Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 24, 2015 5:42 am Hello all i purchased a cheap block of land 6 mths ago only to find out once getting tenders from spec builder that the bush on the boundary puts half of my land in Flame Zone!!! Most spec builders will not touch it now Beechwood is the only one that has completed a tender for me with a huge $45k roof as part of the Flame Zone requirements. Any advice out their or any know builders ??? TIA Re: flame zone build nsw 2Aug 24, 2015 6:15 am cindyg7 Hello all i purchased a cheap block of land 6 mths ago only to find out once getting tenders from spec builder that the bush on the boundary puts half of my land in Flame Zone!!! Most spec builders will not touch it now Beechwood is the only one that has completed a tender for me with a huge $45k roof as part of the Flame Zone requirements. Any advice out their or any know builders ??? TIA Hi Cindyg7, Where is your land? We were originally classified as FZ but worked with RFS and council to modify the house and move it's position on the land to reduce to BAL 40 which made a huge difference to the cost of complying. We have gone with a custom builder (in NSW) as they are more flexible than some of the big names- and the cost was comparable with the tenders we received from other builders. We've been really happy with the builder (who have no FZ or BAL 40 experience). Our main issue has been a 20 month delay as we sorted out the BAL hassles, but it has been worth it. Our slab goes down tomorrow (weather permitting). 11/11/13- dep paid 4/4/14- settlement Feb '15- DA app 6/8/15- CC site works begin 19/8/15- Formwork 25/8/15- slab 3/9/15- elect. appt 13/10/15 - frame started 19/10- bricks started 31/10 - roof done Re: flame zone build nsw 3Aug 24, 2015 6:53 am Ok that seems well work a shot to work on somthing my problem is getting the 20m distance from the bush it is rite on the boundary fence then the length of the block is 30 m its causing me huge head aches I firmly believe agents should be made to declare the bal level. Did you get a bal assesment done professionally or do your own? Thanks for your help and well done on your work thus far Re: flame zone build nsw 5Aug 24, 2015 5:37 pm cindyg7 Ok that seems well work a shot to work on somthing my problem is getting the 20m distance from the bush it is rite on the boundary fence then the length of the block is 30 m its causing me huge head aches I firmly believe agents should be made to declare the bal level. Did you get a bal assesment done professionally or do your own? Thanks for your help and well done on your work thus far We initially did a self assessment prior to purchasing land which came out BAL 40 on three sides and 29 on the front and so went ahead with purchase based on that. It was stated in our contract that we were in bush fire affected area. Council requested a professional assessment be submitted with DA which came back FZ. By making the changes I talked about we were able to reduce it back to our original self assessment rating of 40 and 29. We were lucky to have room to move though as it's 1/2 acre block. We did have to apply for special consideration from council to reduce required setback from the road to 6.5metres which they approved. It's been a long, hard and very stressful path. I certainly make sure anyone I speak to who is purchasing land knows about BAL - many estate agents don't mention it that's for sure. 11/11/13- dep paid 4/4/14- settlement Feb '15- DA app 6/8/15- CC site works begin 19/8/15- Formwork 25/8/15- slab 3/9/15- elect. appt 13/10/15 - frame started 19/10- bricks started 31/10 - roof done Re: flame zone build nsw 6Aug 24, 2015 6:21 pm Yes i certainly understand the stress part my block is 674 sqm so its not small I actually really liked the bush when i bought it now I hate it. Yes i have thought of the set back some properties in same street as me are 3 mtr set back so that gives me some space Re: flame zone build nsw 8Aug 24, 2015 9:43 pm cindyg7 Where abouts are you building? We are building on the Hawkesbury River in NSW. This is the view from our block down to the river. We have river access but it's very steep and needs lots of work before I'll brave the trek all the way down. Our slab is scheduled for tomorrow but with rain predicted I doubt it will go ahead. What's a day though when we've waited 20 months:) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 11/11/13- dep paid 4/4/14- settlement Feb '15- DA app 6/8/15- CC site works begin 19/8/15- Formwork 25/8/15- slab 3/9/15- elect. appt 13/10/15 - frame started 19/10- bricks started 31/10 - roof done Re: flame zone build nsw 10Oct 17, 2015 11:10 pm I bought my land in the Blue Mountains before BAL ratings and now I've been told it's Flame Zone. So, I designed a small 85sqm, 2 bed, 1 bath home. Assessor said FZ on all sides except front (BAL 40). Plans have been passed by council but carport is listed as FZ (even though it's on the BAL 40 side!?). Quote for building - $300k + (maybe down to $270k if I pay some trades direct). So, I decided I'd sell the block and invest a bit more money to get a block nearby that is guaranteed BAL 12. Investigated it and found that the BAL 12 rating only applies when all blocks in the new subdivision are cleared to residential standards. So, if you're the first to build the RFS will assess it with current vegetation and it will be FZ and council will not sign off on it as BAL 12. I'm back to looking for a low BAL block or somehow getting mine downgraded to BAL 40. This whole thing makes me so angry because I wouldn't have bothered spending $8000+ that I have so far to build and wasted 10 months of my time if the builder and building designer hadn't given me an original guesstimate in the low $200k range. Re: flame zone build nsw 11Oct 18, 2015 7:30 am Rhaine- you wouldn't happen to have a block in Blackheath would you? I've been through pretty much the same experience with fz. We had a block which was rated fz also. Went with a builder who refused to reveal our bal costs before paying our 5%. Then surprise surprise bal costs came back at $130000. We sold our block and bought a block in a council owned subdivision that came with a fire report stating bal 29. Of course council then tried to have have it made fz when we put in a DA. We had to wait until the second phase of the subdivision registered 6 mths later before they'd approve our DA. This cost us 12000 because we went over contract. Unfortunately building in the BM you can't avoid bal and you can't avoid bmcc. Re: flame zone build nsw 12Feb 16, 2016 9:40 pm I had them same thing, Cant you clear some of the land? 100m would give you a LOW BAL rating in Perth. i used Http://www.balrating.com.au maybe they can give some advice ? ask for Steve i found him helpful Hi All It has been a few weeks since my last update. The build has been progressing well. No major issues to report. 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