How to build a deck up to fence and ensure fire compliance?

[Julien_F22]

Hello, 

I am currently planning for a deck and verandah build and would love to have the deck go out to the fence. Initial conversations with surveyors have mentioned I need a one hour fire wall between the deck and the fence. Can someone explain what that is and how do i do it. 

I am using 140mm pine as the joists, sitting on 90x90 bearers with stumps in the ground. I have been told cement sheeting the fence till about 450mm high should do the trick, is this enough in most cases to meet compliance or is fire rating something more complex. 

To confirm I am not in a bushfire prone area and I am using Merbau Decking boards. Sketches attached. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Julien_F22,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

A one-hour fire wall is a wall system that has been designed to resist the spread of fire for at least one hour.

Your surveyor could be correct, but I can't see why you would need to build a fire-rated wall unless the deck was going to be fully enclosed and within 900mm of the boundary, in which case you would be building an extension as opposed to a deck and you'd be required to submit plans to your local council for building approval. 

I would suggest you start by contacting your local council and asking whether it is a requirement to build a fire wall in your circumstances and to ask them what their rules on boundary line construction are. 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you for certain whether you need a firewall or not. This is a question best posed to your local council.

If you'd like some information on fire-rated construction, the National Construction Code (NCC) Part 9.2 Fire separation of external walls defines the requirements for fire-rated construction of external walls and on page 45 of Gyprock | The Red Book - Book 2 you'll see information on the construction of fire-rated external walls.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Julien_F22]

Thank you so much Jacob, much appreciated!