David and Caroline lost their beautiful home to the devastating bushfires that ripped through Mornington Peninsula in 2016. Located on a picturesque 2.5 acres at Crib Point, their predominantly timber-clad home was a treasure trove of years of racing car memorabilia, trophies, and eclectic collectibles acquired over many years of David's racing and travelling.
When fire threatened their home, they began packing their important possessions and sought refuge for the day in the nearest evacuation centre. However, they returned home when they were informed that all was well and safe. Later that day, with no warning and no time to spare, David and Caroline were notified to evacuate immediately when the wind suddenly changed direction, bringing the fire rapidly towards their location.
While they were able to make a hasty escape, their home, unfortunately, took the brunt of the fire and was completely destroyed.
"In the wake of losing all your worldly possessions, you cannot even begin to imagine the undertaking of starting all over again," said David after the fire – a feeling that would resonate with many others who have recently lost their homes to the fires.
Though it was distressing to start all over again, David, determined to ‘get on with it’, approached ZEGO Building Systems in early 2016 with the idea of rebuilding the footprint of his original home. He not only wanted to build more efficiently but also incorporate building materials suitable for a BAL-FZ location.
David and Caroline did get on with it, completing their home rebuild in less than 5 months. Paying no heed to comments that it would take them years to rebuild, David appointed experienced ZEGO installers out of Melbourne who set up camp onsite for a week to build the ZEGO walls. The simplicity of the interlock and intersect of the modular formwork design allowed for a quick and straightforward installation with the superstructure ready in 7-10 days.
Due to the BAL-FZ location of their home, they built with ZEGO FireFORM with a 150mm concrete core to achieve maximum fire rating. The added bonus of the 120mm insulating foam panels provided a thermal insulating envelope to create a highly energy efficient structure that would save David and Caroline substantially on heating and cooling costs for all the years to come.
"ZEGO provided the highest level of technical service and support throughout the whole building process, giving us the confidence that we were building a home for the future and should a fire ever come through again, this time around the home would withstand the fire."
If you have recently lost your home or been affected by the bushfires, the team at ZEGO Building Systems are here to assist you.
