Inner West · AS 3660.1
Under-slab and perimeter termite barriers fitted to your builder's schedule across Forest Lodge 2037, on the Victorian-era streets near Ross Street and Lew Hoad Reserve.
Quick answer
Yes. Under the NCC, any new build in Forest Lodge, from a granny flat to a full knockdown rebuild, needs a compliant termite management system because the suburb is termite-prone. AS 3660.1 governs installation, with collars and under-slab work completed before the concrete pour. The paperwork, a durable notice plus an installation certificate, is handed to your certifier before the Occupation Certificate is issued.
Termite barriers in Forest Lodge
Forest Lodge is a small City of Sydney suburb about 3.1 km south-west of the CBD, in postcode 2037, beside Glebe and close to the University of Sydney. Its streets are mostly Victorian-era buildings, many converted into apartment houses in varying states of restoration, so most homes are flats or semi-detached terraces rather than freestanding houses. Ross Street carries cafes, bars and antique shops, and Forest Lodge Public School, Chapman Steps and Lew Hoad Reserve are local landmarks in a suburb where most residents rent, including many students and young professionals. There is little room here for anything beyond knockdown rebuilds, terrace conversions, granny flats and boutique infill townhouses.
That density and age of building shapes what a termite barrier needs to do in Forest Lodge. Terraces converted into multiple flats share floors, walls, plumbing and roof spaces, and a knockdown rebuild or a substantial renovation is often the first real opportunity to put a compliant system in properly. Old timber floors and damp sub-floors are common in buildings this age, and tight lot boundaries mean a barrier has to be detailed carefully around party walls and shared footings. With no large vacant sites left, every project here is small in scale but still needs the same standard of protection as a house on a full block.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape how we approach a barrier on a Forest Lodge site, all tied to the suburb's age and density.
Terrace rows share party walls and footings, so a gap in one property's barrier can let activity travel into the next. On rebuild and renovation sites we detail the perimeter carefully around shared walls, not just the street-facing edge of the slab.
Buildings this age often have original timber floors and sub-floor voids that have not been opened since construction. When a floor comes up for a rebuild, it is the first real chance to treat the soil and install a proper barrier rather than working around existing timber.
With almost no vacant land left, most new work is knockdown rebuilds, granny flats or boutique infill on narrow lots. Tight site access and close boundaries mean the barrier plan has to be worked out from the drawings before work starts, not adjusted on the day.
What we install here
We work on Forest Lodge knockdown rebuilds, terrace conversions, granny flats and small boutique infill townhouses, almost always on narrow lots with close neighbours on both sides. Suspended timber or concrete floors are common where an existing terrace footprint is kept, alongside waffle pod slabs on full rebuild sites. Pricing is a single fixed figure worked out from the drawings, and we coordinate our visit directly with the builder given how tight access usually is on these sites.
Local knowledge
Larkin Street Park is a small green space close to the centre of the suburb and a useful reference point for jobs on the surrounding terrace streets. Jubilee Park light rail stop sits on the tram corridor at the suburb's edge, near where more recent infill and renovation work has occurred. Broadway Shopping Centre, just beyond Forest Lodge's boundary, marks the busier commercial edge of the area, while Lew Hoad Reserve and Chapman Steps sit closer to the quieter Victorian terrace streets where most rebuild work happens.
Forest Lodge falls under the City of Sydney for certification, and the paperwork asked for is the same whether the project is a small infill build or a larger rebuild. Certifiers need a durable notice, kept in the meter box, describing the termite management system, and an installation certificate that lists the products, the protected areas and who carried out the install. We supply both, with product information and maintenance advice, before the Occupation Certificate.
Forest Lodge at a glance
| Suburb | Forest Lodge, NSW 2037 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 3.1 km south-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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Forest Lodge questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. The NCC requirement applies regardless of how small the footprint is, so a terrace conversion or boutique infill build needs the same compliant termite management system as a larger home, with collars on every penetration. The detailing is scaled to the site, but the standard of protection is not reduced because the block is narrow.
Yes. We detail the perimeter around party wall footings and shared boundaries so the barrier covers what is available on your side of the wall, and where possible we recommend coordinating with the neighbouring owner so both properties are protected at the same time. Sharing a wall does not exempt either property from needing its own system.
Narrow Forest Lodge sites make timing tighter than most. Once your builder has a rough date for the pour, we plan around the plumber's rough-in so collars and under-slab work are finished beforehand. An early call also gives us time to work out site access with the builder, which matters more here than it does on an open block.
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 Inner West.
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.
