Out where the W6D Firetrail leaves the last of the streets near Warragamba Public School, the homes in this part of Silverdale sit right against bushland. Many are brick veneer and acreage homes from the 1980s and 1990s, with a scatter of newer builds, and most still carry the single glazed windows they were built with. When you replace them, the bush on your boundary shapes the decision as much as the view does.
Key takeaways
- Bushfire prone land in NSW is mapped by councils with the NSW Rural Fire Service, and a site assessment sets the Bushfire Attack Level that your windows must meet.
- The Australian Building Codes Board’s construction standard for bushfire prone areas sets window requirements by rating band, covering glass type, frame material and screening.
- Toughened glass, tight fitting frames and fine metal mesh screens handle most lower and middle rating bands; the highest bands need shutters or tested systems.
- West facing glass on an open block also cops summer heat, so the same upgrade is a chance to sort comfort at the same time.
- Newage makes to measure in Smeaton Grange, installs with its own team and advises on approvals before anything is ordered.
Why does the bushfire rating decide the window before anything else?
Because the rating sets the minimum the window has to achieve, and everything else is a preference layered on top. A block backing onto bush off the W6A Firetrail is usually rated differently from one closer to Warragamba Civic Park.
The rating comes from an assessment of vegetation, slope and distance to the bush, done by a qualified bushfire consultant or certifier. What Newage can do is read the rating and tell you which of its made to measure aluminium windows from the Smeaton Grange workshop meet it, and where a different glass or screen is needed.
What glass and screens do the different rating bands usually need?
In general terms, the lower and middle bands are met with toughened glass of a minimum thickness, or with ordinary glass protected by a fine metal mesh screen, and the higher bands step up to thicker toughened glass, screens on all openable parts and, at the top, bushfire shutters or fully tested assemblies. The exact pairing depends on your rating and whether the window opens.
The table below is a plain language summary, not a substitute for the standard or your assessor’s report.
| Rating band | Glass | Screens on openable parts | What it usually means for frames |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low (ember attack) | Toughened glass, or ordinary glass behind mesh | Fine metal mesh, openings around 2 mm or less | Aluminium frames are generally acceptable |
| Middle (radiant heat) | Toughened glass of greater thickness | Mesh screens required on openable sections | Aluminium frames are generally acceptable with correct glazing |
| High (flame contact likely) | Tested glazing systems or shutters | Shutters or tested screens over the whole opening | The full window assembly must be tested as a unit |
One point matters for Silverdale homeowners: the mesh that satisfies ember protection is the same kind of fine metal mesh used in security screens, so a screened opening can do two jobs.
Which window styles work on a bushland block in this part of Silverdale?
Awning windows and fixed panes are the easiest to specify, because a fixed pane has no gap to screen and an awning sash seals firmly against its frame when closed. Sliding windows work too, but the sliding sash needs a screen over the opening side, which is simple to build in when the window is made new.
Many homes in this part of Silverdale have long west or north west elevations looking toward the bush, with big single glazed sliders in the living areas. Replacing those with a mix of fixed panes and screened awning or sliding sections keeps the view, gives you ventilation and makes the ember screening part of the window rather than an afterthought. Have a look at awning windows if the room needs airflow in wet weather, since they can stay open while it rains.
Newage reads your bushfire assessment and tells you which aluminium windows meet it before anything is ordered. Call 0408 585 846 for a free on site measure.
How do you keep the bush view without cooking the room in summer?
Toughened glass meets the bushfire requirement but does nothing special for heat, so on a west facing wall you pair it with a low E coating or go to double glazing. Western Sydney summers hit homes near Warragamba hard in the late afternoon, and plain glass facing the paddock turns a living room into a hot box.
Double glazed units can be built with a toughened outer pane, so there is no conflict between the bushfire rating and comfort. Newage makes double glazed windows in the same frames as its single glazed range, and the earlier article on which glass works on a large open block in Silverdale goes through the glass options in detail.
Do new windows on a bushfire prone block need council approval in NSW?
Often not, but it depends on what you are changing. In NSW, replacing a window with one of the same size in the same opening is commonly treated as minor work that does not need a development application, provided the new window meets the construction standards that apply to the site, including the bushfire standard on mapped land.
The picture changes when you enlarge an opening, cut a new one, remove structure, alter a heritage listed home or make changes as part of a larger renovation. Those paths usually run through a private certifier or the council, and the certifier will ask for evidence that the glazing matches the rating.
Newage advises on this before you commit. If a job looks like it will need sign off, the team tells you up front, supplies the product details a certifier asks for and sizes the windows so the installed result matches the paperwork. Read more about how Newage works and who does the installing.
What are the steps from first measure to installed windows?
