Eastern Suburbs · AS 3660.1
Collars, membrane and party-wall detailing fitted to Paddington's narrow Victorian terrace slabs, installed before the pour across the conservation streets either side of Oxford Street.
Quick answer
Yes. A rebuilt or extended terrace in Paddington still needs a termite management system under the NCC, installed to AS 3660.1. On these narrow heritage lots, collars and membrane go in before the slab is poured and are detailed around shared party walls and old footings. The durable notice and installation certificate then go to your certifier, the City of Sydney or the Municipality of Woollahra, before occupation.
Termite barriers in Paddington
Paddington sits about 2.4 km south-east of the CBD in postcode 2021, with Oxford Street dividing it between two councils: the part south of Oxford Street falls under the City of Sydney, and the part to the north under the Municipality of Woollahra. The suburb is known for Victorian terraces built during rapid development from the mid-1870s to the early 1900s, and in 1968 a large area of those terraces became Australia's first conservation area. Oxford Street itself runs through the suburb lined with shops and cafes, and Paddington Reservoir Gardens occupies a former reservoir that supplied water from 1866 to 1899.
Rebuilding or extending inside a heritage conservation area is a different job from an open block, and it changes how a termite barrier is planned as much as how it is approved. Narrow terrace lots leave little room either side of a new slab, so collars, membrane laps and the treatment where new work meets old party wall footings all matter more than on a standard block. Ground that has carried infrastructure like the old reservoir for close to a century and a half also means the soil around some sites is not as straightforward as it looks, so we check what is actually underneath before detailing the system.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Eastern Suburbs coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Eastern Suburbs suburbs
Get my fixed quote
Local conditions
Three things make a Paddington barrier a different job from a standard rebuild, tied to the suburb's heritage streets and party walls.
Being inside Australia's first heritage conservation area means many Paddington rebuilds keep an original facade or party wall while replacing the rest, so new work sits directly against footings that are well over a century old. We check what protection, if any, already exists there before detailing the new system.
Paddington's terraces sit hard against each other with shared walls and sometimes shared roof space, so a colony active in one house can already be pressing against the footings of the next. We detail the barrier hard against that party wall junction rather than assuming a clean, isolated slab.
With Oxford Street dividing the suburb between the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra, the certifier your barrier documentation goes to depends on exactly where the property sits. We confirm which council applies early so the paperwork lines up with the right certifier from the start.
What we install here
We work on Paddington terrace rebuilds, rear and side extensions, and granny flats behind existing cottages on both sides of Oxford Street. Slabs here are almost always small and site-constrained, poured hard against party walls or existing footings, so collar counts and membrane detailing are planned from the plans before we arrive. You get one fixed written quote covering every stage, and we work around narrow-lot access and heritage approval timing so the barrier is never the thing holding up the build.
Local knowledge
Most of our Paddington work sits within a few streets of Paddington Reservoir Gardens and the Oxford Street shopping strip, where rear-lane rebuilds and narrow infill sites are common. Toward Edgecliff station and the Royal Arcade, terraces sit closer to Woollahra's side of the boundary, and we confirm the certifying council on these blocks before detailing the paperwork. We also check access and heritage approval conditions before quoting any Paddington job.
South of Oxford Street a Paddington build is certified through the City of Sydney, and north of it through the Municipality of Woollahra, but the paperwork required is the same on either side: a durable meter-box notice and an installer's certificate covering the products, the coverage and the licence. We check which council applies early and prepare both documents once our stage of the work is finished.
Paddington at a glance
| Suburb | Paddington, NSW 2021 |
|---|---|
| District | Eastern Suburbs |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 2.4 km south-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
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.
Get a fixed quote
Paddington questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. A rebuilt or substantially extended terrace is treated as new work under the NCC, so it needs its own termite management system installed to AS 3660.1, even inside a conservation area and even where the facade or party walls are being kept. We detail the new system around the existing footings rather than assuming they are protected.
We detail the collars, membrane and any physical barrier hard against the party wall junction, since a colony active next door can already be pressing against those shared footings. Where the neighbouring property's protection is unknown, we flag that so you understand what pressure your new work might be facing.
It depends which side of Oxford Street the property is on. South of Oxford Street falls under the City of Sydney, and north falls under the Municipality of Woollahra. We confirm this early in the job so the durable notice and installation certificate are prepared for the right certifier. Both councils apply the same NCC and AS 3660.1 requirements regardless of which side you fall on.
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.
