Driving down the steep rutted mountain track and being greeted by a derelict caravan and rugged bushland might have sent some people scarpering right back to the top. But not Dennis and Karen Jones. They could see the potential and spectacular views that were ripe for the picking. The block was also in a bushfire-prone area. It was purchased in 2013, and before settlement, raging bushfires swept through.
“We returned to a vastly different block enveloped in an unnerving stillness, blackened and devoid of life,” recall Dennis and Karen. “The loss came with a blessing as the fire had burnt the dense undergrowth, opened the valley and blue mountain views, and suddenly our dream to retire in a beautiful spot became more real.”
They needed a home that was robust, and near indestructible to withstand the very real threat of further bushfires, high winds, snow, extreme cold and high altitude. And so the idea of a container home was born. Dennis began to research and plan what their future abode might look like. “The hundreds of hours of teeth grinding are testament to the thought and engineering Dennis put into every aspect of the build,” says Karen.
The couple are empty nesters in their 60s and nearing retirement. They wanted a home that was supremely self-sufficient. “The only house bill we were prepared to accept was rates,” they say. A house made of containers is an innovative concept. It’s constructed from seven 40ft-high cube containers and has five different levels. Karen and Dennis explain that five are stacked like Jenga to create a large atrium. “The sixth is upright and the spine of the home, encasing the stairs up to a viewing platform at the very top,” they share. Container number seven is also upright. Its job is to support the external deck and 12m-long walkway.
The design changed early in the process when it was decided to install a full basement. “However, once the final DA went through, there were no changes and the design stayed true to Dennis’s first vision,” says Karen.
The basement houses the Tesla battery system, hot water and storage pumps. The atrium is light-filled, with huge glass sliding doors and a ceiling that seems to touch the sky. There is a fireplace on one side and a wood-fired oven on the kitchen side. “This mimics how First Nations people kept warm with their fires each side, sitting snug in between,” comment Dennis and Karen.
The container on the right-hand side of the atrium houses the office, and there’s also a home theatre in a style reminiscent of their hometown in New Zealand.
On level three are the bedrooms, a master and two small additional bedrooms. The garden view, level four, has two large triangular windows that provide airflow and ventilation. The top level has a viewing platform which offers views guaranteed to take your breath away.
The more you look, the more the many layers of this spacious and impressive home are revealed. There are quirky touches too, including a “Dennis special” dummy waiter-style elevator down to the basement for easy loading of firewood.
The home has been oriented and designed to capture the views. It harnesses light and its subtle nuances at different times of the day.
The project was not without its share of challenges, among them the many hoops the couple had to jump through being owner-builders and constructing an off-grid house on a steeply sloped site. “It took months to get the DA through council and long delays with severe weather, shortage of tradesmen, Dennis’s health, and the loss of both our dads in that time,” says Karen. “However, together we got through it and we couldn’t be happier and prouder of our achievement.”
