Clearing gutters, moving combustible materials away from the house and trimming overhanging branches may all help with fireproofing your property. But a home’s deeper resilience comes from earlier decisions about its site and design, its materials and construction – and the surrounding landscape.¹
“It’s one thing to keep the gutters clean,” says Dr Ian Weir, a registered architect who specialises in designing for biodiverse, bushfire-prone landscapes. “(But even) the cleanest gutter can still allow burning embers into a roof space during a fire.”
Whether you’re building new or retrofitting an older home, design and material choices matter: An estimated 5.6 million Australian homes face some level of bushfire risk, according to a 2025 national study.2 Meanwhile, more than half of our dwellings were built 30 or more years ago, before national bushfire-resilience standards were introduced.3
This isn’t just a problem about ageing homes – the risk of bushfire itself is becoming greater too. Fire weather across much of Australia has become more extreme since the ’50s, with many regions now facing longer fire seasons than in previous decades, according to the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO.4
So, what can you realistically do? This guide looks beyond pre-fire season jobs to the choices that matter most when building or retrofitting a home with bushfire resistance in mind. And with extreme heat another consistent hallmark of the Australian climate, we’ll also look at how bushfire resilience can work alongside heat-proofing to help make our homes safer and cooler.
Can you build a bushfire-proof home?
Realistically, no property can be guaranteed to survive every bushfire.1
Even a dwelling constructed to current standards may remain vulnerable depending on the fire intensity, weather, surrounding landscape and property maintenance.1 However, if your goal is to design or build the most bushfire-strong home possible, there are some well-established strategies you can consider. We’ll go into those further down.
Are brick and concrete houses fireproof?
While building with double brick typically provides better fire protection than weatherboard or brick veneer on a timber frame, this will not make a building entirely fireproof on its own, according to the Australian Government’s bushfire protection guidelines.1
A structure with robust brick or concrete walls can still be compromised if window glazing fails under radiant heat, if embers enter through unsealed roof vents or gaps, or if attached combustible elements such as timber decks ignite.1
“People tend to focus on the house or the property, but rather than setting out to build a fireproof home, the more realistic goal is to treat the house, land and wider area as one connected risk system,” says Alan March, Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne.
Alan says this means looking at factors such as:
- The likely approach and intensity of a fire
- Your surrounding vegetation and how it’s managed
- Road and emergency access
- The condition and maintenance of your home
- Potential entry points for windborne embers.
“Start at the big picture and think about the wider context,” he says. “Clearing around the property is one part of it, but that has to work in an integrated way with everything else that’s happening on the land and in the structure.
“The fire will always find the weakest link in your defence. Even if you’ve got everything else right, you can have damage or destruction from that one element where an ember could take hold.”
Why bushfire resilience begins before you draw a floor plan
In any bushfire-prone area, Ian says, the land you’re building on must come before any preconceived designs for a bushfire-safe house.
“The design approach has to literally be ‘from the ground up’,” he explains.
To his point, the Australian Government recommends the following key steps before settling on where to build:¹
- Check which planning and building controls might apply.
- Assess the surrounding vegetation, slope and topography.
- Evaluate your road access and how occupants could evacuate during a bushfire emergency.¹
What is a BAL assessment, and why does it matter?
If you’re planning on building in a bushfire-prone area in Australia, you’ll need the Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) of your house site assessed to determine the level of bushfire-resistant design and construction required.1
A BAL assessment takes into account factors such as surrounding vegetation, slope, distance from vegetation, and local fire conditions to determine the home’s potential exposure to bushfire attack.1
There are six BAL ratings, ranging from BAL-Low to BAL-Flame Zone. As BAL ratings increase, so does the potential exposure to embers, radiant heat and, at the highest levels, direct flames – which means more stringent construction requirements apply.1
As the homeowner, it’s important to understand the BAL and construction requirements that apply to your property and work with appropriately qualified professionals to ensure the requirements are addressed throughout the project.5
What should you ask your builder or designer about bushfire resilience?
Effective fireproofing is about more than just relying on fireproof house materials. Below is a list of questions you might wish to ask your designer or builder early, to help understand how different parts of your home will work together to reduce its bushfire vulnerability:
- Who will assess the site’s BAL and are they suitably qualified?¹
- How will the BAL rating influence the design and construction requirements?¹
- How will external openings, eaves, subfloors and roof penetrations be protected against ember entry and accumulation?¹
- Who will check that the proposed design meets the applicable bushfire construction requirements?⁵
- Who will ensure my home is completed according to the certified plans and specifications?⁵
- Could decks, verandahs, pergolas or landscaping introduce combustible elements or create a pathway for fire to reach the house?¹
How to fireproof a shed
Garden sheds can also pose a significant fire risk6, so don’t forget to consider them and other structures as part of your overall bushfire planning. Think about whether a shed’s location or construction, or any combustible materials stored inside, could increase the risk of fire spreading towards your home.1
Where space allows, sheds and other external structures should ideally be located more than six metres from the main house to help reduce risk.1
Which house shape offers the best bushfire protection?
