What is a bushfire-resilient home?

If you live in a beautiful part of Queensland that is surrounded by bushland, you will no doubt want to know your home has been built to withstand bushfires.

Bushfires are increasingly frequent and destructive, putting communities at risk every year, they are often unpredictable and a destructive force of nature, yet with the right preparation they can be managed to some degree. If you do live in an at-risk area it is important to know what makes a home bushfire resilient, including any other steps you need to take for personal protection as well as your property.

A bushfire-resilient home is one that has been designed, constructed, and maintained, with the goal of reducing its vulnerability to damage or destruction by a bushfire. Fire-resilient houses are constructed with building materials that are non-combustible. One such material is rammed earth, which is composed of natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel making it a perfect choice for the construction of foundations, floors, and walls, and corrugated metal is used in the roof and for all cladding.

Benefits of building a fire-resilient home

When you live in an area that is susceptible to bushfires you will need peace of mind that your property has been designed to protect from devastating wildfires, reducing Insurance premiums, and maintenance costs so you can breathe easy knowing your family and property family will be safe during natural disasters.

Steps to take to ensure your home is protected from a bushfire

Investing in protective building materials provides an extra layer of security against potential fire damage to help ensure that homes remain standing in a time of need. But, it is not just the house that needs to be bushfire resilient, you will also need to undertake a few simple maintenance tasks such as getting rid of flammable materials near your home, keeping gutters clean, and maintaining vegetation around your house. With these steps in place, you can feel confident you have made informed measures to protect your home and property.

Building designs and ideas for bushfire protection

Building or retrofitting with fire resilience in mind is essential to guard against these natural disasters. There are a few different residential types, systems of construction, and materials to reduce bushfire attack vulnerabilities. The below house design provide these fire safeguard strategies:

#1: Typical new two-story slab on the ground house

This house is a typical suburban two-story house, with a slab on the ground floor and a carport and back yard terrace.

Use a non-combustible envelope to protect the occupied space from bushfire attack
Install external metal mesh on all openable windows to protect against ember entry
Non - combustible framing and cladding eg steel with metal roof sheet
Solid walls - eg masonry to prevent ember based ignition
Walls and doors adjacent to carports should be fire rated to protect from consequential fires

#2: Building a new raised house on a sloped site

Houses on slopes are often partially or completely raised off the ground, and as such require care when it comes to protecting the floor structure. This design outlines principles that can be used to design raised houses.

Non-combustible balustrades, decking boards, and deck support structure
Open carriage (stingers underneath treads) stair designs are recommended as they do not have re-entrant corners
Simple roof design with noncombustible framing
Protect window systems from ignition, breakages, and collapse. Choose materials and designs according to your exposure level
Fully enclosed subfloor space lining the house, protects the subfloor structure by preventing embers from entering under the floor
If the site and brief allow for it, slab on ground construction relieves and potential for subfloor exposure
Use simple building footprints the avoid re-entrant corners where debris tends to accumulate and burn

#3: Retrofitting an existing Queenslander house

Typical Queenslander houses will likely have combustible timber framing, timber doors, timber window frames, and timber cladding.

Protect the roof system from igniting by replacing fascia and soffit with non-combustible lining
Install external metal mesh on all openable windows to protect against ember entry
Replace any combustible cladding eg timber weatherboards with non-combustible cladding
Consider having at least one exit route that does not involve either a carport or combustible deck or stairs
Check existing roof ventilation for small gaps and seal any that are larger than 2mm with non-combustible material
Timber-framed window hoods should be replaced with non-combustible framed alternatives
Upper and lower non-combustible cladding should overlap to prevent any gaps in wall and floor cavities
Any horizontal projection less than 18° requires non-combustible cladding 500mm above the horizontal projection
Use fire rated wall level 3 / 4 protection rated door separating the main house and carport to provide protection from burning cars

#4: Retrofitting an existing partly raised timber and slab-on-ground brick veneer house

This house highlights strategies used to retrofit an existing raised timber framed floor and tiles roof for bushfire protection.

Protect the roof system from igniting by replacing fascia and soffit with non-combustible lining
Protect existing raised floor according to your level of exposure
Do not store any combustible objects under the house
Protect window systems from ignition, breakages, and collapse. Choose materials and designs according to your exposure level
Install external metal mesh on all openable windows to protect against ember entry
Ensure all weep holes in the bricks are covered with a metal mesh protection against embers entering the wall cavity
Check existing tile roofs are tight filling, and seal any gaps that are larger than 2mm with non-combustible material

Landscape tips for bush fire protection

With a few simple maintenance tasks such as getting rid of flammable materials near your home, keeping gutters clean, and maintaining vegetation around your house, you can improve wildfire protection for yourself, your family, and even those living nearby.

Investing in protective building materials also provides an extra layer of security against potential fire damage to help ensure that homes remain standing in a time of need. This involves taking measures such as creating firebreaks around the property, using non-combustible building materials, maintaining vegetation within 30 metres of any buildings, and installing metal mesh or screens for windows and doors.

Planting fire-retardant trees in areas prone to bushfires not only enhances the landscape but when planted appropriately they can assist in safeguarding homes in the event of a bushfire. Using landscape principles aimed at eliminating bushfire hazards and reducing the intensity of bushfire attacks will give your peace of mind if the unexpected happens.

Call 07 5558 3812 now to learn how Symcorp can build the perfect bushfire-resilient home for you today.

Reference:
QLD Homes Bushfire Guidance

Builders & Renovations FAQs