Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Bushfire requirements 3Jun 10, 2009 10:54 am m&n this is really interesting? Who is your builder?? Trinity, is that Henley? We have no bushfire requirements and we are further north than you. We only just got our building permit and we haven't started. I wonder when the cut off was for whether it did or didn't effect the build? I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Bushfire requirements 4Jun 10, 2009 2:08 pm Willow04 I'm building in Wallan. My builder is currently running a report to determine whether we will need to meet any requirements. They too told me that it will be quite costly due to having to upgrade from fibreglass mesh flyscreens to aliminimum mesh, security doors will be a must...not sure what else, he wasn't very clear. Joles You're right about the builder. As Willow04 mentioned, I think this requirement came in in the last couple of months. I guess I'd like to be safe than sorry but obviously the extra cost will hurt my little heart haha. Building the Trinity - Waiting to sign contracts Re: Bushfire requirements 5Jun 10, 2009 2:23 pm m&n Willow04 I'm building in Wallan. My builder is currently running a report to determine whether we will need to meet any requirements. They too told me that it will be quite costly due to having to upgrade from fibreglass mesh flyscreens to aliminimum mesh, security doors will be a must...not sure what else, he wasn't very clear. Joles You're right about the builder. As Willow04 mentioned, I think this requirement came in in the last couple of months. I guess I'd like to be safe than sorry but obviously the extra cost will hurt my little heart haha. It really depends on what the fire rating is - but if they are talking aluminium mesh it's a small fire risk and the mesh would be about $20/screen extra. Say $100 for a door extra. That's on top of the screen of course. Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Bushfire requirements 6Jun 10, 2009 2:55 pm We are building in Deer Park & had an amount of $220 quoted for the Bushfire assessment in the tender. Re: Bushfire requirements 7Jun 10, 2009 3:07 pm I am building in the dandenong ranges and have to work out what bushfire rating I am - you are right has only been in the last couple of months since black saturday. I don't know how it works with volume builders - but I was told by the building commission that unless you are in an alpine area or more than a 20 degree slope, you can choose to work out your own rating, and so long as your building surveyor agrees with you, you should be able to avoid the assessment fee. There are some guides here that might help you understand what level you might be at and if they are trying to rip you off or take advantage of how much extra they are going to charge. http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/www/html/2243-publications-and-fact-sheets.asp Or just call the building commission for a chat about it as I found them really helpful/friendly My Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=29109 Site Start: 5th January 2010 Base stage completed: 24th January 2010 Re: Bushfire requirements 8Jun 10, 2009 4:47 pm We are building in Pakenham and have to have our block assessed for this as well because there is land behind our block that is quite over run with trees. We only just found about it and still not sure on costs, etc.... Lisa- Finally in our house!!! Re: Bushfire requirements 9Jun 10, 2009 6:58 pm ed @ EcoClassic m&n Willow04 I'm building in Wallan. My builder is currently running a report to determine whether we will need to meet any requirements. They too told me that it will be quite costly due to having to upgrade from fibreglass mesh flyscreens to aliminimum mesh, security doors will be a must...not sure what else, he wasn't very clear. Joles You're right about the builder. As Willow04 mentioned, I think this requirement came in in the last couple of months. I guess I'd like to be safe than sorry but obviously the extra cost will hurt my little heart haha. It really depends on what the fire rating is - but if they are talking aluminium mesh it's a small fire risk and the mesh would be about $20/screen extra. Say $100 for a door extra. That's on top of the screen of course. Ed I do hope its only a small risk. But then again, the report hasn't been done yet so we'll have to wait and see. Building the Trinity - Waiting to sign contracts Re: Bushfire requirements 10Jun 10, 2009 7:00 pm chillhot_divz We are building in Deer Park & had an amount of $220 quoted for the Bushfire assessment in the tender. That was the amount for the report? Did you have to upgrade anything on your house to meet any requirements? Building the Trinity - Waiting to sign contracts Re: Bushfire requirements 11Jun 10, 2009 7:02 pm coopsmummy I am building in the dandenong ranges and have to work out what bushfire rating I am - you are right has only been in the last couple of months since black saturday. I don't know how it works with volume builders - but I was told by the building commission that unless you are in an alpine area or more than a 20 degree slope, you can choose to work out your own rating, and so long as your building surveyor agrees with you, you should be able to avoid the assessment fee. There are some guides here that might help you understand what level you might be at and if they are trying to rip you off or take advantage of how much extra they are going to charge. http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/www/html/2243-publications-and-fact-sheets.asp Or just call the building commission for a chat about it as I found them really helpful/friendly Thanks for the site. I will definitely look into it Building the Trinity - Waiting to sign contracts Re: Bushfire requirements 12Jun 10, 2009 7:20 pm We have just received our plans back from the draftsman and was charged $100 for the bushfire assessment report. We are building in Doreen and the assessment was deemed "BAL-LOW". (Bushfire attack level). Re: Bushfire requirements 13Jun 10, 2009 7:26 pm We are in low level fire zone (zone 1) costing us $5110 extra and it was add well into the contract. thanks Mark www.buildingwithwisdomhomes.blogspot.com Re: Bushfire requirements 14Jun 10, 2009 8:16 pm We are building on the edge of a small town. Our lot is part of an acreage development - lots between 2 and 6 acres. Across the road from us is just pasture, but there is a bush reserve about 1 km south of us and we also have large scattered gums on and near our block. Our block has been rated BAL12.5, which means that it is in an ember attack zone. At this level, the modifications are designed to prevent ember entry into the home. They include aluminium flyscreens to all windows, screen doors on all doors. metal mesh (ember guards) covering all weep holes in the brick and all vents or other openings in the roof, "Emb-a-seal" around the garage door to prevent ember entry into the garage, and 4mm safety glass on all windows within 400 mm of the ground. It also requires full sarking of the roof with no gaps anywhere, colorbond flashing between the gutter and the roof and "eaves constructed with 4.5 mm fibre cement sheeting with PVC joiners" - but I'm not sure how these latter things differ from standard construction. Our builder says that they are charging a flat rate of $4,000 for houses that they build in BAL12.5 zones rather than calculating the individual costs for each house. The problem we have with this is that we had already included some of the things listed above - flyscreens on all windows, upgraded glass and roof sarking. So we seem to be paying double for some things. So I have asked the builder about getting some sort of credit or discount on the $4,000 fee. Also, we had been planning on putting in timber windows - either meranti or western red cedar, but in the BAL12.5 zone we cannot have exposed meranti or cedar (I guess because they burn too easily?), so we have had to upgrade all our windows to KD hardwood. All in all, I don't think the requirements are too bad. Yes it costs quite a lot of money, but it will make the house more able to withstand the inevitable ember attack if we have a large fire anywhere in our vicinity. I just hope that builders do not use this as an opportunity to extract more money from their customers. My builder did not charge a fee to do the BAL assessment. If you look at the guidelines (see http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/re ... L_Guide_(3).pdf), it is hard to imagine why a builder would charge over $200 to do the assessment. Are they saying that someone spent hours making the determination? Re: Bushfire requirements 15Jun 10, 2009 8:33 pm oh god that is a lot of money. And that is low risk, 1sttimer? I'd hate to imagine how much is would be for high risk areas!! Hiker, did your builder say that they would provide you with a credit? It would only seem fair. Building the Trinity - Waiting to sign contracts Re: Bushfire requirements 16Jun 10, 2009 8:45 pm yup that is for zone 1, the lowest zone.....i believe zone 3 can cost as much as 10,000 to 15,000. Re: Bushfire requirements 18Jun 10, 2009 9:07 pm I haven't yet received a reply about a credit. I think this is something that anyone thinking of buying a country block of land should now consider before purchasing the land. We bought our land before these new regulations came into effect. If I were buying any land now I would definitely include a contingency clause in the contract: "subject to a satisfactory BAL assessment report" and then get the assessment done before completing the purchase. I found the following brochure to be a good guide to what is required a the various BAL levels: http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/re ... arch10.pdf Re: Bushfire requirements 19Jun 10, 2009 11:29 pm The Building Codes are stratified according to the level of risk to the dwelling e.g. low, medium, high, extreme. Any building at risk must be built to minimise its vulnerability to ember attack (the most frequent cause for houses to burn down) which can strike even when the fire front is kilometres away. The risk profile is then calculated on the degree of exposure to direct radiant heat. The closer the vegetation (fuel) is to the house, the more vulnerable is the dwelling. Standard windows cannot withstand the fierce radiant heat generated by burning proximate shrubs or trees. Once they shatter your house is a goner, fire quickly engulfs the interior and the structure collapses. A good rule of thumb is that the safest distance a house should be from a nearby tree is 2.5 x the height of that tree. Clearing vegetation markedly improves the chances of your house standing. In SA, the risk is assessed by a member of the Country Fire Service who then submits a report to the council prior to building approval. It will make a request that the design is compliant with the stated risk. A couple useful links are: http://www.metrobs.com.au/key_bush.html http://www.esa.act.gov.au/ESAWebsite/co ... uction.pdf If you really live in bushfire prone area then I would highly recommend: The Complete Bushfire Safety Book (out of print, but available on Amazon) or Essential Bushfire Safety Tips by Joan Webster The information is well summarised and referenced. The evidence is based on research and coronial inquests following disasters such as Ash Wednesday. Re: Bushfire requirements 20Jun 10, 2009 11:53 pm More info from the CFA. http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/residents/building/risk.htm A very useful site for those wishing to live in a bushfire risk zone. This was on google. Development controls 2.3.1 Front setback D1 New buildings within residential areas shall adhere to a front building line, which is 5.5-6m to the… 1 4158 I'm wondering if anyone knows what the requirements are of a builder to be eligible to hold Domestic Building Insurance for proposed works. https://www.dbi.vmia.vic.gov.au… 0 3539 |