It is better to be safe than sorry, especially if you live in bushfire-prone areas. Talking of safe, there is nothing safer than a having a house and, thus, the two components correlate. It is becoming imperative to create and live in houses averse to bushfires. The problem is that the materials and house design needed to ensure the same also make houses more expensive to buy.
Threat from bushfires
Houses tend to crumble in bushfires as they offer massive openings. Shards may fly and enter homes through terraces and cracks. The base is often unprotected against fire. Also, the frontal area may have grass, scattered dried leaves, and even vegetation which encourage the fire to spread.
The escape route
The house design should tender to bushfire safety so that people find easy escape. Bathrooms are considered to be the safest place while ducking during bushfire. They may be built-in with an exit door to a side which has a slope. The terraces may be built of non-combustible materials; the same goes for veranda.
Timber and glass to be restricted
Timber should be restricted to the minimum in houses threatened by bushfire. Fibreglass, stainless steel, and marbles are worthy materials, but they are also costly. The base should be lined with non-combustible timbers. The windows should be annealed, meshed, and secured with shutters. Of course, the home designer should also check out the BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) of the zone.
Glasses should also be constricted in use, at least in the external part of the house. A legible and efficient water-sprinkling system should be installed, backed with a generator. The vegetation should also be cleared off near the frontal section of the house.
Let’s sum up ideas for house designs
Houses in bushfire-prone areas should be small in size; to ensure minimum budget of spread for the fire. Also, safety stuff like wool hats, gloves, and masks should always be available. People should come in with house design ideas as to how to make houses bushfire-secure as well as affordable.
What other ideas do you have to ensure that you and your house are safe during bushfire attacks?
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