Lower North Shore · AS 3660.1
Perimeter and under-slab termite barriers installed to AS 3660.1 for McMahons Point rebuilds and apartment stages on the harbour peninsula between Berrys Bay and Lavender Bay.
Quick answer
Yes, a rebuild or new apartment building on McMahons Point needs a termite management system, since the peninsula sits in a termite-prone part of North Sydney Council with harbour moisture on both sides. The system is installed to AS 3660.1, with collars and under-slab work completed before the pour, and the durable notice plus installation certificate supplied to your certifier before the Occupation Certificate.
Termite barriers in McMahons Point
McMahons Point is a small harbour peninsula between Berrys Bay and Lavender Bay, about 3 km north of the CBD and part of North Sydney Council. It began as a working-class area and has changed markedly since the late 1950s, when apartment towers such as Blues Point Tower arrived beside older heritage houses, and Blues Point Road runs down the spine of the peninsula, with cafes and small businesses at its northern end and a ferry wharf at the water. Our work here splits between older house rebuilds and apartment podium stages, two very different kinds of termite work on the same small peninsula.
Older houses and attached dwellings can have ageing sub-floors, shared walls and damp lower levels close to the harbour, all of which suit subterranean termites as much as any other timber pest, while apartment blocks bring a different demand, a single slab with many penetrations rather than a house-sized perimeter. Harbour moisture keeps ground and sub-floor conditions damper here than an inland North Sydney block, so a barrier on McMahons Point has to account for that dampness whichever type of building it is protecting. That is how we keep quotes accurate on the ground.
Reviewed by Ismail, founder · Lower North Shore coverage · Updated September 2026 · More Lower North Shore suburbs
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Local conditions
Three conditions shape a McMahons Point barrier, and they depend heavily on which kind of building you are protecting.
Being almost surrounded by Berrys Bay and Lavender Bay keeps ground and sub-floor conditions on McMahons Point damper than an inland North Sydney block. Subterranean termites favour that moisture as much as any coastal pest does.
Houses and attached dwellings on the peninsula can have ageing sub-floors and shared walls that carry termite activity for years before it is noticed. We inspect the existing structure closely on any rebuild here. We look at the whole site, not just the slab.
Apartment sites near Blues Point Road and the ferry wharf typically carry a single large slab with dozens of plumbing and service penetrations. We plan the collar count from the drawings before the pour, not on the day.
What we install here
We work on McMahons Point house rebuilds and renovations, and apartment or mixed-use podium slabs near Blues Point Road and the wharf. We install under-slab membrane, collars and a physical or chemical perimeter suited to harbour-adjacent ground, with particular attention to sub-floor ventilation on older houses and collar counts on multi-dwelling sites. One fixed quote from your plans covers every stage. We keep the paperwork simple and ready for your certifier.
Local knowledge
Our McMahons Point work sits close to Mary French Reserve, where garden beds and leaf litter shelter pests near several homes, and along the foreshore near Quarantine Boat Depot Beach, where harbour moisture keeps sub-floors and lower-level storage humid. Around Greenwood Plaza and the ferry wharf, our work shifts toward apartment and mixed-use podiums with a higher collar count. It keeps the whole install properly documented.
McMahons Point is certified through North Sydney Council, which requires the standard termite documentation before issuing the Occupation Certificate: a durable notice is fitted to the meter box, and an installation certificate confirms the installer's licence, which areas are protected and what products went in. We supply both, with maintenance advice suited to a harbourside property, as soon as the work is done.
McMahons Point at a glance
| Suburb | McMahons Point, NSW 2060 |
|---|---|
| District | Lower North Shore |
| Distance from Sydney CBD | 2.7 km north |
| Certifying council | North Sydney 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.
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McMahons Point questions
Still unsure? Call and talk it through with a licensed technician.
+61 450 515 215It affects sub-floor ventilation and drainage detailing more than the products themselves. Being close to Berrys Bay and Lavender Bay keeps ground damper than further inland, so we pay particular attention to ventilation alongside the standard collars, membrane and perimeter. We keep a copy of every certificate on file for later.
Ageing sub-floors and shared walls on older McMahons Point houses can already carry termite activity, so we inspect the existing structure closely during the quote. Expect the standard collars, under-slab work and perimeter installed to AS 3660.1, sized to what we find. That keeps the whole process simple for you and your builder.
The standard is the same, but the scale is different. We take the collar count from the plumbing and service drawings before the pour, since a podium slab near the wharf usually carries far more penetrations than a single house. It also keeps your certifier's paperwork straightforward and complete. We are glad to answer further questions once we are on site.
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 Lower 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.
