In the last post we went through some of the things you should consider when planning your shipping container conversion.Each of the points raised probably deserve a more in depth look and so today I am going to deal with probably the topic that I get asked about most – insulation.
There is, of course, various reasons why you might want to line and insulate your shipping container. Obviously if you are planning on converting it into a usable office, clubhouse or any type of building you want to be able to control just how warm/cool it is. And lets face it. There is no point in just putting heaters or air conditioning in to regulate the temperature in what would be without lining a metal box. The cost would be the same as trying to govern the temperature outside. Insulation is vital to keep those energy costs down and to stabilise the overall temperature inside your shipping containers. It also helps stop condensation.
A container lined and insulated using melamine faced board and rockwool
There are various options you can consider. The most popular way of insulating your container is to batten out the sides and the ceiling, insulate with rockwool and finish with a faced board of your choice. There are various options here from melamine to plasterboard finishes. There are specialist options which have higher fire ratings or sound proofing. Much depends on what your shipping container conversion is going to be used for.
All this happens on the inside of the containers. But let us not forget that there are other options to consider such as cladding or using SPF on the outside of the container. SPF or Spray Foam Insulation can be sprayed directly onto the walls etc to provide a barrier before putting on a decorative cladding. You would have put on some battening or furring strips to contain it as it expands to fit every nook and cranny. It is not commonly used in the UK on shipping containers at the moment but certainly is worth considering. If anyone is interested in learning more of the practical details of applying this stuff, let me know and I will do a post on it.
Green Roof on Shipping Container
Another popular external insulation is a green roof. Effectively a tray on top of the container, filled with soil and planted up.
I hope this starts to give you some ideas. Previous posts on this subject have brought a lot of responses so I will leave it to popular opinion as to whether I write more on this subject.