How to use eco-friendly, alternative building materials

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The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), a member of the International Code Council Family of Companies, issued reports on three companies to help expand use on shipping containers as a building material.

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Those three companies included: SG Blocks, Inc., Sea Box, Inc., and Falcon Structures. They comply with the AC 462, the Acceptance Criteria for Structural Building Materials from Shipping Containers, and ensure that the containers meet applicable codes and standards.

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"The growing market demand for alternative building materials and techniques has led to a pressing need by the construction industry for new sources for materials," according to a news release from ICC-ES.

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The International Accreditation Service (IAS) provides accreditation to third-party and fabricators the support and confidence of off-site modular products and services. They're a more eco-friendly alternative to the traditional building materials.

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Lately, we've seen containers converted into urban farms, portable houses, or an RV replacement. You see them more where resources are scarce and shipping containers are in abundance.

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Now, I've seen people use recycled shipping containers as backyard swimming pools. An Australian company, called Modpool, converts shipping containers into customizable all-in-one pool systems, and closer to home, a new company has even managed to add windows to a shipping container pool. The windows give less of a feel of being claustrophobic. They are a bit easier to manage and afford than a typical swimming pool. There's also a way that you can separate the container, so you have both a pool and a hot tub just by inserting a divider. Heating will not take as long either in since it's a smaller capacity.

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Each shipping container is ready to use with all the pool equipment built in, and a high-tech Ultraviolet system keeps the water clean. Paul Rathnam, the owner of Modpools, told Digital Trends, "With some light ground prep, power and gas access, you can simply plug and play."

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It doesn't stop there; you can control the heater, jets, and lights all by the touch of your phone. Great for pool parties. They can be built in-ground or above with decks built around it. By making this more accessible, for example, you move to a house with acres of land and no pool, it's easy to relocate it. Can drain some of the water into a tank and haul it by truck to its new location.

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If you think about it, that cost of getting a pool installed is about $30,000 but if you include a pool cage installment too, which can also be very pricy. The Modpool is cheaper than other pools, however, priced at $26,900 for an 8'x20' shipping container. A forty-foot model is also available.