When it comes to designing a bushfire-resilient home, Ian favours a relatively simple form and slab-on-ground construction.
“The more complex the three-dimensional geometry of a house, the more potential there is for ember ignitions and house loss,” he says.
Simple forms can help wind and embers move past a house rather than collecting in corners.7 Advice from the Victorian Government’s Emergency Recovery Resource Portal suggests roof features such as box gutters that may trap embers may also be best avoided.7
Consider protective features that do double duty
Incorporating protective features that serve a practical year-round purpose can also help make bushfire safety a seamless part of everyday living, says Ian.
“Installing items such as external motorised shutters can protect windows from radiant heat and flame contact but will also provide day-to-day amenity,” he says. “This way, the things we use every day for our comfort are also the things we can activate in an emergency.”
Bear in mind that any bushfire shutters must meet the relevant BAL requirements.1 If the shutters are motorised, they must have a back-up power supply so they can be operated if mains electricity fails during an emergency.¹
How can you retrofit an older home without rebuilding it?
Older homes built before Australia’s national construction standards were introduced, tend to be more likely to be built of flammable materials, such as wood and untreated timber.3 The good news is that there are some relatively simple steps you can take to help make an older dwelling more fire resilient.3
A good place to start could be finding out how – and where – your property is most likely to ignite. The Resilient Building Council’s free Bushfire Resilience Rating Home Self-Assessment app and retrofit handbook can help you examine your whole property and identify a list of ways you could improve your home’s resilience.8
Dr Subha Parida, Senior Lecturer in Property at Adelaide University, recommends addressing the weakest ignition pathways first.
“Retrofitting doesn’t have to mean rebuilding the entire house,” Subha says. “Think of resilience as a pathway rather than a one-off project.”
Which lower-cost upgrades can make a meaningful difference?
Because ember attack is linked to around 80% of homes lost in bushfires, reducing the number of places embers can enter or accumulate should be an important focus.¹
Kate Cotter, Chief Executive Officer of the Resilient Building Council, says households don’t need to wait for a large-scale upgrade or renovation to improve their home’s resilience.9
“There are many low-cost actions households can take today to reduce risk to their home, like sealing gaps around doors and windows, installing ember screens on vents and moving combustible materials away from walls and windows.” 9
Many of these actions can be tackled as part of routine home maintenance. Our guides to outside jobs to do before bushfire season and weekend, monthly and yearly bushfire preparation also provide practical checklists to help you stay on top of bushfire readiness throughout the year.
Which bigger-ticket retrofits may be worth considering?
More substantial upgrades to windows, cladding, roofing or decking may be justified where an assessment identifies them as significant weak points, says Subha. But she warns against spending heavily on one feature while leaving easier ember pathways untouched.
“For example, installing expensive glazing while leaving unscreened roof vents, leaf-filled gutters or a highly combustible deck does not address the whole ignition pathway,” she says.
Depending on the home’s BAL and construction, appropriate retrofit options could include:1
- Enclosing the open area beneath a raised home with suitable metal mesh or vented fibre-cement sheeting to help reduce ember entry.
- Sealing vulnerable gaps around walls, doors, roofs and other openings where embers could enter.
- Installing appropriate shutters or screens to windows and doors, and replacing existing glass with toughened glass to help prevent ember attack and help protect windows exposed to radiant heat
- Replacing decking with non-combustible material such as fibre cement sheeting
- Upgrading to non-combustible external cladding by installing sheet metal or fibre-cement sheeting.1
How heat and drought can create new ember entry points
Heat and drought can affect a home’s bushfire resilience in a less obvious way, and it typically starts with the ground beneath our feet. Research from Adelaide University estimates that 20-30% of Australian surface soils are reactive, which means they shrink as they dry out and expand again when moisture returns.10
Long dry spells – such as those often brought on by El Niño’s drier winters and springs11 – can be particularly tough on homes built on these reactive soils.10
As the soil dries and shrinks, foundations may shift,¹⁰ leading to cracks in walls or doors, and windows that no longer sit properly in their frames.12
From a bushfire perspective, any resulting gaps or cracks may also create new pathways for windborne embers to enter the home.13 If you notice signs of significant foundation movement, you might consider having the cause assessed by an appropriately qualified civil or structural engineer.14
It may also be worth checking whether any gaps or cracks have affected the building’s bushfire protection. CSIRO recommends sealing gaps and cracks that develop in external wall cladding to help reduce the risk of ember entry.15
For a new build, arranging soil testing early allows the footing design to respond to the site’s soil classification.14 For existing homes, maintaining good drainage and promptly repairing leaking gutters, water tanks, taps and hoses can help prevent foundation movement.14
Can fire-resistant home design also make a home cooler?
