Inner West · AS 3660.1
Strathfield's grand Federation homes on wide, tree-lined avenues, postcode 2135, carry deep sub-floors and original timber that a new termite barrier has to cover fully, not partially.
Quick answer
Yes, a knockdown rebuild or new home in Strathfield needs a termite management system under the NCC, since the suburb sits in a termite-prone part of Sydney. The system is installed to AS 3660.1 before the concrete pour, with collars fitted at every penetration. A durable notice for the meter box and an installation certificate for the certifier are both required before the Occupation Certificate.
Termite barriers in Strathfield
Strathfield is about 12.4 km west of the CBD in postcode 2135, mostly within the Municipality of Strathfield, with smaller parts in the City of Canada Bay and the Municipality of Burwood. The suburb is known for large late 1800s and Federation homes on wide, tree-lined avenues, many of which survived when older estates were subdivided in the early 1900s. Strathfield station is a major rail interchange, and the town centre south of it has Strathfield Plaza and a well-known strip of Korean restaurants, alongside schools including St Patrick's College, Santa Sabina, Meriden, Trinity Grammar and an Australian Catholic University campus. Our work here is dominated by knockdown rebuilds of the suburb's larger, older homes.
Deep sub-floors, extensive original timber and mature trees suit termites in Strathfield, and a rebuild on one of these grand old blocks means dealing with far more sub-floor area than a standard suburban house. For large homes like these, the sheer size of the sub-floor and roof spaces means careful inspection matters more than a quick check, since a gap missed in one corner of a wide Federation footprint can undo the value of the barrier everywhere else. We plan each Strathfield job around the full scale of the property rather than a standard-sized template.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Three local factors shape how we detail a barrier in Strathfield.
Strathfield's Federation and late-1800s homes carry deep sub-floors and extensive original timber, ground that suits termites more than a standard modern slab would. A rebuild here needs the full sub-floor area assessed, not just a sample section.
The suburb's wide, tree-lined avenues carry decades-old street and garden trees close to many properties. That mature planting holds moisture and can give termites a hidden route into a rebuild that has nothing to do with the new slab itself.
Because Strathfield's older homes are often much bigger than a typical suburban house, careful, full-coverage inspection matters more than it would elsewhere. We treat the scale of the property as a factor in its own right when detailing a barrier.
What we install here
Strathfield work is mostly knockdown rebuilds and major renovations of the suburb's large Federation and late-1800s homes, along with some townhouse and apartment sites closer to the station and town centre. Waffle pod and raft slabs suit most rebuild sites, sized to the property's genuine footprint rather than a standard template. We fit collars to every pipe and conduit penetration and run the perimeter to the true boundary, giving the full sub-floor area careful inspection given how large these blocks tend to be, and we work to your builder's program throughout.
Local knowledge
Freshwater Park sits close to much of our Strathfield work, its lawns and mature trees a reminder of how much established garden cover lines the suburb's older streets. Strathfield Plaza and the town centre's restaurant strip mark the busier commercial heart near the station, where multi-dwelling sites are more common. Across the wider suburb, it's the scale of the original housing stock, with its wide avenues and deep sub-floors, that shapes almost every barrier we detail here.
Most of Strathfield is certified through the Municipality of Strathfield, with smaller sections falling under the City of Canada Bay and the Municipality of Burwood. All three want the same evidence on file before an Occupation Certificate follows: a meter-box notice and an installation certificate covering the products, the treated areas and the installer's licence. We have both documents ready as soon as our stage of a Strathfield rebuild is complete.
Strathfield at a glance
| Suburb | Strathfield, NSW 2135 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 12.4 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
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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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Strathfield questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. Deep sub-floors, extensive original timber and mature trees suit termites in these larger properties, so careful, full-coverage inspection matters more here than for a standard suburban house. We assess the full sub-floor area of a Strathfield rebuild before finalising a barrier design for the new build or extension, block by block.
Most of the suburb is certified through the Municipality of Strathfield, with smaller sections falling under the City of Canada Bay and the Municipality of Burwood. Each requires the same durable notice in the meter box and installation certificate before your Occupation Certificate can be issued, and we prepare the right paperwork for your address.
They can. Decades-old trees along the suburb's wide avenues hold moisture and can give termites a hidden route into a rebuild that has nothing to do with the new slab. We check how close established planting sits to the building before finalising the barrier's perimeter and any collar positions on the plans.
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.
