Retrofit for Bushfire Resilience

Roofs: Enhancing Protection from the Top

Roofs are a key area when you retrofit for bushfire resilience. Flames and embers can easily find their way into a roof cavity, leading to your dwelling being burnt down from the inside. To prevent this, it’s crucial to limit the build-up of debris and protect the entire roof system. Next, let’s look at some guiding principles for retrofitting your roof.

General tips for Roofs

Roofs can catch fire from direct flames or burning debris. This can damage the surface, create or use gaps, allowing flames and embers to get inside. Once inside, the roof cavity the flames can quickly spread to living areas. To avoid this, seal any gaps and replace combustible materials with non-combustible ones. Remember, even the BAL Rated homes can still be at risk if there are weaknesses in design or the continual maintenance is not kept up.

Clear Debris: Regularly remove leaves, twigs, and other debris from your roof, vents, and gutters.
Gutters: Gutters can build up debris and should be cleaned often.
Inspect and Seal: Look for and seal any gaps, cracks, or dislodged roofing materials.
Gaps: Gaps more than 2mm are a priority.
Use Mesh: Stainless steel, bronze or aluminium <2mm mesh can be used, use these to stop debris and embers form roof or the roof cavity ventilation setup for the house.
Ridges and eaves are also areas that are obvious but get overlooked.
Use Non-combustible Materials: Use fire-resistant materials for roofing elements, like tiles and insulation.
Use “Fire-resistant” sarking not the usual “Reflective” Bunnings has these.
Flashings: Non combustible Flashings, eaves, Insulation etc can be used.
Battens: Use steel battens or framing for the roof.

Walls: Strengthening the Building’s Exterior

Walls are another important area to focus on when retrofitting for bushfire safety. Sealing gaps and replacing combustible materials will help keep your home safe.

General tips for Walls

Walls can catch fire from direct flames or burning debris. Flames and embers will enter through gaps or damaged cladding, spreading into the wall and roof cavities. Keeping the walls’ integrity is vital to keeping fire out. Embers will travel hundreds if not thousands of metres so protection for this is essential.

Steps to Retrofit Walls for Bushfire Protection

Use Non-combustible Cladding: Replace any combustible existing cladding with fire-resistant materials.
Sarking: Timber framed homes might consider using “Fire-resistant” sarking underneath and if cladding is being replaced you can use non-combustible.
Seal Gaps and Cracks: Regularly check and seal any gaps more than 2mm or cracks in your walls, vents, weepholes or similar points of entry.
Horizontal Surfaces: Areas having surfaces less than 500m from the ground that meet the walls or entry to the dwelling where can embers build up should be non-combustible up to 500mm off the surface.
Clear Surrounding Combustibles: Keep the area around your walls free from vegetation and other flammable materials.
Other structures: Neighbours dwellings can be a source of fire, if within 6-10m this can also be of concern so consider this in your plans.
Close by Items: Items close to walls need to be considered too, cars, gas cylinders, wood piles, furniture and other combustible items.

Floors and Subfloors: Securing the Base of Your Home

Floors and subfloors can also be vulnerable to bushfire. Embers and surface fires can ignite these areas, so it’s essential to take preventive measures.

General Tips for Floors and Subfloors

Protecting the underside of your home is crucial. Fully enclosing raised floors and removing combustible materials from underfloor spaces are key steps to reducing risk.

Steps to Retrofit Floors for Bushfire Protection

Enclose Raised Floors: Use non-combustible materials to enclose raised floors, this ensures no debris can enter. You can also use <2mm mesh, yes again Bunnings has this.
Gaps: Remove all gaps in decking, these have to be less than 2mm to stop embers and debris passing through to the underside.
Remove Combustible Materials: Clear out anything flammable stored in underfloor spaces, flatten the ground and manage the area.
Underfloor Storage: Don’t store items under the floorspace.
Supporting columns: to be protected with non-combustible materials.
Regular Maintenance: Check, Inspect and repair any damaged underfloor mitigation measures routinely.
Cover and seal all underfloor combustible materials: By separating the underfloor combustible surfaces you can try and avoid the fire spread.
Exposed pipes: Pipes and services than enter by making these non-combustible or having treatment.

Windows and Doors: Sealing Vulnerable Points

Windows and doors can be weak points in your home’s defence against bushfires. Therefore, taking extra precautions here is vital.

General Tips for Windows and Doors

Flames and embers can enter through windows and doors if they burn through, break, or get left open. Shutters and other protective measures can help keep your home safe.

Steps to Retrofit Windows and Doors for Bushfire Protection

Install Shutters: Use sturdy, non-combustible shutters to cover windows and doors, these can be the motorised roller shutter style, soft or hard and dropdown. There are many options available now.
Wind: Protect these windows from the wind as this can be another way the fire can enter the home in extreme fire behaviour events.
Combustible items: like outdoor furniture close to windows can provide direct flame contact so consider the locations of these.
Use Resilient Frames and Glass: Opt for bushfire-resisting timber or metal for frames and consider double-glazed, toughened glass, with the appropriate thickness or proper fire rated glass.
Seal Gaps: Fill any gaps around windows and doors to prevent embers from getting in.
Pet doors: can also be an entry point that needs to be considered.

Additional Protective Measures: Sprinklers and Shutters

To further protect your home, you can think about installing sprinklers and shutters. These active protection systems back up the passive construction and together can make a big difference during a bushfire. Sprinklers help keep your home wet and less likely to catch fire, while shutters provide an extra barrier against heat and flames.

General Maintenance: Keeping Your Home Ready

Finally, the most important part being the regular maintenance, this ensures your home stays safe. Keep your roof, walls, floors, windows, and doors in good condition and clear of any debris or combustible materials. Clearing leaves and twigs, checking for damage, and ensuring water supply systems are operational all play a part in bushfire preparedness.

Check our page on APZ Design and Management, this gets updated frequently.

By following these tips to passively retrofit and by actively maintaining your home, you can significantly improve its ability to withstand a bushfire. While no home can be entirely bushfire-proof, careful retrofitting and maintenance can make your property much safer.