Eastern Suburbs · AS 3660.1
Collars, membrane and perimeter protection installed on the Darling Point peninsula in postcode 2027, from the harbour edge near Carthona to the rebuild sites off New South Head Road.
Quick answer
Yes. A newly built home or outbuilding on Darling Point falls within a termite-prone stretch of Sydney, so the requirement for a termite management system under the National Construction Code applies here. Physical and chemical elements go in around penetrations and slab edges well before the concrete is poured, and the certifier is handed the installation certificate ahead of the Occupation Certificate.
Termite barriers in Darling Point
Darling Point occupies a narrow finger of land between Rushcutters Bay and Double Bay, about 2.6 km east of the CBD in postcode 2027 and inside the Woollahra Council area. Large sandstone estates such as Carthona, built in 1841, and Craigend sit alongside St Mark's Church, designed by Edmund Blacket in 1852, and the streets around them fill in with art-deco apartment blocks, Federation semis and renovated terraces built close together. There is little vacant land left to develop, so the work here runs to knockdown rebuilds on older harbourside blocks, duplex splits, boutique infill townhouses and the occasional granny flat behind an existing house. Every one of those projects still needs a termite management system before it can be signed off.
What makes the ground here different is the water on both sides. Harbour moisture sits in the soil on a peninsula bounded by Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay and the harbour itself, and steep, heavily planted gardens running down toward the shoreline stay damp long after rain has passed. That dampness matters at a new slab because it keeps the surrounding ground attractive to subterranean termites working in from neighbouring gardens and reserves such as Goomerah Crescent Reserve, close to the point. Old sandstone footings, retaining walls and the tight setbacks typical of Darling Point blocks all create junctions where a barrier has to be individually detailed rather than run as a single straight strip, particularly where a rebuild sits hard against a shared boundary wall.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Eastern Suburbs coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Eastern Suburbs suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape how a termite barrier gets detailed on a Darling Point block, and none of them are optional to plan around.
Darling Point's gardens run steeply down toward Rushcutters Bay and Double Bay, and that slope keeps the soil damp well after rain has stopped. Damp ground close to a new slab or extension gives subterranean termites an easier run at a barrier, so the perimeter and any step-downs get full attention rather than a token strip.
Rebuild sites near estates like Carthona and Craigend often expose old sandstone footings, party walls and retaining structures that were never built with a modern barrier in mind. We detail collars and membrane around those junctions individually, rather than assuming a standard slab edge will fit.
Art-deco unit blocks, Federation semis and terraces sit hard against their neighbours on Darling Point, leaving little room to run a barrier around a full perimeter. Shared walls and narrow side setbacks mean the collar and membrane work has to be planned before the plumber sets out, not adjusted on the day.
What we install here
Our Darling Point work is mostly knockdown rebuilds, duplex splits, boutique infill townhouses and granny flats added behind an existing house, plus the occasional apartment refurbishment near New South Head Road. Waffle pod and raft slabs suit the flatter blocks, while properties closer to the harbour edge often need suspended floors or piers to manage the slope. Pricing comes as a single fixed figure worked out from your plans, and our visit is timed around the plumber and the concreter, so a barrier check never holds up a pour on a tight inner-harbour site.
Local knowledge
Most of our Darling Point jobs sit within a few streets of Goomerah Crescent Reserve, Double Bay Beach and Edgecliff station, all within about a kilometre of the point. Blocks nearer the reserve and the harbour foreshore get closer attention to the perimeter, since garden moisture there is more persistent. Sites closer to the New South Head Road strip tend to be smaller infill and duplex projects, where collar counts and access through a tight block, rather than perimeter length, drive the schedule and the price.
Darling Point falls under the Woollahra Council area for certification, covering the rebuilds, duplexes, granny flats and infill townhouses built across the point. Their certifiers ask for two things before signing off the Occupation Certificate: an installation certificate detailing the products, the protected areas and the installer's licence number, and a durable notice screwed inside the meter box. We prepare both alongside the product data sheets and owner maintenance notes, so paperwork is never the thing holding up a Darling Point handover.
Darling Point at a glance
| Suburb | Darling Point, NSW 2027 |
|---|---|
| District | Eastern Suburbs |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 2.6 km east |
| 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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Darling Point questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Collars and any under-slab system have to go in after the plumber has set out the pipework and before the concrete is poured, so we schedule around your plumber and concreter rather than working to a fixed date. On tight Darling Point blocks with limited access, it helps to give us the site plan early so we can work out how the barrier ties into existing party walls or retaining structures.
Not a different system, but more careful detailing. Old sandstone footings and retaining walls on rebuild sites near those estates were not built around a modern barrier, so we treat each junction on its own merits rather than running a standard perimeter strip. It usually means more time on site working out how the membrane and collars tie into the existing structure.
Yes. A secondary dwelling or a duplex half counts as its own structure for the purposes of a termite barrier, sized and detailed to that footprint rather than shared with the main house. Where the original dwelling already has protection in place, we tie the new work into it wherever the site layout allows, and each structure ends up with its own durable notice and certificate.
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 Eastern Suburbs.
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.