Bushfire resilience and passive cooling – an approach that uses natural energy flows and architecture rather than mechanical systems such as air conditioning to control heat gain16 – can be planned together. Official Victorian guidance notes that energy-efficient design can complement a bushfire-resilient outcome.7
For summer comfort, especially during a heatwave, insulation, window shading, glazing choices and cross-ventilation – by opening opposing windows – can all be effective passive-cooling measures.16 By limiting heat gain and encouraging natural airflow, passive cooling measures can help keep homes comfortable for longer while reducing reliance on air conditioning.16
This approach can be particularly valuable for households concerned about the cost of staying cool. Sweltering Cities’ 2026 Summer Survey found that 61% of respondents had rationed their use of air conditioning because of cost concerns.17
Dr Georgia Chaseling, a senior researcher at the University of Sydney’s Heat and Health Research Centre, agrees that home design across Australia needs to address both heat and smoke resilience.
“However, at the moment, many modern builds suffer from poor insulation and inadequate thermal performance, failing to protect occupants from extreme heat or airborne smoke,” she says.
“We need to be far more mindful about how we’re designing and constructing our homes across Australia.”
Georgia also notes that relying on natural airflow has its limits during bushfire season. “Measures like cross-ventilation, while helpful for cooling on clean days, are not suitable when bushfire smoke or ember threats are present,” she says.
How to protect your home from fire
Building for bushfire resilience doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort, character or thoughtful design. As Ian puts it: “Remember, the home is for living in.”
Good bushfire planning also extends beyond the building itself, adds veteran firefighter Mark Dobson.
“Australians should develop a bushfire survival plan that’s suitable for their individual home,” says Mark. “For example, if your house is made of weatherboard, you might make a plan to prepare as best you can but to leave early, because a wooden house is much harder to defend.”
Understanding your home’s bushfire risk level can help you to take proactive measures to protect your property and loved ones. However, Mark warns that bushfires are always unpredictable, so it’s always important to stay informed about local conditions and prepare for the unexpected.
For more practical advice on preparing for bushfires and other extreme weather events, visit the you.prepared emergency content hub.
The content in this article has been prepared based on current government and emergency services guidelines and expert advice provided at the time of publishing. This information is subject to change. Please be sure to check for the latest information and always consider your personal circumstances regarding home safety preparedness and response.
Where you have increased your Youi insurance cover or reduced your excess within 72 hours (or other period noted on your policy schedule) of a flood, storm, hail or bushfire occurring, cover will be limited to the amount that was effective prior to the change. Loss, damage or legal liability caused by, resulting or arising from flood, storm, hail or bushfire during the first 72 hours (or other period noted on your policy schedule) of your policy first being purchased is excluded unless certain conditions are met. Refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for full T&Cs.
1. Source: Australian Government – Bushfire protection, n.d.
2. Source: Homelessness Australia – Climate and housing crises converging to threaten Australian families, New Report Warns, June 2025
3. Source: The Conversation – More than half of Australia’s homes were built before fire standards came in. Here are 5 ways to retrofit them, February 2025
4. Source: CSIRO – Report at a glance: State of the climate 2024, n.d.
5. Source: WA Government – Building in bushfire-prone areas, August 2026
6. Source: Country Fire Authority – Garages and sheds, n.d.
7. Source: Vic Government – Siting and general design considerations, September 2023
8. Source: National Emergency Management Agency – Retrofit Handbook for Bushfire Resilience Rating, December 2024.
9. Source: Resilient Building Council – Big banks join scheme cutting home insurance costs, July 2026
10. Source: Adelaide University – Stronger home foundations needed to withstand climate change and cracking soils, September 2026
11. Source: The Bureau of Meteorology – El Niño: what it means for Australia’s climate, September 2026
12. Source: Queensland Building and Construction Commission – Protect against subsidence, September 2021
13. Source: CSIRO – How do buildings ignite?, n.d.
14. Source: Building and Plumbing Commission – Minimising foundation movement and damage to your house, n.d.
15. Source: CSIRO – Walls, n.d.
16. Source: Australian Government – Passive cooling, n.d.
17. Source: Sweltering Cities – Report Released: Summer Survey 2026, March 2026
