Michelle Carter is surveying progress at the construction site of her new home, while her husband Chris is busy working with a local builder.

Key points: Only a handful of houses have been completed nearly two years after the Tathra fire

Only a handful of houses have been completed nearly two years after the Tathra fire Master Builders' Denita Wawn says the most realistic timeframe for the current bushfire recovery is three to five years

Master Builders' Denita Wawn says the most realistic timeframe for the current bushfire recovery is three to five years Availability of builders in Gippsland, Victoria, timber supplies and local council resources have been flagged as potential issues

Michelle, Chris and their two adult sons are living in caravans on the property in Tathra, a beachside town on the New South Wales south coast.

The footings for the house were finally put down in June last year.

It's not where Michelle expected the project to be, nearly two years on from the fire that destroyed their home and more than 60 others in March 2018.

"I thought we'd be at the opposite end, that we'd be moving in or close to moving in — it's been a long two years," she said.

Thousands more feeling Tathra's pain

The current bushfire season is not over yet and thousands of homes have been destroyed across the country, including around 2,400 in New South Wales alone.

Following blazes over the weekend, dozens more are feared destroyed in the Bega Valley and properties have been lost outside Canberra.

As smoke rolled in over Tathra last week, it brought back memories of the ferocious fire that ripped over the ridge into the suburban streets of the coastal town in 2018.

"It was most definitely one of the most frightening experiences I've ever been through," said Michelle.

"I fled our home with no official warning. Someone came down our street frantically beeping their horn.

"The surf club was packed with people … from there we were evacuated to the river mouth. I just stood down there watching flames higher than the homes above me just engulf this area."

At the site where he is rebuilding one of the homes lost on that Sunday afternoon, Tony Rettke recalls watching the fire approach.

"I lived across the road and I was in this house, probably in this very position, when it was coming through the mildly-dense forest behind here, thinking we could have a beer and watch it go past," the Tathra builder said.

But before he could have a drink with his friend, embers lit up a palm tree down the road.

Tony returned to his own house to hose it down, before police drove down the street, urging residents to leave.

Nearly two years on, Tony is rebuilding two houses next to each other on that street.

Another local builder is working on a third, while some other blocks on the street remain empty.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 42 seconds 42 s Tathra still rebuilding two years after devastating fire ( Supplied: Tony Rettke )

There was strong initial interest in rebuilding — Tony estimates around half a dozen locals were on the doorstep of his small building business in the days immediately following the blaze.

However, to date, around 10 homes have finished rebuilding, with a similar number under construction — less than a third of those destroyed.

Building designer Wendy Bergsma witnessed a similar trend.

"I did plans for a house just across the road," she said from the balcony of her Tathra home, which sustained some damage but avoided destruction.

"They wanted the plans done immediately after the fires, but they haven't even started rebuilding."

Wendy lived through the Canberra fires of 2003, during which her home sustained significant damage. It was an experience that led to her family leaving the area.

Building designer Wendy Bergsma lived through fires in Canberra and Tathra. ( ABC News: John Gunn )

She says the emotional impact of the experience can't be underestimated and is a significant contributor to the time it takes for towns to rebuild.

"You're not making really clear decisions straight away … there's people I know who are so traumatised here in Tathra now that the thought of putting together a plan on their block is just too much."

Bushfire building requirements delay reconstruction

Michelle and Chris Carter spent the first few months following the fire moving into a rental, replacing important documents and dealing with their insurance company.

The next hurdle, which proved to be a major delay for their rebuild, was getting a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) designated for their property.

The BAL system was introduced following the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission and given properties in bushfire prone areas a rating from "low" to "flame zone", determining design and construction requirements.

14 months after the fire, the Carter's final plans were approved and rebuilding commenced. ( ABC News: Stephanie Chalmers )

BAL ratings affect the cost of rebuilding and the cost of insuring a property, with insurer AAMI estimating the additional costs can range from $16,000 to $277,000.

The Carter's property was designated at BAL 40, one below flame zone, a standard they could not afford to rebuild to, with Chris already doing the labour himself to keep costs down.

"One of the biggest hurdles was that we couldn't get the RFS back on site, so the BAL rating was determined using an aerial photograph before the fire," said Michelle.

"Before the fire, yes we were heavily treed and we had a canopy that stood at home level but after the fire there was so much damage, that if you looked at it you would say … you should be in a different BAL rating.

"My husband spent months and months clearing the dead trees and debris and trying to design a home that satisfied the distances that the RFS require for you to get back into a different BAL rating."

The Carter's rebuild was eventually allowed to proceed to a BAL 29 standard, and 14 months after the fire, the plans were finally approved.

Builder Tony Rettke also said BAL ratings delayed homes he was contracted to rebuild.

"We couldn't even start the design until [the BAL rating] was recognised, so that was a delay of months."

Nearly two years on from the March 2018 fires, only a handful of houses have finished construction. ( ABC News: John Gunn )

In the wake of the most recent fires, the building industry is urging governments to act swiftly if BAL ratings are to be changed in particular areas.

"That decision needs to be made sooner rather than later, so that people have got certainty about what they need to look at when they are looking to rebuild," said Master Builders chief executive Denita Wawn.

Builder and materials shortages likely to slow rebuilding

As a small local builder, Tony already had a full pipeline of projects, which clients agreed to delay so the bushfire rebuilds could take priority.

"You'd think the builders would be rubbing their hands together saying, 'what a great thing', building-wise, but it hasn't been. Nobody in town really needed this extra, additional work," he said.

Tathra builder Tony Rettke already had a full pipeline of projects before the fire. ( ABC News: John Gunn )

He allowed for the higher demand for local tradies in the timelines for the bushfire rebuilds.

"We've needed that, every bit of it, to use the same plumbers or tilers or roofers … it has taken a bit longer, particularly if you want to keep up the same quality."

Ms Wawn of Master Builders says there should be enough local builders to cover the rebuilding work in their local areas, although there may be a shortage in Gippsland.

"We've facilitated discussions between Master Builders Victoria and the Insurance Council to see if we can organise to fill those gaps," she said.

In terms of materials, builders are keeping an eye on timber supplies, with plantations affected in the Kangaroo Island blaze this summer, as well as across south-eastern NSW.

"We have already been experiencing timber shortages in the country, so that may well be an issue, although immediately we don't think there will be," said Ms Wawn.

"A huge number of outbuildings and water tanks have also been destroyed, and already we're hearing of a shortage of sheds in particular."

Local governments expect to come under pressure when plans start to flood in for approval and have requested assistance.

All these logistical challenges add up to a significant project, many multiples bigger than the aftermath of the Tathra fires.

"I think realistically you're looking at a three-to-five-year window," said Ms Wawn.

"Yes, these communities need to be rebuilt eventually, but in the short-term they need that immediate support, in terms of clean up, in terms of temporary accommodation and also that financial and mental health support."

In Tathra, building designer Wendy Bergsma says time can allow for considered rebuilds in bushfire prone areas.

"Bushfire design is not just about complying with the Bushfire Attack Level ratings," she said, noting that the legacy stock of older houses in towns like Tathra would not be built to the new bushfire standards.

"There's so much we can do to buildings to make sure they're designed well for a bushfire, from an ember attack point of view, from the shape of the roofs to not having many gutters."

Twenty-two months after the Tathra fires, not everyone wants to rebuild, with 'for sale' signs popping up on vacant blocks.

However, Michelle and Chris Carter are happy they decided to stay and rebuild.

"It's hard with two boys living in a caravan, we trip over each other's feet and whatever else," said Michelle.