Sealed in steal and safe as houses, or come to think of it safer than houses.
The Country Life
​
After a lifetime of teaching, retiring to the beautiful Flinders Ranges was my idea of heaven I bought a quaint stone cottage, in need of a few repairs on a few acres and started developing my Shangri-La. Planting fruit trees, grape vines, herbs vegetables and an ornamental garden was great, the soil was fertile and everything grew. Harvesting the food I ate was a buzz. This area in South Australia is a low rainfall area, and South Australia is the driest state in Australia, which just happens to be the driest habitable continent on Earth. So why was everything looking so good, there was dry grass where normally it was dry earth and green grass where normally it was dry, the weeds were thriving but so was my garden. It was great, and I observed with academic interest the way the hawks and other predatory birds would swoop down snatch a mouse from the paddock and hurry back to their nest and after a few weeks would be back teaching their young how to hunt. At that time however I was ignorant of the life cycle of the local native mice, and so I pottered away in blissful ignorance.
The local field mice had adapted over the millennia to their harsh conditions so only went into a breeding cycle after rain so in a drought few mouse problems. We had enjoyed a wet year and the mice bred, the young produced would become sexually mature after only a matter of weeks, and if it rained could breed. So numbers could and did escalate pretty fast. It went from plenty of food for the birds of prey to too many for them to control. The cats and the Sleepy Lizards were fat and so well fed that the mice could run over them in safety. The mice never came to live in the house but would descend upon it as a ravenous hoard devouring all in its path, then steal quietly back to their nests and sleep content with the contents of my pantry in their round little tummies.
Something had to be done! After several highly creative but unsuccessful solutions the problem was finally solved. From time to time people give away a thing they no longer need and that is how I gained a nice clean upright freezer that no longer worked and a small fridge in similar condition. They were ideal pantry cupboards. My food was safe, “Sealed in steel and safe as houses.” as the canning industry had proudly proclaimed a few years ago, and when considering my house considerably safer.
My problems seemed solved everything was stored in the top cupboards other than food which was stored in the old fridge and freezer, but the mice were still around. Every so often there was a horrible squeaking and squealing as a sleepy lizard caught and ate one. Yes, the sleepy lizards were still coming in hunting them. Several friends warned me about snakes saying, “If a sleepy can get in a snake certainly can.” but I hadn’t seen a snake since moving here so wasn’t at all concerned despite the fact that the council was doing major works on the old railway dam and displacing a number of the residents, my fish pond had frogs for the first time ever.
Then the mice disappeared, I saw them running around in the paddocks and the garden but virtually none in the house. I continued on in blissful ignorance believing I and I alone had rid my house of mice. That is until one day I came home to a nasty surprise.
As I approached the front door I could see a slight movement behind the fly wire of the screen door, which I dismissed as a shadow but as we approached my dog Muppet was barking and snarling with all the ferocity that a geriatric one toothed fluff ball can muster so I was a little more cautious than I would otherwise have been. Holding the writhing snarling Muppet under one arm I carefully opened the door and moved back keeping the door between me and the shadow which suddenly materialised into a brown snake, which leisurely slid across the veranda. The snakes head crossed the line grooved into the concrete when the veranda had been laid over a hundred years before. I peeped around the screen door. The snake was sliding out from under the front door via that depression made in all old doorsteps by the generations that have passed through there. I glanced back at the snakes head; it was still moving away and had passed a second line but I knew if it felt threatened it could attack me in a fraction of a second.
I stood still clutching Muppets muzzle, so that her noise and movement wouldn’t spark an attack as the head crossed a third line and finally the end of the tail slid out from under the door. The snake slid off the veranda and into the garden, disappearing among the geranium and daisy bushes. The snake had to be at least eight feet long!! My head was pounding. I was shaking all over. I felt sick. I ran back to the car still clutching Muppet and sat there shaking in mortal terror.
