Lower North Shore · AS 3660.1
Termite barriers fitted before the pour on Chatswood's new apartment towers and house rebuilds, from the Westfield and metro precinct out to the quieter streets running toward Blue Gum Reserve.
Quick answer
Yes, every new home, townhouse or apartment building in Chatswood needs a compliant termite management system. Chatswood is termite-prone, so the NCC requires a system built to AS 3660.1. Collars go on every pipe penetration and any under-slab layer is completed before the concrete arrives. The City of Willoughby, as certifying authority, will not issue the Occupation Certificate without the durable notice and installation certificate.
Termite barriers in Chatswood
Chatswood is the administrative seat of the City of Willoughby and one of the busiest centres on the lower North Shore, about 8.6 km north of the CBD. High-density residential towers have gone up quickly around Westfield Chatswood, Chatswood Chase, the Mandarin Centre and the Chatswood Interchange, standing alongside older, quieter residential streets further from the station. Chatswood station itself links the North Shore rail line with the Sydney Metro, and the suburb has built a reputation as a major dining destination with a wide range of Asian cuisines. New construction here runs from large apartment slabs in the town centre to individual house rebuilds on the surrounding streets, and every one of them needs a termite management system signed off before occupation.
A tower and a knockdown rebuild face the same underlying risk, just at different scales. In the town centre, a single slab can carry dozens of pipe penetrations feeding restaurant kitchens, food courts and apartment risers, so collar counts and scheduling drive most of the work. On the quieter streets running out toward Blue Gum Reserve and Lane Cove National Park, houses face a more traditional bushland edge, where termites forage from the reserve through the soil until they find a gap at a slab joint or an untreated edge. Either way, the only point at which a barrier can properly close those entry points is before the concrete goes down, not after.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Lower North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Lower North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things drive termite risk across Chatswood's mix of towers, shops and quieter residential streets.
Apartment and mixed-use slabs around Westfield Chatswood and the interchange carry a high number of pipe and service penetrations on a single pour. Every one needs a properly sealed collar, so we work from the plumber's rough-in drawings to schedule collars in one efficient pass before the pour.
Streets further from the town centre run out toward Blue Gum Reserve and the entrances to Lane Cove National Park, where termites forage from remnant bush through garden soil. Houses on that edge usually get a full perimeter rather than a partial treatment.
Quieter residential pockets away from the towers still see a steady run of knockdown rebuilds on established blocks. Older garden beds and any timber left in the ground from a previous house are worth checking before the new slab goes down.
What we install here
We work on Chatswood apartment and mixed-use slabs, townhouse sites and individual house rebuilds, covering everything from a single collar count on a small infill block to a full perimeter across a multi-dwelling footprint. Waffle pod and raft slabs are standard on flatter residential blocks, while larger commercial and apartment sites are priced on measured perimeter length and penetration count. Every job gets one fixed written quote from the plans, and we schedule our visits in stages so a barrier inspection never holds up a builder's pour date.
Local knowledge
Chatswood work clusters around Westfield Chatswood, Chatswood Chase and the Chatswood Interchange, where dense apartment and retail slabs mean high penetration counts on every pour. Chatswood station and the Lemon Grove Shopping Centre sit close by, and Kenneth Slessor Park adds garden beds within the town centre itself. Further out, toward Blue Gum Reserve, house blocks back onto bushland, so those inspections extend to sub-floors and roof voids as well as the slab edge.
Chatswood is the administrative seat of the City of Willoughby, which certifies the large majority of new construction here, from apartment towers to individual house rebuilds. Before it will issue an Occupation Certificate, the council needs a durable notice fitted inside the meter box recording the termite system, plus an installation certificate naming the products, the licensed installer and the areas protected. For multi-dwelling buildings we issue one certificate covering the whole slab, matched to the plumbing and penetration schedule the builder gives us.
Chatswood at a glance
| Suburb | Chatswood, NSW 2067 |
|---|---|
| District | Lower North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 8.6 km north |
| Certifying council | Sydney CBD 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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Chatswood questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215No, the termite management system covers the ground-level slab and any structural elements in contact with the soil, not every floor of the building. What matters on a tower is getting every pipe and service penetration through that slab properly collared before the pour, since a single missed penetration on a large multi-dwelling site can affect the whole building's protection.
The requirement is the same, a compliant termite management system installed to AS 3660.1, but the scale and access are different. A house rebuild usually has a shorter perimeter and fewer penetrations, so we can complete the visit in a single stage. Apartment and mixed-use sites need more coordination with the builder's program because of penetration counts and multiple trades on site.
Yes. Houses backing onto Blue Gum Reserve or close to the Lane Cove National Park entrances face bushland termite pressure that town centre apartment sites do not, so the perimeter treatment there is usually more thorough than a token strip along the front boundary. We also check sub-floors and roof voids on these blocks, since termites can travel through timber above the slab as well.
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 Lower North Shore.
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.
