Inner West · AS 3660.1
Collars, membrane and perimeter protection go into Drummoyne's river peninsula blocks in postcode 2047, from the Iron Cove Bridge to the shopping strip on Victoria Road.
Quick answer
Drummoyne new builds, from townhouses to apartment blocks to knockdown rebuilds, do need a termite management system, because the peninsula falls within termite-prone Sydney and the National Construction Code applies to every new dwelling. Collars go around each penetration before the concrete pour, and the certifier will want an installation certificate plus a meter-box durable notice on file before they sign the Occupation Certificate.
Termite barriers in Drummoyne
Drummoyne occupies a peninsula between Iron Cove and Five Dock Bay, surrounded on three sides by the Parramatta River, about 5.3 km west of the CBD in postcode 2047 and the administrative centre of the City of Canada Bay. Victoria Road runs the length of the suburb, with the Gladesville Bridge to the north and the Iron Cove Bridge to the east, and Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre anchors retail alongside a shopping strip along Victoria Road and Lyons Road. Housing ranges from older homes and waterfront properties to a large number of apartment buildings, and with little vacant land left, new work is mostly knockdown rebuilds, apartment redevelopment and boutique townhouse infill. All of it still triggers the same requirement, a compliant termite management system fitted before the concrete goes down.
Water on three sides is what shapes ground conditions across Drummoyne. Waterfront gardens and sloping blocks running down toward Iron Cove or Five Dock Bay stay damp well after rain, and foreshore areas along the Parramatta River Regional Park hold moisture close to the surface for long stretches. That dampness reaches into the soil under a new slab on riverside blocks, giving subterranean termites an easier path in from a neighbouring garden or the foreshore itself. Apartment buildings along the water and along Victoria Road often share basements and car parks, and a single new development can easily rack up dozens of pipe penetrations, every one of which has to be collared and logged on its own.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
Get my fixed quote
Local conditions
Three things about Drummoyne's peninsula setting change how a termite barrier gets planned and installed.
With Iron Cove, Five Dock Bay and the Parramatta River surrounding much of the suburb, waterfront and near-waterfront gardens stay damp for long stretches after rain. New slabs on these blocks get a full perimeter, with careful attention to drainage so water is not channelled along the barrier line.
Apartment buildings along the water and Victoria Road often share basements, car parks and service risers, so a single development can carry dozens of plumbing penetrations. Every one of those gets checked off against the plumber's rough-in plan before we sign off, because a missed collar on a large building is an expensive fix once the concrete has cured.
Drummoyne's older housing stock means a lot of our work is knockdown rebuilds on established blocks with decades of garden growth. Leftover stumps or buried timber from the previous structure are exactly the kind of food source that lets a colony establish itself before the new slab is even poured, so we check for it before quoting.
What we install here
Drummoyne work covers knockdown rebuilds on the suburb's established house blocks, apartment redevelopment near the water and along Victoria Road, and boutique townhouse infill where a larger block allows it. Waffle pod and raft slabs are common on level sites, while waterfront blocks running down toward Iron Cove or Five Dock Bay more often need suspended floors or piers. The job is costed once, upfront, straight from your plans, and we coordinate closely with the builder, given how many Drummoyne sites sit on busy roads or tight riverside access.
Local knowledge
Drummoyne Park, about 0.4 km from the suburb centre, adds garden beds and shaded ground to blocks nearby, while Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre, about 0.8 km away, anchors the retail side of the peninsula. Woolwich Baths Beach, about 2.0 km away across the river, and the Parramatta River Regional Park mark the wider waterway that wraps around three sides of Drummoyne. Blocks closest to the foreshore and the regional parkland get the fullest attention to perimeter and drainage, given how persistently damp riverside ground here tends to be.
The City of Canada Bay, headquartered in Drummoyne, handles certification here. Before the Occupation Certificate is signed, their certifiers want an installation certificate covering the products, the protected areas and the licensed installer, plus a durable notice fixed inside the meter box. On larger Drummoyne apartment developments we break the certificate down by building and penetration count, giving strata and building certifiers a clear record without back and forth.
Drummoyne at a glance
| Suburb | Drummoyne, NSW 2047 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 5.3 km west |
| Certifying council | Local 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
Drummoyne questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. Scale is the only real difference between an apartment block and a house when it comes to termite protection, since both need a compliant system installed before occupation is approved. Drummoyne developments typically bring far more penetrations through shared basements and service areas than a single house would, and every one is logged individually on the installation certificate handed to the certifier.
Blocks running down toward Iron Cove, Five Dock Bay or the Parramatta River tend to have more persistently damp ground, so we generally recommend both physical and chemical protection across the whole perimeter line, not a partial one. We also check that stormwater and site drainage direct water away from the barrier line, which matters more on a sloping riverside block.
No, a new slab needs its own termite management system regardless of what protection the previous house had, since demolition removes the old structure the system was built around. We check the site for leftover material from the old house first, then install collars and the perimeter fresh before the new concrete is poured.
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.
