A1 Certifier

03/11/2026

A fire-rated board isn't a fire-resisting wall. The whole system matters.

An FRL such as 60/60/60 (structural adequacy, integrity and insulation, in minutes) belongs to the whole wall as tested or listed, not to one sheet. Swap a board, a fixing or the spacing and it is no longer the tested system; only minor departures can be covered by an accredited laboratory's report. Inside 900 mm of a boundary the wall needs 60/60/60 tested from the outside, or 90 mm masonry or veneer with a 90 mm outer leaf. The ABCB recommends asking for the full test report, not just a certificate.

Order the wall system the test report describes, and build exactly that.

Send us the wall system before you order it.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 A5G5 and Specification 1 S1C2 | ABCB Housing Provisions 9.2.3 | A5G3 Explanatory Information (guidance)

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.

02/11/2026

Move the wall 100 mm and the construction can change completely.

A house wall closer than 900 mm to a side or rear boundary must be fire-resisting: 60/60/60 tested from the outside, 90 mm masonry, or masonry veneer with a 90 mm outer leaf, from the footings to the roof covering or a non-combustible eaves lining. Distances are measured from the wall, square to the boundary, and only the part inside 900 mm needs it. Openings in that part need protection. Eaves inside 900 mm must be non-combustible and stay 450 mm clear. Road frontages and public space don't trigger it.

A 100 mm shift in the set-out can be the difference between a standard wall and a fire-resisting one.

Send us the site plan before you set the wall line.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 H3D3 | ABCB Housing Provisions 9.2.1, 9.2.2, 9.2.3, 9.2.9

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.

01/11/2026

Landscaping can bury your weatherproofing.

Clearances are measured from finished ground, after paving and landscaping. For a slab-on-ground house next to garden or turf, the slab sits at least 150 mm above finished ground, and the ground falls 50 mm over the first metre. Next to paving that falls away, the slab can drop to 50 mm, but on brick veneer the damp-proof course still needs 75 mm above exposed paving. Both checks apply.

Set slab levels for the finished landscaping, not the bare dirt on pour day.

Send us the site plan and levels before you pour.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 Part H2 | ABCB Housing Provisions 3.3.3, 5.7.4 and Schedule 1 (finished ground level)

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.

29/10/2026

If you can't draw where the water goes, you haven't finished the detail.

For clad framed walls, the Housing Provisions require flashings to the top, bottom and sides of openings exposed to the weather (the head can be left off under a wide enough eave). Head and sill flashings drain to the outside face of the wall, extend 110 mm past each side of the opening where practicable, and are fixed at least 25 mm under the cladding. Joints lap 75 mm with sealant between the laps. Sealant is never a substitute for the flashing. Brick veneer has its own figures in 5.7.4.

The window schedule and the flashing detail belong on the plans, not left to the site.

If you can't draw the water path, send us the detail.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 H2P2 | ABCB Housing Provisions 7.5.6 (clad walls), 5.7.4 (masonry)

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.

28/10/2026

Redlands shed and patio builders: got a job close to the boundary, over a sewer line, or on a flood-affected block?

Talk to us before the steel's ordered. We'll tell you what the approval will turn on, then give you a fixed fee offer to get it done.

📞 (07) 3446 5832 · 📍 Birkdale
💬 Or send us a message

28/10/2026

27/10/2026

Open-sided doesn't mean no fire rules.

The open-carport exemption needs every condition met: two or more sides open and at least one-third of the perimeter open; a side only counts as open if the roof edge is 500 mm or more from a boundary or building; a polycarbonate or non-combustible roof; non-combustible ceiling linings, wall cladding and gables; it doesn't hold up any part of the house; and with a shared roof and no ceiling, the gap above the house wall is infilled with non-combustible material. ABCB guidance says a side with a roller door isn't open. The house wall's own 900 mm rule still applies.

Add a screen, a storeroom or a door later and the exemption can disappear.

Building carports every week? Ask us about standard-detail pre-checks for repeat Class 10a work.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 H3D3 | ABCB Housing Provisions 9.2.4 and 9.2.8 (Explanatory Information on roller doors is guidance)

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.

26/10/2026

Sheds, carports, patios, decks and garages are a big part of what we do in the Redlands: more than 150 of them in the past 12 months.

They look simple. But the approval often turns on the details: how close to the boundary, what's under the ground, whether the site sits in a flood or bushfire overlay, and the engineering for the site's wind rating.

We check those at the start, so there are fewer surprises when it's time to install.

25/10/2026

Leaks love the places where systems meet.

Where a tiled roof meets a brick wall, the Housing Provisions call for an apron flashing at least 150 mm wide, moulded into the tiles, turned up the wall at least 75 mm. An overflashing built into the brickwork then covers the upturn, so water runs off the wall, onto the flashing and onto the tiles. Flashing joints lap at least 75 mm in the direction of flow. Metal roofs follow Part 7.2, which has different details.

A lower roof against a two-storey wall needs the junction drawn before anyone frames it.

Get the junction detail checked before framing.

Technical reference: NCC 2022 Vol. 2 H2P2 | ABCB Housing Provisions 7.3.3 and 5.7.4

General builder education only. Site conditions, building classification, setbacks and the approved design can change the requirement.