Do You Need to Use Bushfire Resistant Timber on Your New Verandah?
If you're planning on adding a new verandah to your home, you have to think about the materials you use to build the structure as well as its design. If you're looking to use timber products in your build, then you personally may be happy with any old wood as long as it is strong enough to do its job; however, your building contractor may have other ideas and may be recommending that you use bushfire resistant woods on the job. Is this really essential?
What is Bushfire Resistant Wood?
Some woods burn faster and more easily than others. Woods that are bushfire resistant have been tested and found to be more resistant to fire than regular woods. In some cases, woods can be treated to be more fire resistant. However, Australia also has some native trees that are naturally more adept at surviving bushfire damage and that don't need fire resistant treatments to make them safer. For example, the following woods are classified as being naturally bushfire resistant:
- Blackbutt
- Merbau
- Red Ironbark
- River Redgum
- Silvertop Ash
- Spotted Gum
- Turpentine
Why Do You Need to Use Bushfire Resistant Timber?
While making any wood fire resistant is good from a safety perspective, adding bushfire resistance to your verandah may be essential in some areas of the country. To comply with building regulations, you may need to use special woods if your home is at risk of bushfires. Typically, this is measured by where your property sits on the government's Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) scale.
This scale puts your property on a risk ranking. If your home is at any risk of bushfires, then you may have to follow certain rules when you build on your home to minimise damage and fire spread. If your home falls into a higher risk category, then your contractor may know that you have to use bushfire resistant timber to meet regulations.
Before you give your contractor the go ahead to build your verandah, it's worth checking out your home's BAL for yourself so that you can understand any limitations on your new build. In some areas, this may not be an issue; in others, you may need to follow a range of regulations that may affect your verandah's general build as well as your timber choice. If you aren't sure what BAL you have or how that affects your choice of timber, you can talk to your local council to get advice on how to evaluate your home.