SMILEY PETE_SARAH JANE SANDERS c2015_Barnhill Chimney-20
Brion Barnhill in the showroom of Barnhill Chimney, Fireplace and Grill, the hearth installation and service company he opened in 1999. | Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
After more than a decade of installing mass-manufactured wood stoves, grills and fireplaces, Brion Barnhill ignites his self-designed Firewall Grill
The middle-of-the-night phone call seemed odd at best. It was mid-December and the 2014 holiday rush was at full throttle. Brion Barnhill was immersed in his busiest season of the year, and the person on the other end of the line wanted help installing a wood stove in a tree house.
“At first I thought it was a prank,” said Barnhill, owner of Lexington hearth shop and service company Barnhill Chimney, Fireplace and Grill. After a few follow-up calls, he realized the installation request was legitimate; two months later, he found himself in Germantown, Kentucky, installing a wood stove for an episode of the Animal Planet television show “Treehouse Masters,” which aired in February.
But it was more than the wood stove that grabbed the attention of Pete Nelson, the show’s enthusiastic host. While the two men were on location filming that episode, Barnhill, who has a decade and a half of experience installing and servicing mass-manufactured wood stoves, fireplaces and grills for clients, mentioned a new product he has a particular bias toward: the Firewall Grill, a dual-fueled grill that doubles as an outdoor fireplace. The product holds a special place in Barnhill’s heart, as it should – he designed it himself and manufactures it here in Lexington.
Nelson was intrigued – so much so that one month later, the gang at “Treehouse Masters” brought Barnhill to Louisiana to install the Firewall Grill for the March 6 episode of the show, which follows Nelson and his team as they design and install lavish treehouses all over the country.
Within minutes of the show’s airing, Barnhill – and his business – were thrust into the national spotlight.
“We received calls and emails from all over the country about the Firewall Grill after that aired,” said Barnhill, who has been developing the product for less than a year.
Based on the shape of a chimney, the Firewall Grill can function as a charcoal grill or wood-burning barbecue, seamlessly transitioning into an outdoor fireplace with a removable fire screen. The patent-pending design is tall and lean, lending itself to just about any outdoor space, from backyard patios and decks to outdoor kitchens.
Barnhill originally introduced the grill to Central Kentucky last fall during the Bourbon Chase and at Crave Lexington, where it drew raves from local chefs who grilled up their culinary favorites on the apparatus.
“It’s actually a lot of fun to grill on,” Barnhill said. “You get to see the fire when you’re cooking. It fits anywhere. All of this without getting smoke in your face.”
A removable tray can hold charcoal at several different distances below the grill rack, and the long horizontal handles on either side of the grill provide a convenient spot to hang cooking utensils. It’s a true example of form meeting function – and is a logical extension to what Barnhill does best: all things chimney and fireplace.
Barnhill’s introduction to chimney sweeping came in the summer of 1995 while staying with his older brother, David “Fireball” Barnhill III. David was working for a chimney sweep, and Brion, fresh out of high school, worked with the company for two summers. He later went on to apprentice with the Mad Hatter, a chimney sweep franchise in Atlanta, and he never looked back, moving to Lexington to start his own.
“[As a kid] I never knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t know I wanted to be a fire man. But I did always like fire,” he said with a laugh.
The Central Kentucky climate seemed like the perfect place to play with fire.
“Around here we stay busy because a chimney doesn’t have a roof, so it goes bad like a sidewalk slab,” he said, noting that Central Kentucky’s multiple freeze-and-thaw cycles can wreak havoc on a chimney.
His focus has paid off. Since starting his business in 1999, Barnhill has enjoyed 20 percent annual growth each year, despite downturns in the economy.
“People turn to alternative sources of energy when money is tight,” he said, adding that if those sources of alternative energy aren’t working correctly, they spend money to have the repairs made.
“Instead of burning their house down, they call us to help,” he said.
The Firewall Grill isn’t the first time Barnhill’s eye for innovation has helped his company flourish. When he first opened his doors, Barnhill had to import chimney caps from North Carolina, which was a rather pricey proposition.
“So we started building them ourselves,” he said. With a strong eye for both design and historic integrity, the company is experienced in outfitting their caps and other products to be both historically approved and fit for contemporary settings.
Barnhill Chimney, Fireplace and Grill still occupies its original 5,000-square-foot location on Delaware Avenue. The business includes an impressive showroom designed and built by Barnhill and his team, which elegantly displays the gas logs and fireplace doors, wood stoves and related products. Additionally, Barnhill recently purchased a new building just down the street, which houses a metalworking shop where the latest innovations from him and his employees come to life. Among those products is a new line of handcrafted copper planting pots with a secret patina finish, which Barnhill designed himself after unsuccessfully trying to shop for some. The products quickly caught the eye of Lexington garden design guru Jon Carloftis, who features them in his shop, Rockcastle River Trading Co., though it’s been difficult to keep them in stock.
The metal shop is also, of course, where the Firewall Grills are created.
“It’s like the Willie Wonka of metalworking in here,” he said.
As significant as quality products and services are the people behind them, Barnhill said, referring to his 17 employees.
“I wanted to create a place where we could do a good job for people – and a place where people would want to come to work,” he said. “The team I have now is top notch, which allows me the freedom to build and create.”
Looking to the future, Barnhill plans to continue doing just that, having long heeded advice from his grandfather to find something that works and stick to it. For him, that means chimneys and fireplaces.
“Chimneys are magic,” he said. “They really are.”