Once the rating is known the job runs in a straight line. This is the order Newage follows around Silverdale and Warragamba.
- Confirm the rating Get your Bushfire Attack Level from an assessor or your existing building documents before choosing anything.
- Free on site measure A Newage installer measures each opening, checks the wall construction and notes which sides face the bush and the afternoon sun.
- Written quote You receive a written quote listing each window, its glass, screens and colour, with the bushfire requirement matched line by line.
- Approval check Newage flags any opening that will need certifier or council sign off and supplies the product details for it.
- Made in Smeaton Grange The windows are fabricated to measure in the Blackmore Rd workshop, about 21 km from this part of Silverdale.
- Installed by the Newage team The same company fits them, seals the perimeter to the standard and removes the old units.
Every window for your Silverdale home is made to measure about 21 km away and fitted by Newage installers. Ask for a written quote on 0408 585 846.
Which details around the frame matter as much as the glass?
Gaps. Embers get in through openings smaller than most people expect, so the seal between frame and wall, the weather strips on the sashes and the screening over any vent matter as much as the pane. A good window badly sealed will not pass.
When Newage installs on a bushland block it seals the perimeter so there is no clear path from outside to the cavity, fits screens that sit tight to the frame and covers weep holes with the same fine mesh. These are the things an assessor checks.
Colour matters too. Dark frames absorb more heat on a west wall, so many homeowners near the bush choose mid tone or pale finishes on the exposed elevation.
What homeowners near Warragamba Public School usually run into
The homes on the Silverdale side of Warragamba Public School and the Warragamba Recreation Reserve tend to be older brick veneer and acreage builds, and many still have their original aluminium or timber windows. Installers commonly find frames that have moved as the slab or piers settled and large living room sliders that were never screened on the opening side, so the new window needs to be measured carefully rather than copied from the old one.
The second pattern is heat. Many homes in this part of Silverdale were built with the main glass facing the view to the west or north west, which is also where the afternoon sun and the prevailing hot winds come from. The windows are usually single glazed and unshaded, and new aluminium windows with toughened, low E or double glazed panes fix the glass side of that problem in one go.
The third is paperwork. Many homes here predate the current bushfire construction rules, so the owners have never had a rating done. It is the first thing to sort out, and Newage will not order glass for a bushland block until the rating is settled.
Finally, installers see good intentions undone by small gaps: mesh left open at a corner, subfloor vents never screened, a sill gap filled with foam alone. A new window is the easiest moment to get the seal right.
Planning new windows in Silverdale?
The Newage workshop at Unit 2/16 Blackmore Rd, Smeaton Grange is about 21 km from this part of Silverdale, close enough for the installer who measures your openings to be the one who fits the windows. Newage has been making aluminium windows made to measure in Smeaton Grange since 2009, with more than 2,500 projects behind it and a 4.7 star rating on Google.
Bring your bushfire rating to the first conversation if you have it. Newage also covers Glenmore Park and the surrounding Western Sydney suburbs, so the measure can usually be booked for a day the team is already out this way. Call 0408 585 846, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm or Saturday 8am to 1pm, for a free on site measure and written quote.
Newage has made and installed aluminium windows across Sydney and surrounding regions since 2009. Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm.
FAQ
Who sets the bushfire rating for my block?
A qualified bushfire consultant or an accredited certifier assesses the vegetation, slope and distance from the bush and issues the Bushfire Attack Level for the site. A window maker cannot set it. Newage reads the rating you provide and matches glass, screens and frames to it, and can explain how to arrange an assessment.
Can aluminium frames be used on a bushfire prone block?
In general terms, yes for the lower and middle rating bands, where aluminium frames with toughened glass and fine mesh screens on openable sections commonly meet the standard. In the highest bands the whole window is assessed as a tested system, so the options narrow. Newage confirms what applies once your rating is known.
Do screened windows also protect against embers?
Fine metal mesh with small openings on anything that opens is the usual form of ember protection in the lower bands, and it is the same kind of mesh used in security screens. The screen must sit tight to the frame with no corner gaps, which is simpler when it is built into a new window.
Will new windows in Silverdale need council approval?
Replacing a window with one of the same size in the same opening is commonly treated as minor work in NSW, provided it meets the construction standards for the site, including the bushfire standard on mapped land. Enlarging openings, adding new ones or heritage work usually needs certifier or council sign off. Newage advises before you commit.
Can I get double glazing that also meets the bushfire rating?
Yes. Double glazed units can be made with a toughened outer pane, so the same window handles the bushfire requirement and afternoon heat on a west facing wall. Newage makes double glazed windows in the same aluminium frames as its single glazed range, so the look stays consistent across the house.
