders and freezing January mornings on slate roofs in Bedford Hills. But the point of it is that question: “So I’m safe now?” And being able to answer it honestly, with proof.
If Russell weren’t doing this, he’d probably be fixing something else. He rebuilds vintage motorcycles in his garage, badly and slowly, and he likes processes you can see and test. Chimney work suits him because the stakes are real - carbon monoxide, chimney fires, the structural integrity of someone’s home - and the standards are objective. A flue is either clear or it isn’t. A liner either passes inspection or it doesn’t. There’s no room for marketing in a smoke chamber.
Meet Russell Haines - The Person Behind Every Job
Russell Haines, Owner & Founder of Hearthstone Chimney Co. in Bedford.
Russell leads every job personally or supervises the technicians who work under our name. His training came through years of fieldwork, starting with that first glazed creosote job and continuing through hundreds of level-2 inspections, masonry repairs, and liner installations across Westchester County. He’s certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America and stays current on code changes specific to New York State and the local jurisdictions we serve.
What separates Russell from a franchise technician is simple: he’s the one who answers for the work. He lives in this area. He’ll see you at the hardware store in Katonah or the diner in Armonk. He can’t afford to cut corners because his name and his face are attached to every job we do. He’s also the person who calls back when something isn’t right, because our K.E.Y.S. values code demands it - and because he personally can’t sleep if he knows a homeowner is uncertain about work we performed.
When you hire Hearthstone Chimney Co., Russell’s commitment to you is direct: he’ll treat your home the way he’d want his mother’s treated, and he’ll document every finding so you never have to take his word for anything.
Our Promise to Bedford Homeowners
Our values aren’t posters on a wall. They’re policies we enforce.
Honest pricing means we agree to a flat price before we book, and we don’t invent “discovered” problems to inflate it. If our camera shows damage, you see the image before we discuss cost. No surprises on the bill.
Quality parts means we source from suppliers we trust - brands like Gelco and Olympia Chimney for liners and components, Famco for caps and dampers - because a chimney repair done with cheap materials fails in three years, and we’ll still be here in thirty.
Standing behind every job is our Keystone Standard: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If it’s not right, we come back. No paperwork battle, no voicemail runaround. We’ve honored this without exception since we opened in Bedford, not because it’s policy, but because it’s who we are.
Our Credentials
- State-licensed chimney professionals, operating in full compliance with New York State requirements
- Insured & bonded for residential work in Westchester County and surrounding jurisdictions
- Years of local experience serving Bedford, Armonk, Katonah, Jefferson Valley-Yorktown, Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills, Yorktown Heights, Golden’s Bridge, Pleasantville, Thornwood, Hawthorne, and Valhalla
- Strong local reputation built through documented inspections, honest assessments, and repeat homeowners who refer their neighbors
These credentials matter because chimney work happens inside your home, on your roof, and in your combustion system. A state license means the technician has met baseline competency standards. Insurance and bonding protect your property if something goes wrong. Local experience means we know the clay flue tiles common in 1960s Jefferson Valley-Yorktown colonials, the freeze-thaw damage patterns on Bedford Hills stone chimneys, and the permitting requirements in Mount Kisco versus Katonah. You don’t want someone learning your town on your dime. And a reputation you can verify locally beats a thousand online claims.
Rooted in Bedford
We’ve swept chimneys on the winding roads off Harris Road, inspected flues in the historic homes near Bedford Village, and cleared creosote from fireplaces in the hills above Golden’s Bridge. We know which neighborhoods lose power first in a winter storm and which ones still burn cordwood from local suppliers. Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the week, by a live coordinator who connects you with our local team. We’re not passing through. We’re building a company that’ll be here to sweep your chimney in twenty years, just like we’re doing it today.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Bedford since 2014.