National park and lagoon reserves
Garigal and Ku-ring-gai Chase country, plus the reserves around Narrabeen and Manly lagoons, keep established timber close to back fences, so perimeters are continuous rather than partial.
Quick answer
New homes on the Northern Beaches need a termite management system under the NCC, installed to AS 3660.1. Collars and under-slab protection go in before concrete, with the perimeter completed during the build. Northern Beaches Council certifiers require the installation certificate and durable notice before the Occupation Certificate.
Barriers across the Northern Beaches
Coastal rebuilds and bush-fringe blocks
The Northern Beaches covers 42 suburbs on this site, from Manly, Fairlight and Balgowlah through the Dee Why and Narrabeen belt up to Newport, Avalon Beach and Palm Beach, plus the bush suburbs at Frenchs Forest, Belrose and Ingleside. Building is almost entirely replacement work: knockdown rebuilds, dual occupancies, granny flats and substantial coastal renovations, with apartment and townhouse slabs around the larger centres.
Two settings dominate. Beachside blocks sit on sandy ground with salt air that keeps sub-floors and cavities damp, which is hard on timber over time. Bush-fringe blocks back onto Garigal and Ku-ring-gai Chase country or the lagoon reserves, where mature timber supports established colonies a short forage from the building line. Sloping sandstone sites add benching, retaining and suspended floors. Every slab still comes down to penetrations, edge and joints, sealed before the pour.
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Local conditions
What beaches blocks demand from a barrier
Three conditions shape barrier work across the Northern Beaches.
Sandy coastal ground
Loose beachside soils shift more than clay and behave differently at a slab edge, making edge finishing and a visible inspection strip more important on those blocks.
Salt air and damp sub-floors
Coastal moisture keeps cavities and sub-floors damp, which accelerates timber decay, so pier and suspended floor detailing is part of the system on raised designs.
What we install here
Building across the Northern Beaches
Beaches work covers replacement houses, dual occupancies, granny flats and substantial renovations, with some apartment and townhouse slabs. We collar every penetration, install the under-slab component or treated zone specified, and complete the perimeter and cavity protection as the structure rises, including piers and suspended floors on falling blocks. Access on steep or narrow coastal sites is agreed with the builder before we attend. Pricing is fixed from the plans.
- Under-slab membraneA termite-resistant sheet laid across the prepared ground before the pour.
- Penetration collarsCollars sealed to every pipe and conduit that comes up through the slab.
- Perimeter & slab edgeA barrier at the slab edge and into the cavity, so nothing can track up hidden.
- Chemical soil barrierAn APVMA-registered treated zone in the soil under and around the building.
- ReticulationA pipe network laid before paving so the treated zone can be topped up later.
- Piers & suspended floorsProtection for bearers, piers and suspended timber floors on sloping blocks.
Councils & certifiers
Getting signed off in the Northern Beaches
Northern Beaches Council certifies the whole district. Before an Occupation Certificate is issued, the certifier looks for a certificate identifying the products used, the areas protected and the installing technician, plus a durable notice fixed permanently in the meter box recording the system, its installation date and the inspection interval recommended for the building.
Our run takes in Manly and the harbour-side streets at Fairlight and Balgowlah, the ocean suburbs from Freshwater and Curl Curl through Dee Why, Collaroy and Narrabeen, the Pittwater end at Mona Vale, Newport, Avalon Beach and Palm Beach, and the bush suburbs at Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Terrey Hills and Ingleside. Bush-edge and lagoon-side blocks get the fullest perimeter attention.
Know your pour date?Send the slab plan and we will stage the barrier around your builder.
Northern Beaches
Suburbs we install barriers in
Every suburb has its own page with the local ground conditions, the councils that certify there and the questions builders ask us most.
Allambie Heights
Avalon Beach
Balgowlah
Balgowlah Heights
Bayview
Beacon Hill
Bilgola Beach
Bilgola Plateau
Brookvale
Church Point
Clareville
Clontarf
Collaroy
Collaroy Plateau
Cottage Point
Cromer
Curl Curl
Dee Why
Elanora Heights
Fairlight
Forestville
Frenchs Forest
Freshwater
Ingleside
Manly
Manly Vale
Mona Vale
Narrabeen
Narraweena
Newport
North Balgowlah
North Curl Curl
North Manly
Oxford Falls
Palm Beach
Queenscliff
Scotland Island
Seaforth
Terrey Hills
Warriewood
Whale Beach
Wheeler Heights
Systems we install
The right barrier for your slab and your site
Every photo below is from one of our own Sydney jobs. We look at your slab design, site and budget, then recommend a system or a combination.
