Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

An Off-the-Grid Prefab in Australia Uses Salvaged Iron as Camo

An Off-the-Grid Prefab in Australia Uses Salvaged Iron as Camo

Disguised as a humble farm shed, the prefabricated Tintaldra Cabin is a cool, contemporary home that goes completely off the grid in the Australian countryside.

Design/build firm Modscape built this single-module home in their Brooklyn factory and installed it on-site in just one day. Commissioned by a client who splits his time between Australia and France, the 700-square-foot cabin was designed to withstand long periods of vacancy without drawing unwanted attention.



"[The client] didn’t want to worry about people breaking into it when he wasn’t there," said Jan Gyrn, managing director at Modscape. "So we took from the surrounding architecture to create a dwelling that to people driving by on the road would look like a shed. He wanted it to be quite subdued…almost like it didn’t exist." To disguise the home, Jan and his team clad the boxy cabin in recycled, corrugated iron sourced from salvage yards.



The entire building, from the cladding to the fixtures, was finished in Modscape’s factory and cost about $146,000. Six-panel construction was used for the shell, bolstered with the heavy insulation, to achieve an R-value of 5.7. All the windows are low-E and double-glazed.

The completed cabin was shipped five hours from the factory to the property, and the client moved in one week after installation.



"We spent a long time figuring out the siting," explains Jan, adding that the client purchased the property because of its proximity to Australia’s longest river, the Murray River.

The home, set on the river’s southern banks, is oriented on a north-south axis to optimize views while minimizing summer heat gain and heat loss in winter.



"The interior is quite a contrast to the outside," said Jan, describing the modern finish with white walls, clean lines, and contemporary fittings. The minimalist light-filled interior features an open-plan kitchen, living, and dining area that opens out to a spacious outdoor deck. The master bedroom is tucked into the southern end of the unit.

A 5kW solar system is installed on the roof, enough to power the LED lights and other appliances. A Nectre wood-burning fireplace offers heating in winter, while a small air-conditioning unit can be used in summer. A rainwater tank and septic tank further minimize the home's environmental impact.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
×