BAL (bushfire attack level)

Hi - new to this forum but wondering if anyone has experience with BAL. We got a $9000 rebate from stocklands (land owner) for a BAL rating of 29. Builders quotes have varied from $8000 to $30000 and we have no idea. Want to believe the lower quotes but don't want a nasty surpise either! Helen

Hi, I'd suggest $30k would be a fair way off the mark. We initially had a 29 aswell (since had it changed) and are now 12.5. When we were 29 our builder had quoted us around $12k.

Hi Skyzie - how did you get it from 29 down to 12.5?

bal29 for us, under 10k extra.

To get a downgrade you basically have to have an inaccurate report in the first place, or some means of increasing the distance to fire threat - eg; by way of 'managed land' on the fringes.

Ours dropped from 12.5 to LOW because scrub was removed after our land settled in the subsequent developments of our estate, so our property was no longer within 100m of a risk area. We had a new report done (costs about $400) when we applied for our building permit.

We were quoted $8k for BAL 19, once it was fully costed the price was $7152.

Don't forget it's generally not wasted money. It should fund elements that help fire resistance which is a good investment