More than a decade on, the couple live on the same block in the same street but in a very different home to the architect-designed timber building that shared an open plan native garden with three other properties that were destroyed the day Canberra burned.

Mr Hingee is the first to admit the original home was the wrong house in the wrong place at the wrong time.

''I've spent a lot of time thinking about that day,'' he said. ''There is probably an element of post-traumatic stress in what I've done (but) I am an engineer and when you are presented with a problem you try to fix it.''

The new home, which took out a major ACT architectural award in 2005, has a ground-floor built of masonry. The upper storey is clad in mini-orb, windows are metal-framed, double glazed, flyscreened with steel mesh and equipped with custom-made fire shutters. The roof has been prefabricated using double skinned metal panels with a solid insulation foam sandwiched between them.

There is a sprinkler system, operated by its own pump and generator, to spray water over the roof, exterior walls decks.

A small bunker, with scuba gear and oxygen, has been built inside the fire-proofed double garage on the most sheltered side of the home.

The bunker is not intended to support life for days. Even the worst firestorm passes in 10 or 15 minutes. After that it is imperative to get back outside to fight the spot fires.

Mr Hingee dismisses any suggestion his apparently compulsive level of bushfire preparation is an overreaction, saying that unless you have lived through the worst you do not know just how bad it can get.

''I would never have believed the fire could have been so fierce, the sky so black, the flames so high or the winds so strong,'' he said. ''At their worst the winds were up to 250km/h. It was terrifying, the noise was amazing - like jumbo jets taking off (just) over your head.''

The most terrifying moment was when he was chased down the driveway by a seemingly malevolent and potentially explosive fireball.

Mr Hingee believes there is a strong chance Duffy will burn again and, if it does, the destruction will be almost as complete. All of the risk factors, such as proximity to the forest, remain, and most homes have been rebuilt in the same way.

He says nothing was done in the reconstruction period to guarantee water and electricity security and that more should have been done to mandate fire resistant replacement housing.

If and when the fire comes back he expects to be fighting it on his own.

''They're not going to send fire trucks up here,'' he said. ''There is only one road in and out. We lost power and water pressure almost as soon as the fire reached us. Our plan is that Melissa would leave with the important stuff and I would stay to put out spot fires after the fire front passes. If you don't have a house that will protect you, a defendable home, (like his) you should leave (before the fire arrives).''