Upper North Shore · AS 3660.1
Perimeter, collar and under-slab termite protection fitted to your pour date across Gordon, from Federation knockdown rebuilds near the Pacific Highway to apartment slabs by the station.
Quick answer
Yes, a new home or apartment building in Gordon needs a termite management system, since Ku-ring-gai sits within a termite-prone area under the NCC. Collars go on every service penetration and the barrier is built to AS 3660.1 before the slab is poured, not retrofitted afterwards. The certifier then needs two things before signing off the Occupation Certificate: a durable notice in the meter box and a written installation certificate.
Termite barriers in Gordon
Gordon is the administrative centre of Ku-ring-gai Council, and its building stock reflects two quite different eras: a well-known run of Federation Queen Anne and Arts and Crafts houses on generous blocks, and a growing cluster of apartment buildings near Gordon station and the Pacific Highway. New building work here mostly means knockdown rebuilds on the older house blocks, plus the occasional townhouse infill, and multi-unit residential slabs closer to the commercial centre. Every one of those needs a compliant termite management system fitted before the certifier will sign off on the build.
Gordon backs onto bushland along Stony Creek, home to Sydney's largest flying fox colony, and that green edge brings damp soil and leaf litter close to the rear of many blocks. Subterranean termites forage through ground like that looking for an unguarded way up: a pipe penetration without a collar, a slab edge without a barrier, or a garden bed built up too close to the wall. Fitting the protection properly before the pour, while the services are still exposed, is the only reliable way to close off those entry points on a rebuild or a new apartment slab alike.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Upper North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Upper North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three factors shape how we detail a termite barrier on a Gordon build, from a single rebuild to a multi-unit slab.
The bushland corridor along Stony Creek keeps moisture and leaf litter close to blocks on that side of Gordon. Rebuilds backing onto it get a full perimeter system, with particular care at any point where the slab steps down toward the reserve.
Federation homes here sit on large, long-established gardens with mature trees, old garden beds and sometimes buried timber. A rebuild clears the house but not that material, so soil treatment and the under-slab system carry real weight on these sites.
Multi-unit buildings near Gordon station and the Pacific Highway are single large slabs with many service penetrations. Collar counts and staging around the trades matter more here than perimeter detailing, since the whole footprint is protected at once.
What we install here
We work across Gordon on knockdown rebuilds, granny flats, townhouse infill and apartment or unit block slabs near the station and commercial centre. Waffle pod and raft slabs are typical on the house blocks, with larger reinforced slabs on multi-unit sites. Collars go on every penetration before the pour, and the perimeter or under-slab system is installed to suit the plans, staged so a visit never holds up your concreter. One fixed quote from the plans covers every stage through to the final certificate.
Local knowledge
Our Gordon work runs from the Federation streets around the Gordon Centre and village arcade out to the blocks backing onto the Stony Creek bushland corridor. Sites closer to that reserve get more attention to perimeter detailing and any retaining or step-down junctions, while work near Gordon station and the Pacific Highway is more often a single apartment slab with a high collar count driving the schedule and price.
Ku-ring-gai Council is the certifying authority for Gordon, and it will not release an Occupation Certificate without two things in hand: a durable notice fitted permanently inside the meter box, and an installation certificate that lists the products, the treated areas and who installed them. Both are provided the moment work wraps up, together with product information sheets and guidance on looking after the system over time.
Gordon at a glance
| Suburb | Gordon, NSW 2072 |
|---|---|
| District | Upper North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 13.6 km north |
| Certifying council | Ku-ring-gai 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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Gordon questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215The right window is after the under-slab plumbing rough-in and before the pour, since that is when collars and any membrane have to go in. Pass on your builder's expected pour date as early as you can, and we will schedule our visit to fit their program rather than the other way around, so the slab date is never at risk.
Properties backing onto that corridor usually warrant a full perimeter system rather than a partial one, since established bushland carries more colony pressure than a typical suburban garden. We also look closely at any retaining walls or step-downs where the slab meets the slope toward the reserve, because those junctions are easy to get wrong.
A unit block is really one large slab with dozens of penetrations, so the focus shifts to a thorough collar count on every pipe and service, paired with whichever perimeter or under-slab system the plans specify. We coordinate the visit with the plumber and concreter, then supply the certificate and notice the certifier needs.
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 Upper 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.
