Inner West · AS 3660.1
Collars, membrane and perimeter barriers staged around your build program across Five Dock 2046, from Federation bungalow rebuilds to apartment sites planned near the future Metro West station.
Quick answer
Five Dock sits in a termite-prone stretch of Sydney's Inner West, so a new home or apartment building must have a termite management system that meets the NCC. AS 3660.1 sets out how the work is carried out, with collars and under-slab elements finished before the pour. Before the Occupation Certificate is issued, we supply your certifier with the durable notice and the installation certificate.
Termite barriers in Five Dock
Five Dock is a City of Canada Bay suburb about 7.4 km west of the Sydney CBD, in postcode 2046, reaching the water along the Bay Run. Its retail strip on Great North Road is known for Italian delis, cafes and restaurants, reflecting a strong local Italian community, and housing is mainly detached Federation and California bungalow homes with established gardens. Recent decades have added more apartment buildings, and a Sydney Metro West station planned for the suburb is expected to bring further apartment and townhouse construction around the town centre alongside the steady run of knockdown rebuilds on older bungalow blocks.
That combination of old bungalow gardens and new apartment building shapes how we approach a barrier here. Established backyards on older Five Dock blocks often hold decades of garden beds, fruit trees and buried timber that can feed termite activity long before a new slab is poured, so proper soil treatment carries as much weight as the physical barrier itself on a rebuild. Newer apartment buildings bring basement car parks and shared service risers, where a barrier has to account for many penetrations across one slab. Activity can also move when construction or renovation work disturbs old soil and demolished buildings, which is common on a Five Dock knockdown site.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Inner West coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Inner West suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things shape how we plan a termite barrier for a Five Dock build, from old bungalow gardens to new apartment growth.
Federation and California bungalow blocks in Five Dock often carry decades of garden beds, fruit trees and buried timber offcuts. On a knockdown rebuild, clearing that material and treating the soil properly is essential before the new slab and barrier go in.
Apartment buildings going up around the town centre and the planned Metro West station bring basement car parks and service risers shared by many units on one slab. We map collar positions and inspection access straight from the drawings before pricing the job.
Demolishing an older bungalow can disturb soil and timber that has sat undisturbed for decades, sometimes pushing existing activity toward neighbouring structures during the build. We assess disturbed ground carefully before installing the barrier on these sites.
What we install here
We install termite barriers for Five Dock knockdown rebuilds, duplex and townhouse sites, granny flats behind established homes, and the newer apartment buildings going up near the town centre and the planned Metro West precinct. Waffle pod and raft slabs suit most house sites, while apartment builds typically need a larger perimeter run and more service penetrations. Pricing is a single fixed figure set from the plans, and attendance is coordinated with your site supervisor so a Five Dock build program keeps moving.
Local knowledge
The Bay Run and Timbrell Park mark Five Dock's water edge, where several newer apartment sites have gone up in recent years. Great North Road's retail strip is the commercial heart of the suburb and a common reference point for jobs on the surrounding bungalow streets. Fred Kelly Reserve, Five Dock Leisure Centre and Massey Park Golf Course are useful markers further from the water, closer to where knockdown rebuilds on established residential blocks are more common than apartment construction.
The City of Canada Bay certifies Five Dock building work, and its requirements apply equally to a bungalow rebuild and a new apartment building. A durable notice, recording the termite management system, is kept inside the meter box, and an installation certificate spells out the products, the areas they cover and who fitted them. We put both together, with product data sheets and inspection advice, before the Occupation Certificate is issued.
Five Dock at a glance
| Suburb | Five Dock, NSW 2046 |
|---|---|
| District | Inner West |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 7.4 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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Five Dock questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215Often yes, in the soil preparation stage. Established bungalow gardens can hold decades of buried timber and root systems that feed termite activity before a new slab is even poured, so we check for that material and treat the soil properly as part of the job, not just install the physical barrier on top of it.
The NCC requirement does not change, but the job itself is bigger. Apartment slabs usually carry a basement car park and shared service risers with far more penetrations than a house, so we work through the full set of plans first to size the collar count and plan inspection access, instead of using the same fixed price as a standard house.
Timing follows the demolition schedule. Once a knockdown date and a rough pour date are locked in, we plan our visit so collars and any under-slab work are complete ahead of the concrete truck. Early notice also gives us time to assess and treat any soil disturbed during the demolition before the new slab goes down.
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.
