Masonry repair
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Fast, Reliable Fireplace Repair Across SoHo
Fireplace repair in SoHo usually costs between $180 and $650 for common fixes like damper replacement, pilot light service, or firebox mortar repair. A full flue liner resurfacing in one of the neighborhood’s shared chimney stacks runs higher, often $2,800 to $6,500, because the work has to happen inside a sealed, historic masonry chase without touching the landmarked exterior. If you live in a converted cast-iron loft on Greene Street or a co-op on Broome Street, you’re dealing with a chimney system that was built before modern venting codes existed, and that changes the math on every repair. Call (315) 644-2982 and we’ll give you a written price before any work begins.

Why Ashby Chimney New York Is SoHo’s Preferred Fireplace Repair Company
We’ve been repairing fireplaces in SoHo long enough to know that the job rarely starts at the hearth. It starts on the roof, at a shared stack that serves six or eight units, where a neighbor’s exhaust system and yours are physically connected. Nathan Corliss leads our crews, and he’s spent years untangling exactly the kind of chimney problems that cast-iron buildings create. When a fireplace in one unit starts smoking, the cause is often four floors away in someone else’s flue.
Every SoHo job gets a written price before we touch anything. Not an estimate range, not a verbal ballpark, a specific number on paper that matches the invoice. We also put the guarantee in writing. If a repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every fireplace repair we do in SoHo, from Crosby Street to West Broadway.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed. When you schedule a visit, you’ll know who’s coming through your door and exactly what they’re going to look at. And the phone always rings to a live person, day or night. No voicemail loops, no callback forms, no waiting until Monday while smoke backs up into your living room.
Styles & brands we work with





Gas Fireplace Maintenance in SoHo
Gas Fireplace Maintenance in SoHo is not the same job it is in a detached home in the suburbs. In a converted loft, your gas fireplace vents into a shared stack or, in some buildings, through a retrofitted direct-vent that runs inside a historic chase. That means the maintenance check has to include the full vent path, not just the burner and glass. Soot, dust, and occasional debris from neighboring units collect in those shared runs, and a gas flame that looks clean can still be drafting poorly because the common flue is partially blocked four stories up.
A standard gas fireplace service in SoHo runs $150 to $280. That covers burner inspection, pilot assembly cleaning, log placement, glass gasket check, and a draft test at the firebox. If we find the vent run needs clearing or the pilot assembly needs replacing, expect the total to land between $280 and $450 depending on ceiling height and access within the loft itself.
Pilot Light and Thermocouple Service
Pilot light failures in SoHo lofts are common, and cold air sinking down an oversized shared stack is a frequent culprit. We replace thermocouples and thermopiles with parts from established chimney-trade suppliers, and we always check venting pressure before we call the job finished. A burner that lights but won’t stay lit is usually a $180 to $320 fix.
Gas Log Set and Burner Cleaning
Dust from loft living gets into gas log sets quickly, especially in units along busy corridors like Broadway where windows stay open in the shoulder seasons. We vacuum the burner, test each port for even flame, and re-seat the logs so the pattern looks the way the manufacturer designed it. This service starts at $150 in SoHo.
Wood Stove Installation in SoHo
Wood Stove Installation in SoHo is a specialist job, and it’s one of the most frequently botched projects we get called in to fix. Most converted lofts in SoHo were never built for a wood stove. What looks like a masonry fireplace is often decorative, sealed, or vented through a shared stack that was never rated for modern wood appliance exhaust temperatures. Installing a stove anyway, without a proper Level 2 inspection and liner, is how you get smoke in a neighbor’s unit and a call from building management.
A code-compliant wood stove installation in a SoHo loft generally runs $4,200 to $8,500, depending on the vent configuration and whether we can use the existing chimney chase. That includes the insulated stainless liner, the connector pipe, the hearth pad or extension if required, and a final draft and clearance verification. The liner itself is the single biggest variable in a multi-story building, because it’s custom-fitted to the full height of the stack.
Insulated Liner Installation
We use professional-grade stainless liners sized to the specific appliance and the building’s chimney dimensions. In a shared SoHo stack, the liner is what keeps your exhaust going up and out at the right temperature while protecting adjacent units. This is not a job to shortcut.

