Home improvements to consider
Fire rated roller shutters
Use fire resistant decking materials
Sprinkler of drenching system on the roof (non plastic)
Non-combustible metal mesh on window and doors where they can be opened
Non-combustable gutter guards
Houses built more than 20 years ago are likely to be more vulnerable to bush fires than newer builds due to building regulations having been improved over time. Older homes make up the majority of buildings in bush fire prone areas in our Shire and are generally not built to the same standard, unless they have been significantly renovated.
Below you can find a few home improvement options (or retrofits) you can consider to improve the performance of an older house in a bush fire. Some retrofits protect against more than one disaster (for example, fire rated storm shutters on windows facing the bushland can reduce to the impact of bush fires, storms and heatwaves as well as improve home security) and cut energy bills.
Furthermore, upgrading resilience of homes against bush fire can maximise the chances of survival for occupants if roads are cut, fires appear too suddenly, or there’s no transport for escape. Having a more resilient home can add another back up solution to your Bush fire Survival Plan.
- sealing all gaps around the house with appropriately-specified joining strips or flexible silicon-based sealant
- installing appropriately-specified building membranes (sarking) behind weatherboards or other external cladding when they are being replaced
- installing appropriately-specified building membranes (sarking) beneath existing roofing (especially tiled roofs) when it is being replaced for maintenance
- installing weather strips or draught excluders at the base of side-hung doors, and draught seals around window and door frames
- sealing vents and weep holes in external walls with aluminium, zinc, copper or bronze mesh (<2mm gap)
- sealing around roofing and roof penetrations with appropriately-specified flexible silicon-based sealant
- installing non-combustible gutter guards
- putting non-combustible metal mesh over areas of windows and doors where they can be opened
- reducing the amount of bush fire fuel around the house to create an asset protection zone or a defendable space.
- installing BAL compliant shutters or metal fly screens to doors and windows
- replacing or over-cladding parts of door frames less than 400mm above the ground, decks, and similar elements or fittings with metal or fibre-cement sheet (or both)
- replace external doors with non-combustible or solid timber doors with minimum thickness of 35mm
- applying intumescent (fire retardant) paints to timber features (especially under-floor or under-roof areas) noting that all paints will wear over time and require repainting regularly
- moving sheds and other external structures away from the house (ideally more than 6m away if you have room) or separate external structures within 6m of the house with a 60/60/60 fire resistant wall
- replacing decking with non-combustible material such as fibre cement sheet
- fully enclosing subfloors with aluminium mesh (<2mm) or vented fibre-cement sheeting (using mesh or sealant for any gaps).
- installing a sprinkler or drenching system made of metal fittings and pipework (do not use plastic) using additional dedicated water (this system is best installed by a bush fire practitioner)
- replacing existing glass with laminated or toughened glass (note that debris should not be able to accumulate) in windows
- replacing overhead glazing with 'Grade A' safety glass
- replacing wall and fascia with non-combustible or bush fire-resistant materials
- replacing tiled roofs with sheet metal with appropriately-specified building membrane or insulating blanket material ensuring all end of sheets are sealed to prevent ember entry
- installing appropriately-specified building membrane (sarking) behind weatherboards or other external cladding and under tiled or sheet roofs when they otherwise would not have been replaced
- redesigning rooflines to remove box guttering and installing sheet metal or fibre-cement sheeting to lower sections of walls or re-entrant corners
- installing a private bush fire shelter
- also implementing the medium-cost measures identified previously.
