I finally picked spray foam over rigid board for my container roof

Last spring I was building out my first container home in Phoenix and had to decide between spray foam insulation and rigid foam boards for the roof. I went with closed cell spray foam because I heard it seals better against metal. The crew sprayed about 4 inches on the ceiling and it cost me $1,200 for a 20 foot container. Now in July when it's 110 out, the inside stays around 78 without running the AC all day. I did notice the foam is a pain if you ever need to drill into the ceiling for wiring. Have you guys had trouble working around spray foam after it sets?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy3028d ago

Mice can chew through spray foam to nest. Just something to watch for.

alice_barnes358d ago

My buddy in Tucson did the same thing last year and a family of packrats chewed through the foam right above his bathroom. He only found out when the ceiling started dripping condensation during a monsoon. Cost him $400 to cut out the mess and patch it with metal tape and new foam. I went with rigid boards on my 40 footer because I'm too cheap to pay a crew and I can replace a damaged section in 20 minutes. The tradeoff is my container hits about 72 in the summer heat but it takes longer to cool down at first. I figure the drilling thing is annoying either way, spray foam just makes it a sticky nightmare.