Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 61Jan 24, 2014 9:37 pm just checking to see how your build/plans are going? We are days away from submitting our plans to council. We are also in the Sutherland Shire (loftus), according to the fire reports the western and northern sides of our house are BAL FZ and the southern and eastern sides are BAL 40. Whilst our builder has quoted on the entire reno, we do not have a breakdown on line items as yet. The rear of the house (west side) will have stacker or sliding doors onto the deck and first floor bedroom has large windows opening (they will be secured by glass balustrades). Appreciate any tips on windows/doors/coverings/decks cheers Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 62Mar 26, 2014 3:56 pm Good afternoon all, I own a a quarter acre block of land (South East of Melbourne) which neighbours Crown Land (managed by Parks Victoria). My land, although kept in a Fire Ready State (as required by my local Council) has been given a 'Flame Zone' BAL Rating because of the extreme surface, extreme near surface and high elevated fuel loads on the Crown Land. Accordingly, I have been advised by a builder that I will never be issued a Building Permit because the CFA will not 'sign off' on any dwelling constructed in a Flame Zone thus rendering my block of land totally worthless. I have been advised by Parks Victoria that if I carry out any Fire Ready works along the boundary between my land and the Park I will be heavily prosecuted. Is there anybody out there in the same boat as me? Any information would be wonderful. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 63Mar 26, 2014 4:10 pm Hi Totally Screwed. I don't know who the CFA is, but they are the people to ask. Equivalent of our Rural Fire Service (in NSW) I'm guessing. I know the bushfire requirement vary b/n states, and NSW may be more lenient, but we are building in a Flame Zone (in NSW) and it's expensive but do-able. One estimate we had suggested allowing an extra $60,000 for BAL FZ requirements. Our bushfire consultant also said, it may sometimes be possible to get council to make an exception, if the development would otherwise be not possible. Of course, this would depend on the council. When I started, I rang many project homes and asked if they would build in a Flame Zone. At least half said "No". Maybe you need to talk to a few more different builders. Good luck Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 64Mar 26, 2014 4:25 pm Hi Kylie, thanks for your reply. CFA stands for Country Fire Authority. I have contacted my CFA Region Headquarters (Dandenong) by telephone and email (in February) and they have not yet responded. I feel that my questions are 'too hard' for them and they don't really know how to respond as we are talking about very new legislation. I believe it is harder to build in Victoria than New South Wales in a Flame Zone. I have spoken with various Planning Consultants in my area and they all say to contact the CFA. I will try the CFA again tomorrow. I thank you for taking the time to reply to my post - very much appreciated Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 65Apr 05, 2014 4:49 pm If you are having trouble with Bushfire Management Overlays in Victoria suggest you Google 'Bushfire Management Overlay Lobby Group Against Planning Restrictions' or go to Face Book "BMO victims" Prices for BAL windows 66Apr 08, 2014 3:57 pm I just got a quote for BAL rated windows, and while I was expecting quite a high price, I was still shocked. For BAL 40 4 medium sized windows, 1 small window and 1 glass sliding door, it was $20,649 For BAL 29 it was $20,311, this was through Miglas in Melbourne How does this compare to prices from other companies? I have sent out requests for quotes for Nilfire, Paahammer and Stegbar also. I have read some quotes above, but not sure exactly what they were quoting for. Are there any other companies that people can recommend? I am building a steel kit home in northern NSW, and one 2 bedroom kit home has quoted me around $25,000 including BAL 40 rated windows. I am worried that I am missing something here, as these numbers don't add up! Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 67Jul 07, 2014 12:23 pm Hi Keffufal, That does sound quite high, although you have probably already got this sorted by now, Stegbar were by far the cheapest for BAL 40 windows. We have ALOT of windows in our house and I think it is costing us around $60K for them all at BAL 40 and FZ. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 68Jul 07, 2014 12:55 pm I finally got back the quotes from the other companies and they were all around $5000 which was much more reasonable! Vision 3 Windows Sydney $4,488 Stegbar Ballina $5,305 Evolution Windows Sydney - refused quote as delivery to northern NSW too far Nilfire - more than $20,000 as only do BAL FZ Paarhammer - never got back to me despite several enquiries at my end I have decided to stick with the kit-home instead of trying to source windows myself, seems much easier Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 69Jul 07, 2014 1:37 pm Sounds good. Good luck with the build. Paarhammer windows are beautiful but VERY expensive. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 70Sep 18, 2014 7:46 pm Hi Totally Screwed, I'm surprised at the response from Parks Victoria. I've worked/work with national parks in Qld and NSW and wherever protected estate was adjacent to freehold land or infrastructure (boundary fence) we always tried where practical to have mitigation in place. Obviously not every protected estate boundary has access but a suburban block should be ok. Mitigation included mechanically reducing the fuel by slashing or mulching, constructing double breaks and conducting fuel reduction burns between the two breaks or even increasing the burn regime to burn more frequently. QLD even has a fire department separate from National Parks, Fire and Rescue and local councils that is responsible for burning QLD government land parcels (undeveloped state land, road reserves etc) all over the state. The simple act of installing a colorbond fence on your boundary and then contacting the local parks office about the risk to your infrastructure should get things going. It just seems contrary to my experience that a land management agency would take such a relaxed view to the high fuel load on a park/urban interface. Good luck. Just remember the local parks staff would probably be wanting to be a lot more proactive on a lot of fronts than they are given the opportunity to. