This section looks at a number of things that can be done to increase the bushfire resilience of an existing homes. These range from simple maintenance tasks to more substantial building improvements. As many houses were built prior to the implementation of AS3959 - Construction of Buildings in Bushfire-Prone Areas, they are not likely to achieve the standard of bushfire protection that is now expected. Retrofitting is not mandatory, however every improvement that you make is a reduction of risk against bushfire.
The minimum level of maintenance and upgrades you can make are described in the Construction Requirements section, which also details the specific protections each BAL zone requires. Additional to this, the following improvements can be made to existing buildings;
General
Above ground, exposed water and gas pipes should be metal, including fittings.
Install a bush fire sprayer system.
Construct an additional external bushfire shelter
Landscape
Re-design your landscape with defensive strategies and fire retardant plants.
Install additional water tanks specifically for fire fighting
Regularly clear and remove debris from gutters and surrounding the house
Regularly maintain overhanging trees and shrubs, mow grass and remove clippings.
Subfloor
Enclose subfloor with non-combustible material.
External Walls
Replace wall material with non-combustible materials.
Install sarking with a flammability rating of not more than 5 behind weatherboards or other external cladding.
External Windows
Install appropriately tested shutters to windows.
Replace glass with toughened or laminated safety glass.
Replace skylights with ‘grade A’ safety glass.
External Doors
Replace external doors with non-combustible or solid timber doors at a minimum of 35mm thick.
Install appropriately tested shutters to glazed doors.
Replace or over-clad parts of door frames less than 400mm above the ground or decks with non-combustible material.
Replace haradware to be metal
Roofs
Replace fascia and roof materials with non-combustible materials.
Fit ember guards over roof ventilation points
Install sarking with a flammability index of not more than 5 beneath existing roofing.
External Structures
External structures to be located more than 10m from the main dwelling
Replace decking with non-combustible material
Detailed guide to retrofit your home protection to meet specific BAL ratings
NSW RFS Building Best Practice Gide
A guide to upgrade existing buildings to increase resilience from bush fire attack.