Inner West · AS 3660.1
From the GreenWay corridor to the Cooks River shore and the shops on Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill's postcode 2203 infill sites are covered by an AS 3660.1 termite barrier.
Quick answer
Dulwich Hill new builds, including townhouses, duplex splits and knockdown rebuilds, need a termite management system, since the Inner West falls within a termite-prone part of Sydney regulated by the National Construction Code. The barrier, collars included, goes in before the concrete pour, and your certifier is given an installation certificate together with a durable notice for the meter box, both required before the Occupation Certificate.
Termite barriers in Dulwich Hill
Dulwich Hill is an Inner West Council suburb about 7.7 km south-west of the CBD in postcode 2203, stretching south to the shore of the Cooks River. More than half its dwellings are flats and apartments in older medium-density blocks, with the rest mostly Federation and interwar houses, and the Inner West Light Rail has terminated here since 2014, running along an old freight corridor with the GreenWay path beside it. Dulwich Hill station on the Bankstown line closed in September 2024 for conversion to Sydney Metro, and shops cluster along Marrickville Road and near the station on Wardell Road. With little vacant land left, the work here is knockdown rebuilds, duplex splits and boutique infill townhouses, each needing a termite management system before the slab is poured.
Two things run through Dulwich Hill that shape the ground: the Cooks River shore to the south and the green corridor formed by the light rail and the GreenWay path. Both keep pockets of vegetation and damp soil threaded through streets that are otherwise tightly built up, and older Federation and interwar houses close to either corridor often have sub-floors and garden beds that have held moisture for decades. On a knockdown rebuild here we routinely find old timber, stumps or garden edging left behind by the previous house, material that can support activity under a new slab if it is not cleared and the soil properly treated before the barrier goes in.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things about Dulwich Hill's mix of river, rail corridor and older housing shape how we plan a termite barrier.
Dulwich Hill runs south to the Cooks River, and blocks closer to the shore sit on ground that holds moisture longer than the rest of the suburb. New slabs and duplex splits near the river get a full perimeter, with attention to drainage so water is not directed back toward the barrier.
The old freight line now carrying the Inner West Light Rail, with the GreenWay path running beside it, threads a strip of established planting through the suburb. Infill sites backing onto that corridor get the same close perimeter attention as those nearer the river.
A lot of Dulwich Hill's older Federation and interwar houses have timber sub-floors and decades of garden growth, and a knockdown rebuild on one of these blocks often turns up old stumps or buried timber. We check the site and treat the soil before the new slab goes down, not just the slab edge itself.
What we install here
Dulwich Hill work is mostly knockdown rebuilds on the suburb's older Federation and interwar house blocks, duplex splits, boutique infill townhouses and the occasional apartment refurbishment near Marrickville Road. Waffle pod and raft slabs are standard, with suspended sections used on blocks closer to the river or the light rail corridor where site levels vary. A single quote from the plans covers the whole job, with no surprises added later, and we work in around your builder's or plumber's schedule, since getting equipment down Dulwich Hill's older, tightly built streets can take as much planning as the barrier work itself.
Local knowledge
Laxton Reserve, about 0.1 km from the centre, and the Dulwich Grove light rail stop, close by, sit within the green corridor formed by the old freight line and the GreenWay path, and infill sites near either get closer attention to the perimeter. Sawyer Reserve, about 1.2 km away, and the Cooks River shore to the south mark the other pockets of damp, established ground in the suburb. Shops along Marrickville Road and Wardell Road anchor the busier, more built-up sections, where access rather than moisture tends to shape the job.
Inner West Council certifies Dulwich Hill builds. Their process for the Occupation Certificate needs a durable notice fitted inside the meter box and an installation certificate that lists the products, the areas treated and the licensed installer's details. On rebuild and duplex split sites we also log how the new system connects to whatever was found on the block during demolition, giving the certifier a complete file for a suburb where knockdown work is common.
Dulwich Hill at a glance
| Suburb | Dulwich Hill, NSW 2203 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 7.7 km south-west |
| Certifying council | Inner West 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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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.
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Dulwich Hill questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Yes. Each duplex half is its own dwelling for barrier purposes, sized and priced to that half's own footprint rather than shared across the pair, and each ends up with its own durable notice and certificate once complete. We plan the shared wall and any common footings carefully so neither half is left with a gap where the two sections meet.
We install the same core system either way, but blocks nearer the river tend to sit on more persistently damp ground, so we usually recommend chemical and physical protection running continuously around the perimeter, rather than only part of it. We also check site drainage on these blocks, since water pooling against the barrier line undermines its effectiveness over time.
It happens often enough on the suburb's older Federation and interwar blocks. Leftover timber left in the ground can give activity somewhere to sit right under the new footprint, so it gets cleared and the soil treated as standard practice, not an afterthought. We check for it during the site assessment, so it is priced in from the start rather than sprung on you once demolition is done.
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.
