Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 22, 2014 12:48 pm Hi We're about to start building in Faulconbridge on a beautiful mountain bush block, which of course means build needs to consider slope, rocks and high BAL ratings. Has anyone got any tips on questions to ask, things to look out for or cost effective designs etc for a 4 bedroom place? Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 2Jun 22, 2014 1:45 pm I would contact the RFS for advice regarding this. We built in Faulconbridge many many years ago before the BAL requirements came in. If we had built now on that block we would have been the same. We did clear a lot of our block back then and there are new requirements about clearing bush near your home in those zones. Of course you would be looking at sprinker systems etc in your roof line plus upgraded glass, doors etc but I think it would be worth it.... do you have any pics of your block? Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 3Jun 22, 2014 2:09 pm There is some general advice about building in the Flame Zone here http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2014/05/bus ... lame-zone/ but you will need to research the local requirements which are different in every state and can change from council to council. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 4Jun 22, 2014 5:36 pm Australian Standard AS 3959-2009 "Construction of Buildings in Bushfire prone Areas" is the bible. This is a National standard that applies throughout Australia. In addition there are state regulations (Minister's Specifications) that apply additional requirements to buildings in bushfire prone areas in their respective states. These state regulations are usually a free download. Typically the local Fire Authority is the enforcing agent of BAL requirements (not the local council). The local fire Authority can also apply their own (more stringent requirements). I doubt that any Project home could comply with FZ or possibly Bal 40 requirements. You may need to go to a building designer who is familiar with AS 3959-2009 to design & detail your house. Your local council will then forward your plans to the Fire Authority for their approval or comments. Any comments will need to be incorporated in the final approved design. It may be prudent to wait for this approval (particularly if you are in BAL FZ) before signing up with a builder. The first step would be to get a formal BAL assessment done through the local Fire Authority so your building designer knows which classification applies to your site, and he can then detail the house plans accordingly. Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 5Jun 22, 2014 8:08 pm Thank you for your advice, much appreciated. I am learning re project home builders - had one suggest today that I should try getting site down to 12.5 and then come back and see them! Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 6Jun 22, 2014 8:30 pm Quote: had one suggest today that I should try getting site down to 12.5 and then come back and see them! You typically cannot reduce your BAL rating. The BAL assessment takes into account the surrounding properties in addition to your own. It also takes into account the likely direction of a bushfire & whether your building is on an up slope or down slope. Only if you have a very large property (100s of acres) you might have enough flexibility in site selection to reduce your BAL by one notch. Once your BAL rating has been determined, this will dictate the vegetation clearance zones around your house as well as the method of construction and required fire fighting equipment. It is very difficult to satisfy BAL FZ as most standard building details do not comply & most tradies do not know how to build to FZ. Very close onsite supervision would be required to get it right first time. Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 7Jun 22, 2014 8:56 pm 1st Mountain Home Hi We're about to start building in Faulconbridge on a beautiful mountain bush block, which of course means build needs to consider slope, rocks and high BAL ratings. Has anyone got any tips on questions to ask, things to look out for or cost effective designs etc for a 4 bedroom place? I've built 4 properties in BAL areas, three were BAL-40, on the edge of FZ. My tips to you are to conduct a self-assessment. This isn't rocket science and depending on your local council, a self-assessment is all that's required to satisfy CDC (for up to and including BAL-29) and DA (for BAL-40 and BAL-FZ). You can see the self-assessment form as well as classification guides here: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/file_system/attachments/State08/Attachment_20110302_955AF6B3.pdf Don't listen to every tom, d!ck and harry that say you have to pay $400 (private) or $600 (builder) for a report. Provide enough evidence in your own report and you should be fine. You can measure distances more accurately from aerial photography through the LPI's https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/ You certainly don't need 'hundreds of acres' to avoid a high BAL-rating. All that's required to lower your rating is an increased setback from the threat. For a FDI (Fire Danger Index) 100 area (which Blue Mountains is), with the threat being a Forest (the highest risk) and with a flat or upwards slope, turning a BAL-FZ into a tame and cheap BAL-29 is a mere 6 metres extra setback. That's hardly unattainable given the myriad of building options and reasonably sized rural block. Also, when building, educate (if needed) your builder on the term 'shielding' with regards to BAL ratings. Basically, the unexposed sides of your dwelling are classified as a lower BAL rating so long as there are no additional fuel sources facing them. This will reduce BAL related expenses. One last tip, an aluminium door is much cheaper than a hinged door in BAL areas. Hinged doors require additional fire-resistant timbers (door, jamb, frame) as well as weather shields and corrosion resistant screening. An aluminium sliding door needs none of these due to inherent sealing and heat-resistant properties. I've saved $1500 by turning a simple laundry door into a sliding door. Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 8Jun 28, 2014 11:20 am Thank you Adam. Good to hear from someone who has built in the area. Re: Any advice on building in Blue Mountains with BAL FZ & 4 9Jul 07, 2014 1:42 pm We are about to build FZ/Bal 40 in Vic. Good luck with it all. 3 4160 Iām just in the process of replacing 2 stud walls that have been severely damaged by termites and am planning to use h2 blue pine. I just wanted to if anyone can advise… 0 52856 |