
Here's a dumpster you wouldn't mind diving into!

Architect Stefan Beese managed to convert an old shipping container into a patio deck and swimming pool for his family.

The chic-looking plunge pool was created with some insulation, a pool liner and wood.

Called the 'Pool Box', it used to store trash. It's made from a 22′ x 7′ steel refuse container that has been lined with protective foam insulation and clad in pine wood slats.

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Refreshing change: Experimental architect Stefan Beese has brought 'dumpster diving' to his own backyard by converting a 22-foot-long, steel refuse container into a small, but elegant, swimming pool

Mobile pool: The 7-foot-wide pool is perfect for his New Orleans back yard. If his family ever moves to a new house, the pool can be drained and shipped to a new location

Splish, splash, splosh: Stefan said that a used container in good condition will cost potential pool builders between $1,500 and $2,500. Overall, he said, the project set him back between $5,000 and $7,000

Best of all, the design's modular nature means that it can be easily packed up and transported to another location should the need arise.

Mr Beese who has caleld himself Dumpster Dive DeLux, has also put the containers towards other creative uses in the past including VIP lounges at music festivals and the 2012 DNC and RNC conventions.

Beese, who was born in Flensburg, Germany, said the stroke of inspiration for a pool made from a trash container came from a number of places.

'I wanted it to be a contemporary modern component in the garden,' Beese said of the design to Nola.com. 'I liked the concept of how a dumpster could be hidden. I like the idea that people would ask, 'Is that fiberglass? What is that?' I like the surprise.'

Family fun: Stefan says he wanted the pool 'to be a contemporary modern component in the garden.' His wife, Melissa, and their son, Finn, look on. Their older son, Tristan, learned to swim in the pool

Luxury on the cheap: The pool's wooden walls and decks are made of pressure-treated pine boards. The covering is modular and can be easily removed for transport

The plan: After consulting with several Louisiana waste management experts, he eventually acquired a used 30-cubic-yard container - exactly the same as those seen at construction sites everywhere

A metal container is ideal for the purpose, he said, because it minimizes the effort of creating a sturdy pool shell that can also be used as the basis for a handsome outdoor structure.

A container, he said, 'has structural integrity and mounting points already.' Plus, 'there are so many available.'

In converting the container into a pool, Stefan first protected steel box (which had be thoroughly cleaned!) with anti-corrosion paint.

He then lined the container with half-inch high-density foam insulation to provide some toe padding. Finally, he sent away for a custom-fit flexible pool liner similar to the pale blue skin inside any above-ground pool.

The pool is cleaned just like any regular pool. It is plumbed to the water supply allowing fresh water to be pumped in and ensuring the oasis stays clean. All of the equipment and plumbing for the pool are hidden behind a wooden panel at the rear.

It means Stefan's backyard pool looks more like something out of the IKEA catalog than a waste container.

He says the project cost him between $5,000 and $7,000.

It takes him just five strokes to swim the length of the pool. His seven-year-old son also learned to swim in the converted container.

Talking-point: 'I liked the concept of how a dumpster could be hidden,' Stefan says. 'I like the idea that people would ask, "Is that fiberglass? What is that?" I like the surprise'