Renovation Guides
Sustainable Homes
Eco Living
Cyclones, Floods, Bushfires & Heat: How to Protect Your Home
Live in an area that experiences extreme weather? Read our essential design guide to keeping your home safe
Australia has some of the harshest climates in the world, and the last couple of years have been particularly brutal with parts of the country ravaged by bushfires, flooding, cyclones and high temperatures. Devastatingly, many homes have not been designed to cope, which has resulted in lost or badly damaged dwellings and, as a consequence, displaced families and shut down businesses.
If there’s one lesson to be learned, it’s the importance of planning ahead if you live in an area prone to debilitating weather. Read on for Houzz’s helpful guide to building and decorating your home to stay safe from damage when the weather turns.
If there’s one lesson to be learned, it’s the importance of planning ahead if you live in an area prone to debilitating weather. Read on for Houzz’s helpful guide to building and decorating your home to stay safe from damage when the weather turns.
Once you know the level of flood risk you face in your area, you can focus your attention on taking appropriate steps to protect your home.
First and foremost, choose a suitable house design and build with flood-resistant materials, such as fibre-cement sheeting and brick, particularly on the lower level of your home.
Working with an architect or building designer who has experience building in your area can also make a difference as they will know how to navigate the at-times complex council regulations.
For more advice on protecting your home from flood damage, including where to safely position electricals and how to optimise drainage, read the following article.
Building in a Flood Zone? 12 Ways to Protect Your Home
First and foremost, choose a suitable house design and build with flood-resistant materials, such as fibre-cement sheeting and brick, particularly on the lower level of your home.
Working with an architect or building designer who has experience building in your area can also make a difference as they will know how to navigate the at-times complex council regulations.
For more advice on protecting your home from flood damage, including where to safely position electricals and how to optimise drainage, read the following article.
Building in a Flood Zone? 12 Ways to Protect Your Home
How do I make my house stay cooler?
Australia is known for its incredible summers but, the fact is, extreme heat can be tough to endure – particularly if your house isn’t built for it. The result? On scorching days, many homeowners feel they have little choice but to flick the air-conditioning switch if they want any chance of sleeping, cooking or relaxing, which can result in sky-high power bills.
Fortunately, artificial cooling isn’t the only way to beat the heat. “A house in a hot climate can be made comfortable by providing heaps of air movement and shading, making the home healthier to live in and better for the planet,” says Madeline Sewall, director of houses at Breathe Architecture. It can also significantly reduce your energy costs, which is good news for your back pocket.
Australia is known for its incredible summers but, the fact is, extreme heat can be tough to endure – particularly if your house isn’t built for it. The result? On scorching days, many homeowners feel they have little choice but to flick the air-conditioning switch if they want any chance of sleeping, cooking or relaxing, which can result in sky-high power bills.
Fortunately, artificial cooling isn’t the only way to beat the heat. “A house in a hot climate can be made comfortable by providing heaps of air movement and shading, making the home healthier to live in and better for the planet,” says Madeline Sewall, director of houses at Breathe Architecture. It can also significantly reduce your energy costs, which is good news for your back pocket.
Elements such as double-glazed windows and doors, wall, ceiling and floor insulation, cool house colours (paint), and carefully considered orientation of your home all play an important role in keeping your interior comfortable in the high summer months.
Discover the other design features that will help keep your home naturally cooler in the article below.
10 Ways Good Design Can Keep Your House Cool in Summer
Discover the other design features that will help keep your home naturally cooler in the article below.
10 Ways Good Design Can Keep Your House Cool in Summer
How do I cyclone-proof my house?
Knowledge is your first line of defence if you live in a cyclone-prone area, according to the experts. Knowing the wind classification in your area, choosing suitably durable materials and, if you’re seeking extra protection, building your home to a higher wind rating are all crucial steps to keeping your home and belongings safe in an extreme storm.
Knowledge is your first line of defence if you live in a cyclone-prone area, according to the experts. Knowing the wind classification in your area, choosing suitably durable materials and, if you’re seeking extra protection, building your home to a higher wind rating are all crucial steps to keeping your home and belongings safe in an extreme storm.
Having your home assessed is not an area where you want to cut corners, says Steve Greenwood, building support services technical adviser at Housing Industry Association (HIA). “When designing and planning a new home or alteration, it is imperative that an accurate assessment of the site and its features is carried out by a professional such as an engineer, builder or building certifier to determine the right wind classification so the correct building standards can be applied.”
Smart design aside, other important steps you can take to improve your home’s cyclone resilience include:
12 Ways to Get Your Home Cyclone-Ready
- Keep up with regular yard maintenance to reduce the chance of airborne hazards; clear gutters, trim trees and repair any cracked roof tiles.
- Seal gaps around windows.
- Check your roof is resilient; “Appropriate roof tie-downs and roofing fasteners are essential,” advises Greenwood. “Also, [make sure] attachments such as solar panels are designed by an appropriately qualified person to ensure they do not become dislodged and create a hazard.”
12 Ways to Get Your Home Cyclone-Ready
How do I protect my house from a bushfire?
Bushfires are an unfortunate but inevitable part of life in many parts of our country and yet, according to a Royal Commission report released in 2020, up to 90 per cent of homes in vulnerable areas aren’t designed to cope.
Recent legislation, namely the introduction of BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) ratings, aims to help mitigate the risk of damage and destruction to homes in fire-prone areas. The six BAL ratings, each of which identify the level of bushfire risk in prone areas, come with guidelines for everything from materials to heat barriers.
Bushfires are an unfortunate but inevitable part of life in many parts of our country and yet, according to a Royal Commission report released in 2020, up to 90 per cent of homes in vulnerable areas aren’t designed to cope.
Recent legislation, namely the introduction of BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) ratings, aims to help mitigate the risk of damage and destruction to homes in fire-prone areas. The six BAL ratings, each of which identify the level of bushfire risk in prone areas, come with guidelines for everything from materials to heat barriers.
“The bushfire construction standard (Australian Standard AS 3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas) requires that you use certain materials for exposed elements, cladding, roofing, and windows and doors, and determines which materials you can use based on the bushfire threat level of your site,” says Simon Croft, executive director of building policy and services at Housing Industry Association (HIA).
While knowing your BAL rating and understanding its implications on the safe design of your home should be your first move, there are also several other measures you can take to prepare your house for a bushfire, such as:
- Upgrading to bushfire-rated windows and doors.
- Choosing a simple roof design with no crevices where embers can get lodged.
- Having an adequate water supply on-site.
- Using hard surfaces and avoiding planting tall trees near your house.
- Maintaining your backyard; keeping the lawn trimmed and removing anything combustible, such as tree cuttings and wooden outdoor furniture.
From in-depth building advice to landscaping tips, the following article covers everything you need to know about keeping your home safe if you live in a bushfire zone.
10 Ways to Protect Your Home From Bushfires
10 Ways to Protect Your Home From Bushfires
Your turn
How have you safeguarded your home against weather extremes? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
For advice on choosing the right professional for your renovation or new build, check out How Do I Find, Assess & Hire the Right People for My Renovation?
How have you safeguarded your home against weather extremes? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
For advice on choosing the right professional for your renovation or new build, check out How Do I Find, Assess & Hire the Right People for My Renovation?
It’s no secret that severe rain and storms have the potential to destroy properties and render them uninhabitable. If it’s an issue you’re concerned about, the first thing to determine is what level of risk you’re at by asking the question: Is my house in a flood zone? State, territory and/or local governments undertake flood mapping to determine flood hazard areas or flood-prone land, which you should be able to find online or through your local council.