My daughter had on a number of occasions referred to the poor standard of the cottage, and had found plans for various small transportable houses that I could get to, as she put it, have somewhere safe to eat and sleep. I had dismissed all these ideas including a converted container house which I saw as a third world option. The container home now started to develop some appeal, I’d like to see the mouse that could gnaw its way through heavy steel and double glazing, to let in snakes. I looked it up on the internet; didn’t look to bad, and the price was in my almost manageable range. Got a quote a quote from Samuel at container homes designer domain then checked around again it definitely seemed value for money. So I placed an order, my first internet purchase. Several friends said “Why a house? Why not start with something small like a book?” It was hard actually parting with the money and I very nearly backed out at the last minute but was reminded of my long skinny visitor and asked wether it needed to bite me next time for me to see sense so I paid up and waited for the delivery.
The site had a large dilapidated shed full of rubbish covering it, so that had to be prepared. I started work sorting stuff and taking some to the dump and some to the scrap metal dealers, but was making little progress until a friend and my daughter and her husband came to the rescue, and the job was completed and was ready for my container home. I did have to put up with some good natured comments about the snake and its claimed length until it put in an appearance and from then on it was claimed I had understated rather than over stating its size. This wasn’t a real comfort. I was starting to count off the days to my containers arrival.
​
While it was being built Samuel had sent some pictures and it looked OK but when it arrived I was stunned. It was great and far exceeded my expectations. It is really comfortable. There is a compact easy to work in kitchen, and a neat bathroom with a shower, hand basin, a toilet with a soft close lid, exhaust fan/light and a nice big mirror. From the lounge I can see the township of Orroroo and the hills to the West. Each morning I am woken by the Sun as it rises over Black Rock, the highest hill in the range to the East. If I am awake at night I can stare out through the double glazed sliding doors at the black night sky and the millions of stars, and know that this is most definitely not third world, its heaven, or pretty close to it. I sleep peacefully each night sealed in steal and safe as houses, or come to think of it safer than houses.
Jacquie von der Borch
Flinders Rangers Orroroo

More Blog Articles
Australia is changing. Families need faster housing options, developers need smarter building solutions, regional communities need practical accommodation, and businesses need strong buildings that can be delivered without the long delays of traditional construction. That is where Container Homes Designer Domain Pty Ltd (CHDD) comes in. CHDD designs and delivers custom modular steel homes, cabins, offices, worker accommodation, commercial buildings and scalable modular communities across Australia. These are not simple container conversions. They are strong, comfortable and practical modular buildings designed for real Australian conditions. Build a Home, Not a Box Many people hear “container home” and imagine a basic metal box. CHDD takes a very different approach. Our buildings are designed as real living and working spaces. They can include kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, laundries, storage, insulation, double-glazed windows, sliding doors, decks, solar options and quality finishes. The goal is simple: create buildings that are practical, comfortable and made to suit the way Australians live and work. Built for Real Australian Conditions Australia presents unique building challenges. Heat, wind, distance, transport costs, remote locations and changing site conditions all affect how a building performs. CHDD modular steel buildings are designed with these challenges in mind. Strong steel construction, smart layouts and transportable modular design make them suitable for a wide range of projects, from private homes to remote worker accommodation. Whether the project is in a regional town, on rural land, near the coast, on a tourism site or in a remote work location, modular steel construction offers strength, speed and flexibility. More Than Homes CHDD supports a wide range of modular building solutions, including: Container Homes Custom modular steel homes designed for comfortable everyday living. Granny Flats and Secondary Dwellings Smart compact housing for family, rental income or extra space. Eco Tourism Cabins Fast-deploying cabins for farm stays, retreats, resorts and regional tourism projects. Worker Accommodation Durable modular buildings for farms, mining, infrastructure, construction and remote projects. Modular Communities Scalable housing solutions for councils, developers, government projects, social housing, emergency accommodation and regional communities. Commercial Buildings