Bushfire is a major challenge for our communities, and hot summers coupled with strong winds are a major concern each bushfire season.
When building on bushfire prone land, there are considerations that go into the design and construction of the home.
Given that many new estates are located near or adjacent to bush land, Beechwood Homes are knowledgeable in building in bushfire prone areas and work closely with qualified consultants to ensure that additional needs are factored into design and construction.
In the aftermath of the Black Saturday Victorian bushfires in 2009, all Australian states have committed to policies to ensure Australian homes are built from materials that have the best possible chance of withstanding moderate bushfire exposure.
Further regulations as part of the Australian Standard AS 3959 have imposed specific zonings, called Bushfire Attack Levels. The Bushfire Attack Levels, or BALs, are a set of distinct material, design and construction specifications for each area in Australia according to their inherent threat of bushfire. These standards take into account the potential for ignition caused by burning embers, radiant heat or flame generated by a bushfire as well as the expected intensity of the bushfire attack on the building. Each BAL has been designed in consideration of the extreme weather and natural phenomena consistently encountered throughout Australia’s variable landscape.
As a general rule, the closer your home is to bush land, the greater the chance that additional requirements will be needed. It is first necessary to determine a ‘Bushfire Attack Level’ for new homes near bush land.
The building requirements for house design and construction vary according to the bush fire attack level that a development falls into. The building requirements for each BAL are set out in Australian Standard: 3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas 2009 (AS3959).
When building your new home with Beechwood Home, we work with consultants and local authorities to ensure your new home is being built to the correct BAL standard and will pass any complying requirements.
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