A wildlife hospital can’t put a “closed” sign on the door while the builders are in. Animals keep coming in whether there’s a renovation on or not. That was the situation at Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital when it needed more room, and it’s why a container extension made sense.
The extension is one 40ft and one 20ft shipping container, fully finished in our South Lismore factory in September and October 2022. A large crane lifted them into place at flood height on steel support frames, and we did the roof install. In the video below, the hospital’s founder, Steven Van Mill, says it went in in about 10 days and sits on flood-proof bases. The hospital kept operating the whole way through. It gained a reception, staff and admin areas, a ward, and a lean-to with a laundry and recovery cages.
Watch: Steven Van Mill on the extension
We posted this video in December 2023. Steven talks through the job on camera himself, so you’re hearing it from the client, not from us.
What the hospital needed from the extension
The brief was a mix of front-of-house, back-office and care space, all in one modular extension:
- Reception – a proper front desk for people bringing animals in.
- Staff and admin areas – room for the team to work away from the treatment side.
- A ward – more space for animals in care.
- A lean-to with a laundry and recovery cages – the practical back-of-house work that never stops in a hospital.
That’s a lot of different uses for two containers, one 40ft and one 20ft. It’s also a good example of what a commercial container building can be: not a site shed, but a fitted-out part of a working facility.
Why a shipping container extension suited a working hospital
Most of the work happens away from the site
This extension was fully completed in our South Lismore factory before it went to site. The steel work, framing and fit-out were done under cover in our workshop, not next door to the patients. That means a business isn’t living with trades outside its rooms for months while an extension is framed, roofed and lined on site.
A short site window
Steven puts the install at about 10 days. For a business that has to keep trading, that’s the number that matters. A short site window means less noise, fewer vehicles and less disruption to the day-to-day running of the place.
On site, a large crane lifted the two containers into place on steel support frames, and we did the roof install.
Flood-proof bases in the Northern Rivers
Everyone in the Northern Rivers remembers the 2022 floods that hit Lismore and the surrounding region. This extension went in later that same year, and Steven says on camera that it sits on flood-proof bases. The containers were craned in and set high above flood level on steel support frames. Because a container is a rigid steel structure with its own floor, it can sit up on a steel frame like that instead of on a slab at ground level. The base for any job is engineered to suit the site.
A container extension vs a conventional extension
A conventional extension usually means footings, framing, roofing, lining and services all built on site, right beside the rooms you’re still trying to use. A modular extension flips that around. The building is made in the factory while the site is prepared, and the site work is mostly bases, delivery, services and connection.
Approvals don’t disappear. A container extension still goes through council or a certifier like any other building, and the design is engineered for the site. What changes is how much of the job happens on your doorstep.
It’s also why a portable building extension built from shipping containers can work well for businesses that are short on time and can’t shut down. You can see the range of formats we build on our commercial container buildings page.
The hospital extension was built in South Lismore, about an hour’s drive from Byron Bay. If you want to know why we build locally rather than importing kits, we’ve covered that in Australian-made shipping container buildings.
What other businesses can take from this job
You don’t need to run an animal hospital for this to apply. Vet clinics, medical practices, offices and community groups all run into the same problem: they need more room and can’t afford to close while they get it. If your extension is mostly office and admin space, our post on shipping container offices is worth a read too.
Before you call us, it helps to have a rough answer to these questions:
- What rooms do you need, and which ones need water, waste or extra power?
- Will the extension stand on its own, or does it need to connect to your existing building?
- Can a truck and crane get into the site?
- Is the land flood-prone or under any bushfire or other overlay?
- Do you need to keep operating during the install?
Bring those answers, a site plan and some photos, and we can tell you quickly whether a container extension suits your job.
Frequently asked questions
How long did the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital extension take to install?
The hospital’s founder, Steven Van Mill, says on camera that it went in in about 10 days. The two containers, one 40ft and one 20ft, were fully finished in our South Lismore factory in September and October 2022, then craned into place.
Did the hospital have to close during the build?
No. The hospital kept operating while the extension went in. Keeping a business running through the build is one of the big advantages of a modular extension.
What did the extension add?
A reception, staff and admin areas, a ward, and a lean-to with a laundry and recovery cages.
Do I still need approval for a container extension?
Generally, yes. A container extension is a building like any other, so it needs the right planning and building approvals for your site. Your council or certifier will tell you which pathway applies.
Talk to us about your extension
If your business needs more room and can’t close to get it, give us a call. We’ll talk through your site, what you need the space for and whether a container extension is the right fit.
- Phone: 1300 965 359
- Jamie (mobile): 0434 287 636
- Email: sales@containerbuildgroup.com.au
- Factory: 39 Habib Drive, South Lismore NSW (book a factory visit)
- Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–4pm
Container Build Group · ABN 48 141 506 149