Lower North Shore · AS 3660.1
AS 3660.1 termite barriers for the apartment and mixed-use development rising around the new Crows Nest metro station, postcode 2065, in the North Sydney Council area.
Quick answer
North Sydney Council's Crows Nest is termite-prone territory under the National Construction Code, so new apartment and mixed-use buildings there need a termite management system, with the AS 3660.1 work finished before the pour. Getting the Occupation Certificate signed off depends on handing the certifier a durable notice for the meter box along with a completed installation certificate.
Termite barriers in Crows Nest
Crows Nest is a busy commercial suburb about 4.8 km north of the CBD, administered by North Sydney Council and centred on a five-way junction of main roads known for its restaurants and shops. The Crows Nest metro station, which opened in August 2024, has brought new apartment and mixed-use development around it, adding to a suburb where St Thomas Rest Park, a former church cemetery on West Street, remains one of the few larger green spaces. Building work here is now dominated by multi-dwelling development near the station rather than single detached houses, which changes the scale and staging of barrier work compared with a typical suburban block.
A slab going in near the new metro station is usually a much larger job than a single house, with dozens of plumbing and service penetrations across one shared building rather than a handful for a single dwelling. Crows Nest's commercial density, with restaurant kitchens and older shopfronts packed close together, also means barrier work often has to account for structures that abut existing buildings rather than sit on a clear block. Getting collars and any under-slab system placed correctly before the pour matters even more on a site like this, because access to the slab edge is far harder once the building is up and occupied.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Lower North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Lower North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape barrier work on a Crows Nest development site.
The Crows Nest metro station, opened in August 2024, has brought a wave of apartment and mixed-use construction to the area around the five-way junction. These are typically large shared slabs with many penetrations, so collar counts and scheduling drive the barrier plan and the price.
Restaurants, shops and older shopfronts sit close together through the suburb, and new buildings often go up hard against existing structures. That makes perimeter access tighter than on a standalone block, so the barrier has to be planned around what is physically achievable on site.
With St Thomas Rest Park one of the only larger green spaces in Crows Nest, termite pressure here is less about bushland edges and more about the density and age of the surrounding built environment. We assess each site on its own construction and neighbouring buildings rather than a bushland-style approach.
What we install here
Most of our Crows Nest work is on apartment and mixed-use developments around the new metro station, along with occasional rebuilds of older buildings closer to the five-way junction. These are typically large slabs with dozens of penetrations across multiple dwellings, so collar counts and access to tight, built-up sites drive both the schedule and the price. We stage our visit around the plumber and concreter so the barrier installation keeps pace with a tightly programmed multi-storey build.
Local knowledge
The Crows Nest metro station, opened in August 2024, sits at the centre of the development activity we now see most often in the suburb. St Leonards station, about 1.1 km away, and Cammeray Golf Course, about 1.1 km away, mark the edges of the wider area, while Greenwood Plaza, about 1.6 km off, is another nearby commercial centre. St Thomas Rest Park, the former church cemetery on West Street, remains one of the few green spaces within Crows Nest itself and has little direct bearing on barrier planning compared with the built environment around it.
North Sydney Council certifies development in Crows Nest. Its certifier will not release the Occupation Certificate without proof of the termite system: a durable notice inside the meter box, plus an installation certificate covering products, protected zones and the installer. On the larger apartment and mixed-use projects now common near the metro station, that certificate must name every dwelling on the shared slab, so we compile it from the approved plans and hand it over with product details and maintenance advice.
Crows Nest at a glance
| Suburb | Crows Nest, NSW 2065 |
|---|---|
| District | Lower North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 4.8 km north |
| Certifying council | North Sydney 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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Crows Nest questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215In scale, yes. A shared slab under a multi-storey building can have dozens of plumbing and service penetrations across many dwellings, so collar counts and scheduling around other trades drive both the barrier plan and the price. The underlying AS 3660.1 requirement is the same, just applied at a larger scale.
It can, since new buildings often go up hard against existing shopfronts or apartments, leaving tighter access to the slab edge than a standalone block would have. We assess what is physically achievable on site and plan the perimeter around those constraints before work starts, rather than assuming a standard suburban layout applies.
As early as possible once you have a slab date, since collars and any under-slab system need to go in after services are set out and before the pour, and larger developments need more coordination with other trades. Getting us involved during the planning stage helps avoid access problems once the site is under construction.
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.