01Under-slab membrane
A termite-resistant sheet laid over the whole prepared footprint before concreting, so termites can't come up through the slab anywhere.
02Penetration collars
A sealed collar on every pipe, conduit and service that passes through the slab. These gaps are the most common hidden way in.
03Slab edge & cavity barrier
Protection at the slab edge and into the wall cavity, which stops termites building hidden tunnels up the outside of the slab.
04Chemical soil barrier & reticulation
An APVMA-registered termiticide zone in the soil, with an optional pipe network under paving so it can be recharged later without digging.
05Suspended floors & piers
Barriers for bearers, piers and raised timber floors on sloping or elevated blocks, where there's no slab to protect.
06Retaining walls & tricky sites
Detailing for sandstone cuts, block retaining walls, step-downs and cut-and-fill sites, which are common across Sydney.
Why during construction
Do it now, or pay more to do less later
A retrofit can only treat around a finished house. A pre-construction system protects the parts nobody will ever be able to reach again.
Costs far less
A barrier put in during the build costs a fraction of a post-construction system, and far less than repairing termite damage.
Meets the NCC
New houses (Class 1) and outbuildings (Class 10) with termite-susceptible framing need a compliant termite management system.
Hidden gaps sealed
Pipe penetrations and slab joints can only be fully protected while they're still open, before the concrete goes in.
The whole footprint
An under-slab system covers ground that no treatment from outside the finished house can ever reach.
No OC delays
Your certifier needs the certificate and durable notice before issuing the Occupation Certificate. We supply both together.
Easier to sell
Documented, compliant protection gives buyers, building inspectors and lenders confidence when the home is sold.
Installation stages
Installed in stages that follow your build
A termite barrier isn't a single visit. Each part goes in when the site is ready for it, and we fit around your plumber, concreter and bricklayer.
Step 01Design / DA
Plans & fixed quote
Send your plans and slab details. We recommend a system and give you one fixed price that covers every stage.
Step 02Before the pour
Collars & under-slab
Collars go on every service once the plumber has set out, then the membrane or soil treatment is installed across the prepared site.
Step 03Walls going up
Slab edge & cavity
Perimeter and cavity protection is fitted as the brickwork or cladding goes up, so there's no unprotected gap at the slab edge.
Step 04Before landscaping
Final perimeter
Where it's specified, the chemical perimeter or reticulation system is completed around the building before paths and gardens go in.
Step 05Pre-OC
Notice & certificate
A durable notice goes in the meter box, and the installation certificate goes to your builder and certifier.
Step 06Handover
Owner advice
The owner gets simple care instructions and an inspection schedule so the system keeps doing its job for years.
Compare systems
Physical or chemical termite barrier?
Both can meet AS 3660.1. The best choice depends on your slab type, what surrounds the house and how much ongoing upkeep the owner wants.
Physical protection
Physical membrane, mesh or graded stone
No chemicals- How it worksA layer termites can't chew through, laid under the slab or around its edge.
- Life & upkeepDesigned to last as long as the slab while it isn't disturbed. No top-ups.
- Good fit forSlab-on-ground homes, and owners who prefer a non-chemical option.
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Natural, lasting defence
Entry-point protection
Penetration collars
- How it worksCollars sealed around each pipe and conduit that passes through the slab.
- Life & upkeepLong-lasting when fitted properly before concreting.
- Good fit forEvery slab, usually paired with a perimeter system.
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Small detail, big difference
Soil protection
Chemical soil barrier
- How it worksA treated zone of termiticide in the soil under and around the building.
- Life & upkeepDepends on the product label and soil conditions. Can be re-applied.
- Good fit forTighter budgets and some complex sites.
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Flexible and provable
Top-up protection
Reticulation system
Rechargeable- How it worksPipes laid before paving so termiticide can be pumped back into the soil.
- Life & upkeepCan be recharged for the life of the building without lifting paths.
- Good fit forHomes that will be surrounded by paving or landscaping.
Get this quoted
Protection you can renew
Most of the Sydney builds we work on use a combination: physical collars on every penetration plus a physical or chemical perimeter.
For builders & developers
Built around your program, not ours
Builders, developers and owner-builders get a fixed quote from plans, a technician who turns up when the site is ready, and paperwork that never holds up sign-off.
What we need to quote
Architectural or slab planSlab type: raft, waffle pod or suspendedSite addressRough pour dateRetaining wall & step-down details
Fitting in with your trades
- Collars in before the pour inspection
- Slab edge & cavity as walls go up
- Perimeter done before paving
Multi-unit & repeat work
Consistent pricing across lots, one point of contact and a full document set for every dwelling.