Shared Stack Compliance Work
Before we install any wood stove in a connected building, we scope the full stack and document the condition of every flue adjacent to yours. If a neighbor’s flue has a breach, we’ll flag it in writing and recommend the repair method that doesn’t require opening the historic brickwork. In many cases, that means a HeatShield resurfacing system applied from inside the flue.
Trusted Brands We Service in SoHo
We repair and service fireplaces and stoves from all the major manufacturers, and we keep common parts on hand that fit the gas and wood units most often found in SoHo lofts. That includes components from Olympia Chimney, HeatShield, DuraFlex, Gelco, Famco, and Copperfield. When a damper assembly fails or a pilot assembly needs replacing, we typically have the part in stock locally, which means fewer return trips and less time with your fireplace out of service. Our suppliers are chimney-trade manufacturers, not whatever was on a clearance rack, and the warranties they carry are honored under the Kingswell Guarantee on every repair we complete.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Fireplace Repair Problems We See in SoHo Homes
- Cross-contamination from shared stacks. A neighbor’s clogged flue or malfunctioning gas appliance can push soot and carbon monoxide through breaches in common flue liners into an adjacent unit. In a detached home you’d never see this. In a Broome Street co-op it happens more often than people realize.
- Sealed decorative fireplaces with no functional damper. Many original SoHo fireplaces were never rebuilt for modern venting. They may have missing dampers, collapsed smoke chambers, or open mortar joints that leak exhaust into the living space whenever any unit in the stack is used.
- Historic roof access complications. Narrow cast-iron buildings have tight roof access, and any exterior repair requires coordination with building management and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Unpermitted work can damage historic chimneys and land the unit owner in front of a violations board.
- Cracked flue liners in aging masonry stacks. The freeze-thaw cycle and decades of soot have taken a toll on original clay liners. A crack at the fourth-floor elbow is common, and it’s often the hidden opening that lets a neighbor’s exhaust sneak into your unit.
Pricing for Fireplace Repair in SoHo, NY
Here’s what you should expect to pay for common fireplace repairs in SoHo. A pilot light repair runs $180 to $320. A damper repair or replacement lands between $220 and $480. Firebox mortar repair and tuckpointing starts around $350 and goes up based on the damaged area. Gas log set cleaning and burner service is $150 to $280. A full flue liner resurfacing in a shared stack runs $2,800 to $6,500, and a wood stove installation with liner runs $4,200 to $8,500. What moves the price is access: multi-story stacks, landmark approval requirements, and whether the flue needs to be scoped from the roof. Every estimate is free, and the written price you get before work starts is the price you’ll pay when the job is done. Call (315) 644-2982.
We Also Serve Cities Near SoHo
Our crews serve SoHo and the surrounding neighborhoods across the city. If you’re just outside the district, we also handle Fireplace Repair calls in New York, East New York, Manhattan, and Midtown Manhattan. The same written-price guarantee and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply everywhere we work. If you’re not sure whether your building falls in our service area, call and ask. We’ll tell you straight.
Serving SoHo, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the SoHo area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Fireplace Repair in SoHo
Smoke entering your unit from a shared stack almost always means there is a breach in the common flue liner somewhere between your connection point and the neighbor’s. The way to confirm it is with a Level 2 camera inspection that scopes the full height of the stack and documents exactly where the opening is. If you smell smoke only when the neighbor uses their fireplace, that’s a strong signal. Call (315) 644-2982 and we’ll schedule the inspection and walk you through what the camera shows.
Often yes, but it requires a fully insulated stainless liner installed through the existing chimney chase, and the fireplace itself must be structurally sound enough to support the connector. We’ll need to inspect the smoke chamber and the full stack first. If the stack is compromised, a HeatShield resurfacing system can restore the flue from the inside without opening landmarked brickwork. This is a job that requires permits and building management sign-off, and we handle that coordination.
A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to document the entire flue interior, including the sections you can’t see from the firebox or the roof. In SoHo buildings with locked roof hatches or narrow access points, we coordinate with building management ahead of time and often scope from the firebox upward when rooftop access isn’t feasible. The report includes still images and a written condition summary, which is what you’ll need if the Landmarks Preservation Commission asks for documentation. Inspection pricing in SoHo starts at $250.
The work can almost always be done from inside the flue, which is how we avoid touching the exterior brickwork. Depending on the breach location, we’ll either resurface the affected section with a system like HeatShield or install a new stainless liner that isolates your flue from the damaged neighbor’s flue. Both methods meet code and don’t require Landmarks Preservation Commission approval because nothing on the exterior changes. A resurfacing for a breached shared stack in SoHo typically runs $2,800 to $5,000.
Once a year, even if you only burn a handful of times each winter. The shared flue serving your unit is used by neighbors too, and their creosote buildup affects your venting. Annual inspection catches slow-developing breaches before they push exhaust into your living space. Most sweep-and-inspect packages in SoHo run $200 to $350, and the written report documents the stack’s condition for your co-op or condo board.
If your fireplace isn’t working right, or you suspect a neighbor’s exhaust is getting into your unit, call (315) 644-2982. We’ll give you a straight answer, a written price, and a time we’ll actually show up. That’s how we work in SoHo, and it’s how we’ve worked since 2002.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney New York, serving SoHo since 2002.