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 71Jun 18, 2015 1:53 pm Hi there, I'm new to all of this, but finding I have to very quickly become an expert! We bought a block that had a BAL 29 where we were to build, and designed a house to suit (long & narrow, down the side of the block furthest away from the bush), but after lodging the DA with Council last December, the RFS (NSW) has changed it's mind about the original subdivision assessment, both for the type of vegetation, and the where the line of vegetation is located. They have now told us to try to get an APZ easement (Crown land) or the block with be assessed as Flame Zone! The funny thing is, the bush is actually natural wetlands! I would be grateful to hear how others have managed to negotiate down from flame zone, and whether they were successful in getting easements from the Crown, as well as any advice that people felt would be helpful for me right now. We have spoken to the RFS, to the Council, to our Bush Fire Consultant, and we haven't found a way forward at this point. Thanks for your help. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 72Jul 04, 2015 7:34 pm There seems to be an inconsistency or logic in NSW too . We paid an expensive consultant to have a fire report done, he concluded we were only flame zone on one side. But the RFS only approved our DA with the entire house classed as flame zone, totally ignoring the expert's report. We have tried to get this revisited, but the RFS are standing their ground, and council says RFS have final say. What avenues of appeal are there? Anyone been through this? Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 73Aug 26, 2015 10:43 am Hi. There are still currently minor differences between NSW and the rest of Australia. The RFS fast facts and DA Conditions currently (buy not for long) allow BAL40 roller shutters over a BAL40 window. Exact wording from NSW below: "I have also been advised of a change in the conditions of consent for BAL-FZ development applications where the previous requirement to not require a bushfire shutter to comply with clause 3.7(e) and (f) has been amended such that all bushfire shutters will be required to meet clause 3.7 in its entirety." This current 'BAL40 roller shutters over a BAL40 window' solution save a small amount of money in product, but probably less than you will pay the bushfire consultant! The risk is that the 'BAL40 roller shutters over a BAL40 window' solution will melt out of the building at 680°c. If you look around at any bushfire damage pix on the web, it the house has failed, you will see NO WINDOW FRAMES. They are in a puddle on the ground. You will see plenty of steel lintels, water tanks, steel downpipes and gutters..... Aluminium is NOT an appropriate material in BALFZ. All other states require AS3959-2009 compliant products. Feel free to contact us for solutions in BALFZ, either fully tested stand alone windows, or shutter systems. We only supply products that are TESTED and COMPLIANT. http://www.sonnenschutz.com.au/bushfire ... -shutters/ Bryce. Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 74May 19, 2016 5:05 pm Hi Bryce, Thanks for the feedback. For most people, their main concern is building a house to comply, not one that would necessarily withstand bushfires. I'm taking that position myself, which is what I pay insurance for. All comes down to cost vs benefit/risk. I have had many quotes from most window and shutter companies across NSW and VIC, and by far the cheapest solution is definitely to build using a 6mm toughened glass in aluminum frame with a non combustible shutter which is currently allowable in my BAL FZ DA conditions. It's key to note that neither of these require testing, and will still be deemed to satisfy - meaning one can obtain quotes from any window/shutter company [translation = cheaper]. This was also backed/confirmed by my bushfire consultant. Shop around, as the price differences I've been quoted range in the 10's of thousands more expensive than necessary to comply to one quote which was well into 6 figures more! Hope this helps others on the Flame Zone journey. Simon Re: Anyone built in the FLAME ZONE??!! 75May 19, 2016 5:09 pm Happy retiree There seems to be an inconsistency or logic in NSW too . We paid an expensive consultant to have a fire report done, he concluded we were only flame zone on one side. But the RFS only approved our DA with the entire house classed as flame zone, totally ignoring the expert's report. We have tried to get this revisited, but the RFS are standing their ground, and council says RFS have final say. What avenues of appeal are there? Anyone been through this? Hello happy retirees! The final decision comes down to your certifier. If you haven't got one yet, look around for those who have dealt with bushfire prone areas before. While the RFS can provide their interpretation of the risk, the certifier is the one giving you the Occupational Certificate giving you the right to live there [and pass the required checks etc]. Hope that helps. Simon Hi All It has been a few weeks since my last update. The build has been progressing well. No major issues to report. The scaffolding was dropped today, gyprock will be… 96 356756 Hi , I'm currently going through this now within the Whitehorse council which has a similar set of restrictions. We're having to make compromises with our floor plan due… 3 30668 Yes it had a house on it. But Melbourne water only wanted something the original size of the existing house. We managed to fit a 45sq house on. 10 33655 |