No certification delays
Missing durable notices and unclear install records are a common reason Occupation Certificates get held up. We hand everything over together so your certifier has it all in one go.
Paperwork
Everything you get at handover
A complete document set for the builder, the certifier and every future owner of the property.
Durable notice
A permanent notice in the meter box showing the system, install date, installer, any chemical's life expectancy and inspection advice.
For: certifier, owner, future owners
Installation certificate
Written confirmation of the system and products used, the areas protected and our licence details.
For: builder, certifier, owner
Product information
Details of the physical system or termiticide installed, including safety data sheets for any chemicals.
For: builder, owner
Care & inspection advice
How to keep the system working, plus the recommended inspection frequency under AS 3660.2.
For: homeowner
From real jobs
Recent termite barrier installations
Photos from our own Sydney sites, not stock images. Tap any photo to see it larger.
Membrane barrier across a large residential slab
Barrier work on a Sydney Harbour site
Installation through sandstone excavation
Perimeter barrier and sleeves on a new slab
Waffle pod formwork with collared penetrations
Membrane detailed against a retaining wall
Membrane sealed around a column
Protected slab edge with collar in place
Collared penetrations before the pour
Perimeter barrier on a completed slab edge
Pipe penetrations sealed into the membrane
Collars fixed through mesh before concreting
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Real, verified reviews from homeowners and businesses we've worked with.
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Pricing
What sets the price of a barrier
Every build is different, so we don't guess. We price from your plans and give you one fixed written quote. Quoting is free.
- 01Slab area & perimeterBigger footprints need more material, more edge protection and more labour.
- 02System typeFull under-slab, perimeter-only, chemical and reticulation options are all priced differently.
- 03Number of penetrationsEach plumbing and electrical service through the slab needs its own collar.
- 04Site complexityRetaining walls, step-downs, sandstone and suspended floors add detailing.
- 05Number of visitsStaged installs follow your program. Multi-dwelling sites can often be combined.
- 06Site accessTight blocks, steep driveways and limited street frontage slow the set-out and add time on site.
After handover
Keeping the barrier working
A barrier only works while it stays intact and visible. Pass these on to the owner.
- Keep at least 75 mm of the slab edge exposed. Don't cover it with soil, mulch or paving.
- No garden beds or stacked timber against the house
- Keep weep holes clear of render and debris
- Fix leaking taps, downpipes and hot water units near the walls
- Ask the installer before drilling through the slab or adding pipes
- Book a timber pest inspection at least every 12 months
Annual timber pest inspection
Handed over recently? We inspect the barrier and the building every 12 months.
Free fixed quote
Protect your build
before the pour
Tell us about your build and get a clear, fixed price, fast. We usually reply within 30 minutes during business hours.
- Send your detailsBuild type, suburb and rough slab pour date.
- Share your plansSlab plan or architectural drawings, plus any retaining wall details.
- Get your fixed quoteOne written price covering every installation stage.
- Fast responseWithin 30 mins
- Licensed expertsQualified & insured
- Trusted locallyAcross Sydney
Get a fixed quote
Tell us about your build
within 30 minutes
Northern Beaches questions
Answered
Can't see your question? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Does a bush-fringe block on the beaches need more work?
It needs a continuous perimeter and careful detailing at every level change, because foraging pressure comes from established bush rather than a neighbouring yard. Many owners on those fringes choose physical collars with a physical perimeter, adding reticulation where landscaping or paving will later cover a treated zone.
How does salt air affect a new build here?
Coastal damp keeps sub-floors and wall cavities moist, which is hard on timber over time and makes ventilation and detailing important. Where the design lifts the house on piers or uses a suspended floor, those elements are protected as part of the system and we keep the inspection route accessible after completion.
Can you install on a steep sandstone block?
Yes. Benched sandstone pads leave retaining walls, batters and step-downs, and each junction has to be followed by the barrier. We ask for the engineering details with the slab plan so those points are priced and drawn before work starts, rather than sorted out on site once formwork is up.
Does a new home need a termite barrier in NSW?
In most cases, yes. The National Construction Code requires a termite management system for new houses and outbuildings in termite-prone areas where the primary building elements can be damaged by termites. Sydney is termite-prone, so the system is installed to AS 3660.1 and your certifier asks for the installation certificate and durable notice before the Occupation Certificate is issued.
What does a pre-construction barrier cost?
It depends on slab area, perimeter length, the number of pipe penetrations, the system chosen, site complexity and how many visits the build needs. Send us the plans and we return one fixed written quote covering every stage. Quoting is free.
Slab pour coming up?
Lock in your termite barrier before the concrete truck arrives
Send us your plans today for a fixed quote, or call and talk to a licensed technician about your site.
