Hi!
In my opinion ther are several ways to do this, and it often happens to me to use the method you're suggesting, that's to wrap the DC into a bigger DC.
You know you can make the sub-objects of your DC move, don't you? I often use this method too, and helps solving lots of positioning issues I find.
One last naif question: you know that the origin of the first DC is not to be taken as absolute, and you can make the origin whatever point you like/need, right?
For conceptual questions, it's always nice to attach an example, so it's easier to understand what you're trying to achieve!