Upper North Shore · AS 3660.1
Collars and perimeter protection fitted before the pour across Hornsby, from apartment towers near the rail junction to Federation knockdowns edging the bushland toward Hornsby Quarry.
Quick answer
New building work in Hornsby needs a termite management system, because Hornsby Shire falls squarely within the NCC's termite-prone mapping. That covers an apartment tower near the station just as much as a knockdown rebuild on an older house block, with AS 3660.1 as the standard and every penetration collared before the concrete goes in. Approval to occupy waits on a meter box notice and a signed installation record.
Termite barriers in Hornsby
Hornsby is the main centre of Hornsby Shire, built around the junction of the North Shore and Northern rail lines, with Westfield Hornsby anchoring a busy retail precinct near the Florence Street mall. Newer apartment towers have gone up close to the rail corridor, while the surrounding low and medium density streets include Federation and Arts and Crafts homes from the early 1900s. On the western side, the suburb gives way to bushland, the heritage-listed Hornsby Quarry and parkland. New construction spans both worlds: apartment slabs near the centre and knockdown rebuilds on the older residential streets, and every one of them needs a certified termite management system before occupation is approved.
That split between dense centre and leafy bushland edge changes what a barrier has to deal with. Apartment sites near the station are single large footprints with many service penetrations to collar in one visit, while rebuilds on the older Federation blocks toward the west carry decades of garden growth and sit closer to the bushland around Hornsby Quarry, where established termite colonies in fallen timber can forage toward a new slab. Getting the barrier right on either type of site means understanding which part of Hornsby the build actually sits in before the plans are even finalised.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Upper North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Upper North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three things about Hornsby's mix of centre and bushland edge shape how a barrier gets planned here.
New towers close to Hornsby station and Westfield Hornsby are large single-footprint builds with dozens of penetrations. A thorough collar count and close coordination with the plumbing trades matter more here than perimeter detailing alone.
The suburb's western edge gives way to bushland and the heritage-listed quarry precinct, where established termite colonies live in fallen timber and leaf litter. A rebuild bordering that bush gets a more thorough physical perimeter than an infill site nearer the town centre.
Early 1900s Federation and Arts and Crafts homes sit on gardens that have matured for well over a century in some cases. A knockdown rebuild clears the house but not the accumulated garden material, so soil treatment matters as much as the edge detail.
What we install here
We work on apartment and unit block slabs near the Hornsby station precinct and knockdown rebuilds on the surrounding Federation streets. Waffle pod and raft slabs suit the house blocks, with larger reinforced slabs typical on apartment sites. Collars are fitted as soon as the plumber's rough-in is finished, our visit is booked around your builder's own timetable, and the whole job runs on a single fixed quote through to the paperwork your certifier needs.
Local knowledge
Our Hornsby work spans the dense centre around Hornsby station, Westfield Hornsby and Cenotaph Park, out to the quieter streets bordering the bushland near Collingridge Reserve and Hornsby Quarry. Apartment sites close to the station are planned around a full collar count for the slab, while rebuilds nearer the bushland edge get the fullest perimeter detailing, given the established termite colonies known to be active in that bushland.
Hornsby Shire certifies building work across the suburb, and its certifiers expect two things on file before an Occupation Certificate is released: a durable notice mounted inside the meter box, and a written record naming the products used, the areas covered and who installed them. We hand both across as soon as our work is finished, along with maintenance guidance suited to the building type and where it sits in the suburb.
Hornsby at a glance
| Suburb | Hornsby, NSW 2077 |
|---|---|
| District | Upper North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 20.9 km north-west |
| Certifying council | Hornsby Shire |
| 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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Hornsby questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215The requirement is the same system built to AS 3660.1, but the scale is different. A large apartment slab has many more penetrations to collar in one pour, so we plan the visit around a thorough collar count and close coordination with the plumbing trades across the whole footprint rather than a smaller house-block perimeter.
Generally, yes. Properties backing onto that bushland edge face more colony pressure than sites closer to the town centre, so a fuller physical perimeter is usually the sensible recommendation there. Any point where the new slab meets sloping ground toward the reserve gets particular care in the design, since that is where a barrier is most easily bridged.
Get in touch as soon as your builder can name a rough date for the pour. Whether it's a house block or an apartment site, collars and any under-slab system have to go in once the plumbing rough-in is finished and before the concrete arrives, so that gap is what our schedule works around.
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.
