Inner West · AS 3660.1
Collars and perimeter barriers installed before the pour for Ashfield 2131 apartment developments near the station and Federation home rebuilds on the quieter side streets.
Quick answer
Apartment buildings and houses alike in Ashfield cannot get an Occupation Certificate without a compliant termite system, since Inner West Council sits inside a termite-prone area. That work is tied to AS 3660.1 and finished before the slab closes, sized to the scale of the build. Once complete, the certifier is handed both the fixed meter-box notice and a matching certificate.
Termite barriers in Ashfield
Ashfield is a busy centre in Inner West Council, about 8.1 km west of the Sydney CBD in postcode 2131. Most of its homes are apartments, largely post-war low-rise walk-up flats plus newer blocks near the station, mixed with Federation-era detached houses and some Victorian buildings around the quieter streets. Liverpool Road is the main shopping strip, with Ashfield Mall, offices and a large number of restaurants nearby, and Ashfield station has been on the Main Suburban line since 1855. New construction here splits fairly evenly between apartment development near the station and rebuild or renovation work on the Federation houses further out.
That split changes what a barrier has to cover. A new apartment slab near the station typically carries far more service penetrations across a single pour than a house does, so collar counts and sequencing are planned around the whole building rather than one dwelling at a time. Federation houses on the quieter streets are a different job again, where timber floors, roof voids and established gardens are more likely to carry existing termite activity that a rebuild's soil treatment has to address properly before the new slab goes in and is closed up.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Ashfield's mix of density and older housing changes how we plan a barrier, for three main reasons.
Development close to Ashfield station and Liverpool Road usually means a single larger slab with many more service penetrations than a house. Installation is scheduled to fit the whole building's rough-in, not one dwelling at a time, so collar counts are worked out from the full set of plans.
Detached Federation houses on the suburb's quieter streets are a steady source of rebuild and renovation work, and demolition on these blocks often exposes old garden beds and sub-floor timber that need treating before a new slab is poured.
Liverpool Road's restaurants and shops keep activity high around the suburb centre, and ongoing nearby construction can disturb ground conditions. New slabs close to this zone still get the same full perimeter treatment as anywhere else in the suburb.
What we install here
Our Ashfield work covers apartment and townhouse development near the station, Federation house rebuilds on the quieter streets, and rear extensions on existing homes. Engineered and raft slabs are common on larger apartment sites, while waffle pod slabs suit the house rebuilds. Everything is priced as one figure from the plans up front, and we book the install around your plumber so the pour date stays exactly where the builder set it.
Local knowledge
Work near Ashfield Mall and Ashfield station is almost always a larger apartment or townhouse slab, where the scale of the pour drives the schedule. Further from the centre, closer to Pratten Park Bowling Club, jobs are more often Federation house rebuilds where established gardens and old sub-floor timber need checking. Graham Reserve adds a smaller green pocket within the suburb, and older garden beds nearby are worth assessing on any rebuild backing onto it.
Inner West Council certifies Ashfield builds, and its sign-off process for an Occupation Certificate hinges on the same paperwork used across the state: proof of the system in the meter box, and a formal record of what was used and where. We put together a mounted notice plus a matching certificate as soon as installation wraps up, scaled up for apartment sites near the station where a single slab covers many dwellings.
Ashfield at a glance
| Suburb | Ashfield, NSW 2131 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 8.1 km west |
| Certifying council | Inner West Council |
| Standard applied | AS 3660.1 termite management systems |
| Installed | Before the slab pour, then staged through the build |
| Documents supplied | Installation certificate and durable notice |
| Typical builds covered | New homes, knockdown rebuilds, granny flats, duplexes, townhouses |
Systems we install
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.
01A termite-resistant sheet laid over the whole prepared footprint before concreting, so termites can't come up through the slab anywhere.
02A sealed collar on every pipe, conduit and service that passes through the slab. These gaps are the most common hidden way in.
03Protection at the slab edge and into the wall cavity, which stops termites building hidden tunnels up the outside of the slab.
04An APVMA-registered termiticide zone in the soil, with an optional pipe network under paving so it can be recharged later without digging.
05Barriers for bearers, piers and raised timber floors on sloping or elevated blocks, where there's no slab to protect.
06Detailing for sandstone cuts, block retaining walls, step-downs and cut-and-fill sites, which are common across Sydney.
Why during construction
A retrofit can only treat around a finished house. A pre-construction system protects the parts nobody will ever be able to reach again.
A barrier put in during the build costs a fraction of a post-construction system, and far less than repairing termite damage.
New houses (Class 1) and outbuildings (Class 10) with termite-susceptible framing need a compliant termite management system.
Pipe penetrations and slab joints can only be fully protected while they're still open, before the concrete goes in.
An under-slab system covers ground that no treatment from outside the finished house can ever reach.
Your certifier needs the certificate and durable notice before issuing the Occupation Certificate. We supply both together.
Documented, compliant protection gives buyers, building inspectors and lenders confidence when the home is sold.
Installation stages
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.
Send your plans and slab details. We recommend a system and give you one fixed price that covers every stage.
Collars go on every service once the plumber has set out, then the membrane or soil treatment is installed across the prepared site.
Perimeter and cavity protection is fitted as the brickwork or cladding goes up, so there's no unprotected gap at the slab edge.
Where it's specified, the chemical perimeter or reticulation system is completed around the building before paths and gardens go in.
A durable notice goes in the meter box, and the installation certificate goes to your builder and certifier.
The owner gets simple care instructions and an inspection schedule so the system keeps doing its job for years.
Compare systems
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
Entry-point protection
Soil protection
Top-up protection
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
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.
Consistent pricing across lots, one point of contact and a full document set for every dwelling.
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
A complete document set for the builder, the certifier and every future owner of the property.
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
Written confirmation of the system and products used, the areas protected and our licence details.
For: builder, certifier, owner
Details of the physical system or termiticide installed, including safety data sheets for any chemicals.
For: builder, owner
How to keep the system working, plus the recommended inspection frequency under AS 3660.2.
For: homeowner
From real jobs
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
Google reviews
Real, verified reviews from homeowners and businesses we've worked with.
Pricing
Every build is different, so we don't guess. We price from your plans and give you one fixed written quote. Quoting is free.
After handover
A barrier only works while it stays intact and visible. Pass these on to the owner.
Free fixed quote
Tell us about your build and get a clear, fixed price, fast. We usually reply within 30 minutes during business hours.
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Ashfield questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Not a different system under the NCC, just a different scale of job: an apartment building tends to carry a far bigger single pour with many more service connections than a house, so we plan collar counts and timing around that whole build rather than one dwelling. Each apartment's coverage is still confirmed in the certificate.
We check the site for old sub-floor timber, garden beds and any existing termite activity from the original house, since that history can carry into the new slab if it is not treated properly first. The new barrier is installed to AS 3660.1 with collars at every penetration before the pour.
Yes. Any new slab area, including a rear extension, needs its own compliant termite management system under the NCC. We coordinate with the plumber's rough-in for the new work and tie the new perimeter carefully into the existing house's protection at the join, so no gap is left between the old structure and the new one.
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.
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.
Nearby
Same crew, same staging and the same certifier-ready paperwork, right across the Inner West.
Service areas
From the Eastern Suburbs and Inner West to the Hills, the Shire and the western growth corridors. Every suburb has its own page with the local ground conditions, the council that certifies the work and the questions builders there ask us.
Slab pour coming up?
Send us your plans today for a fixed quote, or call and talk to a licensed technician about your site.
