Meet the Team - Kindling Chimney Houston

Meet the Houston Team Behind Kindling Chimney Houston

Every chimney in Houston deals with the same realities: Gulf Coast humidity, creosote that behaves differently in our heat, and the occasional raccoon who thinks a flue is a timeshare. The crew at Kindling Chimney Houston knows those realities because they’ve worked through them, house by house, from The Heights down to Sugar Land. We’re independently owned and operated, part of the Cedarwell family of companies, and every technician who walks through your door is background-checked, uniformed, and held to one standard: the job gets done right, or we make it right.

Call (254) 978-7413

Our People

Danny Cortes – Owner & Lead Chimney Technician

Danny has spent his career learning what actually happens inside a flue, not just what the textbook says should happen. He’s the one who’ll tell you a chimney in Katy has different creosote than one in Galveston, and he can explain why without making you feel like you’re in a lecture. Danny is CSIA-certified and has worked on everything from 1920s bungalow fireplaces in Montrose to new-build gas inserts in Cypress. His rule on every job: if he wouldn’t recommend it to his own mother, he won’t recommend it to you. When he’s not on a roof, he’s usually trying to keep his smoker at a steady 225 degrees, which he’ll admit is harder than any chimney repair he’s ever done.

Marcus T. – Senior Installer & Repair Specialist

Marcus has been installing and repairing fireplace systems across the Houston metro for over a decade, and he’s the person we send when a job calls for a steady hand and someone who has seen just about everything. He’s certified in HeatShield and DuraFlex liner installation and has a particular skill for restoring older masonry fireplaces that other companies won’t touch. Marcus keeps a running mental catalog of every unusual flue he’s encountered, and he can usually tell you what’s going on before he’s fully off the ladder. On weekends, he coaches youth soccer in Pasadena and does his best to convince his own kids that a clean chimney is more interesting than it sounds.

Elena R. – Service Coordinator

Elena is the voice on the other end of (254) 978-7413, and she’s the reason booking a sweep doesn’t feel like a chore. She’s been coordinating home service calls in the Houston area for years and knows the difference between “urgent” and “the guest bedroom fireplace hasn’t been used since 2019.” Elena keeps the schedule honest: no double-booking, no showing up without a written price, no surprises. She’s also the one who makes sure the photo of the clean-up gets texted to you before the crew pulls out of the driveway. Elena has three rescue dogs, which is why she personally vets every pet-safe product we use.

James W. – Apprentice Technician

James is a Houston native who came to chimney work the way a lot of good technicians do: he started on roofing crews, got curious about what he was seeing around the chimney chase, and decided to learn the trade properly. He’s currently completing his CSIA certification hours and works under Danny and Marcus on every job, learning to spot the difference between normal wear and actual trouble. James is the one who’ll lay down the drop cloths, cover the furniture, and make sure nothing in your home gets moved without asking. He’s also usually the one crawling into the tight spaces nobody else wants to, and he’ll tell you that’s not because he drew the short straw, but because he fits.

One Standard, Every Job

The four of us aren’t a franchise and we don’t answer to a corporate office in another state. We’re independently owned and operated, which means the standard you get in your home is the standard Danny set when he started this Houston crew. That standard lives in two promises. First, the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work isn’t right, Kindling makes it right, no fine print and no runaround. Second, the Cedarwell Care Promise, which is how we treat your home while we’re in it. Shoe covers and drop cloths go down on arrival, nothing moves without your permission, and a photo of the clean-up is taken before anyone leaves. Every quote we give is written down before work starts. Every technician is background-checked and in uniform, following the C.A.R.E. values on every visit: we protect your floors, your air quality, and your furniture before we ever pick up a brush. That’s not marketing language. It’s just how we work in Houston.

Written by Danny Cortes, Owner, Kindling Chimney Houston, serving Houston and surrounding communities.