The Hills District · AS 3660.1
Collars, membrane and perimeter barriers installed to AS 3660.1 for new homes and rebuilds around Mount Dorothy and Richill Park, postcode 2145, in the City of Parramatta.
Quick answer
A new build or rebuild in Constitution Hill must include a termite management system, because the City of Parramatta lies in territory the National Construction Code treats as termite-prone. AS 3660.1 sets how the work is carried out, wrapped up before the concrete pour. Paperwork for the certifier follows: a durable notice fixed inside the meter box, alongside an installation certificate, both due before Occupation Certificate sign-off.
Termite barriers in Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill only became a suburb in its own right in 2007, carved out of the surrounding area in postcode 2145 about 23 km west of the Sydney CBD, within the City of Parramatta. A handful of houses date from the early 1900s, but most of the suburb has been built up since, and the centre of local life is the small cluster of shops, a library and a park at Emma Crescent and Hollis Street. Mount Dorothy runs along the southern boundary, with views back toward Parramatta and the city and plaques marking the 1804 Castle Hill convict rebellion. Building work here is mostly knockdown rebuilds of older cottages and mid-century brick houses, plus granny flats and the odd townhouse infill, rather than broad new-estate release land.
Constitution Hill's hillside setting matters as much as its age. Blocks running down from Mount Dorothy often need cut-and-fill and retaining walls to get a level building pad, and the shaded side paths and gardens that come with older cottages hold damp soil against timber floors and sub-floor vents. Reserves and pockets of green space are spread through the suburb, giving termites a way to move from garden beds into a new or rebuilt home. Every step-down and retaining wall junction on a sloping Constitution Hill block is a place where a barrier can be compromised if it is not planned before the concrete goes in, which is why we work from the engineering and site plans rather than improvising once the slab is poured.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · The Hills District coverage · Updated September 2026 · More The Hills District suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape barrier work on a Constitution Hill block, and all three trace back to the suburb's age and slope.
Land falling away from Mount Dorothy often needs cut-and-fill to build a level pad, which means extra retaining walls and step-downs. Each junction is a place where the perimeter can be broken if it is not drawn and priced before work starts, so we detail these from the engineering plans.
Some Constitution Hill rebuilds replace cottages dating from the early 1900s, on blocks that have carried gardens and timber structures for over a century. A site with that much history behind it needs soil treatment sized to what has built up over the decades, not just a standard package picked to match the new floor plan.
Richill Park and Otto Losco Reserve sit within easy reach of local streets, and green pockets like these give termites cover to move between garden beds and new construction. Blocks near these reserves get the same full perimeter attention as any bushland-edge site.
What we install here
We work on Constitution Hill knockdown rebuilds, granny flats behind existing cottages and the occasional townhouse infill site, since the suburb has little large-scale new-estate land left. Waffle pod and raft slabs suit the flatter blocks, while suspended floors and extra piers are common where a house steps down the hill toward Westmead or Wentworthville. Collars go in at every pipe penetration before the pour, and we schedule the barrier visit around your plumber and concreter so a Mount Dorothy hillside block does not lose time waiting on us.
Local knowledge
Richill Park, about 0.4 km from the suburb centre, and Otto Losco Reserve, about 1.4 km away, are the closest green pockets to most rebuild sites, and both can shelter termite activity that moves into nearby gardens. Wentworthville station, also about 1.4 km off, sits just outside the suburb and has little bearing on barrier work itself. Mount Dorothy, running along the southern boundary, is the feature that most affects how a slab is detailed here, because the fall of the land drives the retaining and step-down work around it.
The City of Parramatta certifies building work in Constitution Hill. Ahead of the Occupation Certificate, its certifier requires two records of the termite management system: a durable notice mounted in the meter box, and an installation certificate listing the products used, the areas covered and the installer. On a sloping Mount Dorothy site we also note every retaining wall and step-down the barrier worked around, then hand the paperwork over with product data and care instructions.
Constitution Hill at a glance
| Suburb | Constitution Hill, NSW 2145 |
|---|---|
| District | The Hills District |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 23.1 km west |
| 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
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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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Constitution Hill questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Often yes. A cottage site dating from the early 1900s has had a century or more of garden beds, paths and buried timber pressed against the soil, and that is more than enough time for a colony to establish itself unnoticed. The new home still receives a standard AS 3660.1 system, but we size the soil treatment and perimeter detailing to match the site's own history rather than just the floor plan.
Cut-and-fill and retaining walls create extra junctions where the slab steps down the hill, and each one needs to be detailed so the barrier stays continuous. We ask for the engineering and retaining wall plans early so step-downs are priced and drawn properly, rather than worked out on the day of the pour.
Timing follows the plumbing rough-in, the same as anywhere else, but a hillside block also needs the retaining wall design finalised first so the perimeter can be planned around it. Let us know your rough slab date early and we will fit the visit in with your other trades rather than working around a delay later.
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 The Hills District.
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.