Offices, classrooms, medical rooms, amenities, laundries, kitchens and site facilities. The Future Is Modular Communities Australia needs faster, smarter and more affordable housing solutions. Traditional construction can be slow, expensive and difficult to manage, especially in regional or remote areas. Modular communities offer a practical alternative. Instead of building one structure at a time using slow on-site methods, modular steel buildings can be designed, manufactured and deployed in a more efficient way. This makes them ideal for housing projects, worker villages, emergency accommodation, tourism developments and community housing. CHDD’s vision is to help create practical, comfortable and scalable modular communities built for real people, real needs and real Australian conditions. Why Choose CHDD? CHDD brings together custom design, strong steel construction and practical modular thinking. Every project can be adapted to suit the client’s land, lifestyle, budget and purpose. Whether it is a small cabin, a family home, a commercial building or a complete modular village, the focus remains the same: strength, comfort, speed and flexibility. CHDD buildings can include: Fully functional kitchens and bathrooms Climate insulation Heating and cooling options Double-glazed windows and sliding doors Fold-out decks and outdoor living spaces Solar and off-grid power options Water storage and treatment systems Custom internal layouts Strong steel structure Transportable modular design A Smarter Way to Build Modular steel construction is not just about speed. It is about creating smarter building solutions that suit modern Australian needs. For families, it can mean getting into a home faster. For landowners, it can mean adding extra accommodation or rental income. For tourism operators, it can mean expanding accommodation quickly. For businesses, it can mean practical offices, amenities and site buildings. For councils and government bodies, it can mean scalable housing solutions for communities that need support. CHDD is helping move modular construction beyond the idea of a simple container and into the future of real homes, real buildings and real communities. Start Your Modular Project Whether you are planning a private home, granny flat, eco cabin, worker village, commercial building or modular community, CHDD can help turn your idea into a practical building solution. Container Homes Designer Domain Pty Ltd Phone: 02 9056 5028 Email: info@containerhomes.net.au Website: www.containerhomes.au Build smarter. Build stronger. Build modular
Yes — modular containers are very suitable for commercial buildings , especially when they are purpose-built , engineered and fitted out for the intended use. For Container Homes, the strongest commercial uses include: Site offices Command centres and control rooms Warehouses and storage buildings Worker accommodation Lunchrooms and staff amenities Public toilets and ablution blocks Pop-up shops and mobile food outlets Classrooms and training rooms Remote project facilities Mining, civil, infrastructure and industrial site buildings Your own documents support this positioning. Container Homes is described as being engaged in the design, manufacture and supply of modular prefabricated structures , and the Newpave/Roadtek project was specifically for modular command-centre units . They are suitable because commercial clients usually need buildings that are: Fast to deploy — your premium quote compares Container Homes manufacturing time at 6–10 weeks , compared with typical building time of 6–12 months . Strong and durable — your specifications include LGS structural frame, galvanised steel components, AAC/Hebel wall panels, Colorbond roofing, insulation, double-glazed aluminium windows and doors . Flexible — your website already has product categories for commercial trailers, containerized integration, flat-pack buildings, mobile food and pop-up shops, public toilets, remote work camps and steel construction. Cost controlled — modular buildings can be quoted as a defined supply package, while traditional building costs often move due to labour, weather, site delays and variations. Your quotation highlights “fixed supply cost” compared with typical variable builder costs. A strong website answer would be: Yes, modular container buildings are highly suitable for commercial use. They can be designed as offices, warehouses, command centres, classrooms, public amenities, worker accommodation, retail spaces and industrial site facilities. Because they are manufactured off-site using engineered steel systems, they can often be delivered faster, with less disruption and better cost control than many traditional building methods. The important disclaimer is that each project still needs to satisfy council approval, site access, engineering, fire safety, accessibility, services, certification and intended-use requirements . For commercial projects, the design should be planned around the business use from the beginning, not treated like a simple converted shipping container.
What Is a Tiny Home on Wheels?
