Upper North Shore · AS 3660.1
A termite system built around your builder's program in Turramurra, whatever the block looks like, from a Federation rebuild near the station to a new home backing straight onto Sheldon Forest.
Quick answer
Yes. Turramurra's new builds need a termite management system installed before the Occupation Certificate is granted, since the suburb sits within a termite-prone part of Ku-ring-gai. That system has to meet AS 3660.1, a standard the NCC mandates locally, and the collar and under-slab work is completed before the concrete truck arrives.
Termite barriers in Turramurra
Turramurra sits in Ku-ring-gai Council, about 17 km north-west of the Sydney CBD in postcode 2074, at roughly 170 metres elevation with one of the wetter climates in Sydney. Federation-era houses from the 1890s through to the 1910s still dominate the streets, including heritage homes such as Ingleholme, and around two thirds of dwellings remain freestanding houses, with apartments clustered near Turramurra station. Most of our work here is knockdown rebuilds on established, well-treed blocks, plus the occasional multi-dwelling site near the Pacific Highway and Rohini Street shops, where a single slab can carry dozens of penetrations.
The regular rain that gives Turramurra its wet reputation keeps gardens and sub-floors damp for longer than in most Sydney suburbs, and that moisture is exactly what subterranean termites need to forage. Sheldon Forest, with its blue gum and turpentine high forest, sits within the suburb and holds established colonies in fallen timber and leaf litter. A rebuild block near that forest, or on a garden that has carried Federation-era plantings for a century, often has termite pressure well before the new slab is poured, so closing every gap at the edge and at each penetration is the only real defence.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Upper North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Upper North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape how we detail a barrier on a Turramurra block, and none of them are the same as a flatter, newer suburb.
Turramurra's higher rainfall and the blue gum high forest remnants at Sheldon Forest keep soil and sub-floors damper for longer than most of Sydney. That moisture is what subterranean termites forage through, so blocks near the forest or with mature tree cover get a full perimeter rather than a token strip.
Knockdown sites in Turramurra usually carry a century of garden beds, old stumps and buried timber offcuts around the original Federation house. That material can feed a colony long before the new slab goes down, so soil treatment and the under-slab system matter as much as the perimeter edge.
Townhouse and apartment sites near Turramurra station and Castle Towers-style precincts mean one slab with many penetrations for plumbing and services. Collar counts and staging around a tight construction program drive the price and the schedule on these jobs more than the soil conditions do.
What we install here
The bulk of our Turramurra work is knockdown rebuilds and new homes on subdivided blocks, with granny flats behind existing houses and the townhouse and apartment sites clustering near the station making up the rest. Waffle pod and raft slabs are the norm, though suspended floors on piers turn up where a block falls away toward bushland. Pricing is one written figure off your plans covering the whole job, staged so we're in and out before the plumber's rough-in is needed elsewhere.
Local knowledge
Much of our Turramurra work is within a short drive of Turramurra station and Turramurra Village Park, where rebuild blocks sit close to established Federation gardens. Duff Street Reserve, bushland that can carry termites, funnel-webs and possums onto neighbouring blocks, gets extra attention on rebuilds along its edge. Around Pymble Golf Club and the wider Sheldon Forest remnants, we look closely at fence lines and garden timber before pricing the perimeter for a new slab.
Ku-ring-gai Council is the certifying authority for Turramurra, and the Occupation Certificate won't issue until there is proof of a compliant termite system on file. That proof is a notice permanently mounted inside the meter box, plus an installation certificate that names the products, marks out the protected areas and identifies the installer. We put both together with the relevant data sheets and homeowner maintenance notes well before your final inspection.
Turramurra at a glance
| Suburb | Turramurra, NSW 2074 |
|---|---|
| District | Upper North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 16.8 km north-west |
| 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
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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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Turramurra questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215The earlier the better, ideally as soon as demolition is booked, since a lot of our Turramurra sites need trees and old plantings assessed before pricing is even possible. Once the slab date firms up we work backwards from it, fitting collars after the plumber's rough-in and closing off the perimeter the day before the pour, whatever that day turns out to be.
The system is still AS 3660.1, but how thoroughly we chase it changes. Forest-edge colonies don't stay put, so we spend longer checking retaining walls and any point where a garden bed meets the bush line, and most owners in that position ask for physical collars on top of the perimeter rather than relying on a chemical zone alone.
We do this often, since so much of the new development around the station is multi-dwelling rather than single homes. Each unit's penetrations get collared individually and priced by count, and where the certifier wants separate paperwork per dwelling rather than one certificate for the whole building, we prepare it that way from the start.
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.
