Eastern Suburbs · AS 3660.1
From the village shops on Knox Street to the ferry wharf near Guilfoyle Park, Double Bay's harbourside postcode 2028 infill sites are protected to the AS 3660.1 standard.
Quick answer
A new apartment building, townhouse or renovation with new footings in Double Bay does need a termite management system, because the suburb lies within a termite-prone harbourside stretch of Sydney covered by the National Construction Code. Every plumbing penetration gets a collar before the slab is poured, and once the barrier is finished, the certifier receives an installation certificate and a durable notice for the meter box, needed before occupation.
Termite barriers in Double Bay
Double Bay sits about 3.1 km east of the CBD in postcode 2028, and its village of hotels, restaurants, cafes and boutiques along New South Head Road, Knox Street, Cross Street and Bay Street makes it the administrative centre of Woollahra Council. Most residents live in apartments rather than houses, with a ferry wharf running services to Circular Quay and Darling Point and Edgecliff station a short walk up the hill. With almost no vacant land left in such a built-up village, new work here is boutique apartment redevelopment, knockdown rebuilds on the few remaining house blocks and renovations that add new footings to an existing building. Each of those still triggers the requirement for a termite management system.
A dense harbourside village changes what a barrier has to deal with. Buildings share basements, lift cores and plant rooms, so a single slab can carry a large number of penetrations that all need a collar and a documented location. Guilfoyle Park and the harbour foreshore near Double Bay Beach keep the ground close to the water damp, and that moisture reaches into the laneways and service areas behind the shopfronts on New South Head Road. On a site this tight, access is often as much a factor as the barrier work itself, since equipment and materials have to move through narrow lanes and shared driveways to reach the slab.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Eastern Suburbs coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Eastern Suburbs suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape a Double Bay termite barrier job, and space is usually the first constraint we run into.
Guilfoyle Park and the foreshore near Double Bay Beach keep the ground close to the water damp well after rain, and that moisture works back into the laneways and basements behind the village shopfronts. New footings close to the water get a full perimeter and careful attention to drainage.
Apartment and mixed-use redevelopment along New South Head Road often means one slab with basements, lift cores and plant rooms carrying dozens of penetrations. We work through the plumber's full rough-in before the pour, since a missed collar on a job this size is expensive to fix later.
Narrow lanes, shared driveways and limited on-street parking around Knox Street and Cross Street mean access is planned as carefully as the barrier itself. We schedule around your builder's site logistics so materials and equipment reach the slab without holding up other trades.
What we install here
Double Bay work is almost entirely boutique apartment redevelopment, knockdown rebuilds on the suburb's few remaining house blocks, and renovations that add new footings to an existing building near the village. Basement and lift core penetrations are common on the larger sites, so we plan collar counts from the plans well before the first visit. We provide one fixed quote covering every stage and coordinate closely with the builder on access and timing, given how tight most Double Bay sites are to work around.
Local knowledge
Guilfoyle Park, about 0.2 km from the village centre, and Double Bay Beach, close by, bring harbour moisture into blocks near the water, while Edgecliff station, about 0.5 km away, sits at the edge of the rail corridor that runs through to Woollahra Golf Club. Redevelopment sites closer to the wharf and the park get more attention to foreshore moisture, while those along New South Head Road and toward Westfield Bondi Junction are more often dense, multi-unit jobs where penetration counts drive the schedule.
Woollahra Council, based in Double Bay itself, certifies work across the suburb. Its sign-off for the Occupation Certificate needs an installation certificate that records the products, the covered areas and the licensed installer, along with a durable notice inside the meter box. On multi-unit Double Bay sites we break that certificate down by level and by penetration count, so strata and building certifiers get a clear record without extra correspondence.
Double Bay at a glance
| Suburb | Double Bay, NSW 2028 |
|---|---|
| District | Eastern Suburbs |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 3.1 km east |
| Certifying council | Woollahra 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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Double Bay questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. An apartment block is held to the same standard as any other new residence, and the National Construction Code does not carve out an exception for multi-storey buildings. On a Double Bay site this usually means a larger number of penetrations through basements, lift cores and plant rooms, each needing its own collar recorded on the installation certificate.
It often is. Narrow lanes and shared driveways around the village mean we plan access and timing with your builder before the visit, rather than treating it as a standard suburban job. We schedule around your site logistics so equipment and materials reach the slab without holding up other trades working on a tight harbourside block.
If the renovation adds new footings or a new slab section, that area needs its own termite management system, even though the rest of the building may be older. We assess what protection, if any, the existing structure has and detail the new work to tie in wherever the site allows, with its own durable notice and certificate for that section.
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.
