I think the insulation used on the outside of container was the foam sheeting then I think they covered it with siding and they decided to leave parts of the walls uncovered ! As far as I know they just painted the inside walls in a few of the room on the inside of the containers

The foam spray that you want for out side, is a high density foam spray with very little bubbles (hence: high density). These will be almost waterproof but best to be sealed with a UV barrier.

Just found this blog. Here to you can see a home that has actually been built from a sea conatainer and some insight into how he did it using spay foam.
Link: http://seacontainercabin.blogspot.co.uk/

Seacans are exposed to water and salt most of their life so they use a different metal. This site will give info on its make-up

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel

http://www.residentialshippingcontainerprimer.com/CorTen

As for a spray foam to the exterior of the container I would guess its life span without a coating would be rather short. I had done a test for 1 year at partial shade and the piece had deteriorated and created a goldy brown skin that had penetrated about 1mm.

Just found this blog. Here to you can see a home that has actually been built from a sea conatainer and some insight into how he did it using spay foam.
Link: http://seacontainercabin.blogspot.co.uk/

Good find, supports what I have been pushing for the past few years, not just here. 😉

Sarnia Prepper Can you let me know where you found containers for $1200 I have been looking and the cheapest weather tight is $3400 for a 40ft and then there is delivery on top of that.
Thanks
Justin

The ones I found for 1200 where'nt in Ontario (Quebec) I believe . I was giving a price range from the cheepest to the more pricey ones! And the ones for 1200 aren't in the best shape I wouldnt live in one but maybe for a out building rusty and so on! And even if you find one really cheep it still going to cost to get them moved . Your best bet is to contact some of these shipping container company about dropped container that get left in yards all over Ontario ! And arrange to pick it up yourself a 1 ton truck and a flat bed trailer and you can save yourself 2000 to 3000 dollars

I really like this one (not the decor), but the design. I like the site as he has step by step pictures and descriptions of the entire process, although site navigation is a bit confusing to jump to the different sections etc.

http://seacontainercabin.blogspot.co.uk/

Overall I think he did a fantastic job. I wish I had a piece of land for somewhere 3-4 hours from my home and the skill, time, and money to build something like this.

Does anyone know what the main drawbacks are of using shipping containers for shelter? I've heard there is a mold problem, and that makes sense because humidity would likely condense on the cold steel. Also, does it make you more vulnerable to lightning?

No lightening issue more than anything else.
Remember those old WW2 movies where they put some guy in a "sweat box". A metal box in the sun? That's about what a shipping container is ....

Thanks Perf, and no I don't remember the WW2 movies, was too busy watching "I Dream of Genie" I guess.

Shipping containers used for homes are typically insulated on the inside, and many actually have wooden framed walls with drywall, giving the inside the feeling of a normal home.
They are very fast and easy to construct, very customizable, easily modified, and expanded as required.

As for mold, it happens in any space where there is inadequate ventilation and air movement.
The majority here would probably be interested in them as more of a bunker, fortified home, or BOL option.
Making it airtight is important for some peoples preps, but without any constant heat source, or dehumidifying going on, it will start to get damp.
It is no different than motorhomes or travel trailers that don't leak water, but still mold.

Thankyou P'd, I am considering to make a bug out home out of 2 shipping containers, but when I heard about the mold issue, I thought maybe I shoud reconsider, maybe put up something like a Totem garage package and convert it into a dwelling.

This is my thinking, I'd like your opinion whether I'm correct: A sea container would have more liklihood of mold formation due to the fact that moisture would naturally condense on metal. Even if it was framed out with wooden studs, insulation & drywall, with a vapor barrier, any moisture that may leak through say an improperly sealed vapor barrier, or even conversely, moisture coming from the outside of the structure, would condense and be somewhat trapped within, forming mold.

In a perfect world moisture barriers could be counted on, but I've seen too many clowns take shortcuts on the installation, and I just don't trust them. I can do my own moisture barrier, but I still won't trust it, I had a guy come & do a air leak type test on my house when I lived in Mb and he told me that even a pinhole in the moisture barrier lets a lot of moisture through, he had scientific figures on that. (whether they were actually true or just plucked out of someone's imagination, I'll never know, I wasn't present in the lab)

There's a government website somewhere that, under discussion of insulating a concrete basement wall, firstly advises against it, then secondly says that if such a wall is insulated, it's better to leave off the vapor barrier, that way, moisture that will accumulate within has a chance of drying out rather than being for the most part, trapped. That makes sense to me. Also, if I go the sea can route, I'm tempted to use rigid insulation, even though it's more expensive & less R value, because it is less like a moisture sponge than fiberglass.

If you or anyone out there, has any thoughts on this, I'd appreciate your input.

Less porous materials are more likely to show signs of condensation than porous materials like wood.
Wood will absorb a certain amount of excess moisture from the air before showing signs of condensation, whereas steel or concrete do not have as much ability to absorb moisture.
But the issue with mold/moisture is typically lack of airflow or temperature management.
We use a halogen lamp in our seacans at work that store our tools etc, and it keeps them completely dry and without dampness.
Think of a bathroom with no fan, and no one opens the window after a shower, the moisture has nowhere to go, and therefore condenses.

The hard foam insulation is truly a better bet, because it can also be purchased thinner, so you do not lose as much floor space.
You can also get rockboard, or fibreglass coated drywall for interior finishing.
As long as you have an inlet vent at one end of the roof, and an outlet with a fan at the other end, you should have no problems though.

Thanks for the input P, now I've done some preliminary research on garage packages and it seems they might be somewhere comparable in price. Question to toss out now is, what would be better, garage package or sea cans? Why??