Inner West · AS 3660.1
Collars and under-slab systems installed to the builder's program on Rhodes tower construction, on remediated peninsula land once used for chemical and paint manufacturing between Homebush Bay and Brays Bay.
Quick answer
Yes. A new apartment building in Rhodes needs an NCC termite management system installed to AS 3660.1. Collars and any under-slab work go in before the concrete pour, with particular care on remediated former industrial land. The durable notice for the meter box and an installation certificate for the City of Canada Bay certifier are both required before the Occupation Certificate is issued.
Termite barriers in Rhodes
Rhodes is a peninsula suburb between Homebush Bay and Brays Bay, in the City of Canada Bay and postcode 2138, about 12.3 km west of the CBD. From 1911 it was a major industrial area, home to chemical and paint manufacturers, and almost all land west of the railway needed remediation before redevelopment, which finished in 2011. That land now holds residential towers of up to 25 storeys and Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre. East of the railway, older houses remain, and our work covers both the tower construction on the remediated land and rebuilds on the established streets.
Building on land that needed formal remediation before it could be redeveloped is a genuinely different starting point for a termite barrier than an ordinary suburban block. Even after remediation, disturbed or built-up ground can behave unpredictably, so a fully sealed under-slab membrane and properly collared penetrations matter as much here as anywhere in Sydney. On the older, established streets east of the railway, the more familiar job of a knockdown rebuild on a mature block applies instead, with the usual attention to ageing timber and garden growth. We check both conditions before finalising a quote for any Rhodes property.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape termite risk in Rhodes, tied to its industrial past and its shift toward high-rise living.
Land west of the railway carried chemical and paint manufacturing for most of the twentieth century and needed formal remediation before it could be redeveloped. We treat the under-slab membrane and every penetration as the first line of defence on sites built over this history, since disturbed ground can still behave unpredictably.
Residential towers up to 25 storeys near Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre carry basement and podium slabs with a large number of service penetrations. Collar counts and scheduling around a busy multi-trade construction program drive both the price and the timing on jobs like these.
Away from the tower precinct, established houses east of the railway line need the more familiar knockdown rebuild treatment, with soil and sub-floor conditions checked as carefully as the perimeter around a mature, well-planted block.
What we install here
We work on Rhodes apartment and mixed-use tower developments on the remediated peninsula land, knockdown rebuilds on the older streets east of the railway, and granny flats where the block allows. Basement and podium slabs are standard on tower sites, while waffle pod slabs remain typical on detached rebuilds. You get one fixed written quote covering every stage, and we attend in stages so a barrier visit never holds up a busy construction program.
Local knowledge
Our Rhodes work runs from the tower precinct near Phoenix Park and Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre, where collar counts and multi-trade scheduling drive the job, out toward Uhrs Point Reserve on the foreshore, where vegetation near the water can bring termites and moisture close to nearby buildings. The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway corridor toward Brays Bay Reserve sits close to several of the newer residential stages.
The City of Canada Bay certifies Rhodes building work, and it will not sign the Occupation Certificate without a durable meter-box notice and a certificate from the installer setting out the products, the coverage and the licence held. We prepare both as soon as our stage of the job, tower or terrace, is complete.
Rhodes at a glance
| Suburb | Rhodes, NSW 2138 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 12.3 km 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
Google reviews
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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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Rhodes questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215It changes how carefully the ground is checked. Even after formal remediation, land that carried decades of chemical and paint manufacturing can still have disturbed or built-up soil, so we make sure the under-slab membrane and every collar are fully sealed rather than assuming the ground behaves like an untouched block.
The same NCC requirement applies, but the job is scaled differently. A basement or podium slab in a tower can carry a large number of service penetrations, so collar counts and scheduling around a busy multi-trade construction program matter more than they would on a single detached home. We confirm penetration counts from the plans ahead of our scheduled visit.
Yes. Established houses on that side of the suburb need the more familiar knockdown rebuild treatment, with soil preparation and the under-slab system checked as carefully as the perimeter, rather than the remediation-focused approach used on the redeveloped peninsula land. We ask about the property's construction era before pricing the job, since that changes what the rebuild needs to check first.
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.
