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I want to build a fishing camp out of 40 ft cargo containers. I own 4 of them and can weld them together, cut out walls, add doors etc, but am having problems with insulation. Is there an exterior insulation I can put on them so I can just put a paneling on the inside without taking up the room of a 2x4 then insulation then paneling....
Exterior rated rigid foamfoundation insulation's available at any HD type store. It's not UV rated so you'd have to paint it(or something). I like davepen's partial bury idea, just make sure you have good drainage.
Why panel the inside at all?, just paint the interior walls w/ white rustoleum enamel paint(or arethe wallsdinged-up?)
__________________ Any Port in a Storm!....currently seeking shelter.
I have had good luck using sheets of polyisocyanurate. they come in 4x8 sheets and allot of different thickness. they sell them in sheets from 1/4" thick all the way to 2" thick. would be easy to attach them to the walls and then screw thru the paneling and the foam right into the walls of the container. depending on how thick the sheets are you can get a very good R rating.
home depot and lowes both carry them.
Used to build them with steel studs inside with R13 and particle board as walls. You don't lose that much space, and they are very quiet inside. Make sure the containers are Corten steel for their rust resistence. Tried to use Styrofoam panels with particle board, used 2" square tube frame and was not as nice. With 2x4 steel studs, there is only 1/2" more thickness, cheaper to build and nicer, imo. The steel stud method is Gov't spec for container field offices, as well as Union Pacific Railroad- all of theirs had the steel stud framing. Hope this helps
I want to build a fishing camp out of 40 ft cargo containers. I own 4 of them and can weld them together, cut out walls, add doors etc, but am having problems with insulation. Is there an exterior insulation I can put on them so I can just put a paneling on the inside without taking up the room of a 2x4 then insulation then paneling....
any ideas?
__________________ Going to where the "Climate" suits my cloths...
You could fur the exterior with 2x4s so that you could insulate between the metal and the exterior and stucco the outside. By doing this you would help deaden the sound and insulate the box so that it would not be hot or cold or sweat without losing any space inside. I like the idea of a berm, especially on the top for a green roof. It would really help insulate the containers.
A Few Dollars, if you insulate a home on the outside and have the thermal mass on the inside it helps to maintain a more stable temperature and prevents exterior temperature from entering the structure. It provides little or no protection but better efficiency.
__________________
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good
of its victim may be the most oppressive." ~ C.S.Lewis
It provides little or no protection but better efficiency.
I understand the dynamics.
You will then have to cover up the foam insulation on the exterior when you already had a sufficient exterior material, steel.
The only reason I see to do it is to not lose any space inside but local ordinances may not allow the steel container so he may have to disguise it or he may not want to have to see the container.
I imagine that all of the RVs and Moblehomes that were used as temporary housing after Katrina and Rita will be destroyed because of the formaldihyde (sp?) but would make good camps after being aired out.
Been out of town guys, thanks for all of the ideas. Burying them is not an alternative as they have to go 16ft in the air on a decking system due to new flood regulations. I like the 2x2 idea with spray foam and a 1/4 in composite exterior paneling.
Also, I am friends with Walter Boasso, and I am going to his yard next week to get some ideas from his brother Roy.
Be sure to post-up some pics when your done, these guys need some competition. 40' containers 16' in the air sounds pretty impressive. Good Luck in the build.
__________________ Any Port in a Storm!....currently seeking shelter.
Check out Bob Vila's show called "Home Again". He did something very similar to what you are describing. They sprayed the outside with a space age insulation that saved them from having to insulate the interior.
fishing camp 
