This swimming pool used to be a dumpster! See how Laura and Tomi pulled it off
Even though their friends were puzzled, Laura and Tomi Raekannas fearlessly took on the challenge and built a backyard swimming pool from a dumpster.
What a fun idea! Laura, how on earth did you come up with the idea to build a swimming pool from a dumpster?
For five summers, we kept an above-ground fabric pool on our backyard’s paved area, setting it up and taking it down every year. Cracks would appear while it was in storage, and we always had to patch them. Last year, we could no longer find the leak, and that’s when we started considering a more permanent pool.
We wanted to place the new pool as an extension of the paved area in our yard, below a slope, so that one side would rest against a stone wall. Because of that, we needed a pool structure that could handle ground pressure on one side, meaning a regular metal pool wouldn’t cut it. Tomi saw pictures online of a swimming pool built from a shipping container, which sparked the idea of using a sturdy roll-off dumpster instead.
How did you build the pool?
First, we excavated the spot for the pool and placed Finnfoam insulation boards and a bed of crushed gravel underneath.
We thought we wouldn’t use a pool liner in the dumpster, but eventually we decided to order a custom one to help seal it. Before installing the liner, we also insulated the inside of the pool with Finnfoam.
Next, we started on the deck. We attached anchor points to the dumpster, then installed ground screw piles for the deck’s foundation. Underneath the deck, we built the pool’s equipment room. We used horizontal slats to cover the parts of the dumpster that remained visible, and at the same time, we hid the dumpster’s lifting hook behind paneling.
On the side facing the hillside, we placed 50-millimeter-thick Finnfoam boards upright against the pool. We filled the space between the ground and the pool with crushed stone. We used a plasma cutter to make holes in the dumpster for the inlet and outlet valves.
For the deck railing, we wanted something durable and transparent. We ended up choosing 5-millimeter stainless steel cable, secured to wooden posts with stainless steel loops and tensioners.
How long did it take to build the pool?
We bought the dumpster in August 2024, and by November, after three months of work, we stopped for winter with the pool liner installed, the ground screws in place, and part of the deck frame built. We resumed in April 2025, and by May, the pool was finished, taking us about half a year of active work overall.
How did the entire process feel?
Planning was fun but also challenging. Neither of us work in construction, but we have built a single-family home ourselves (apart from the frame), so we had some experience. Still, refining ideas along the way was tricky since we didn’t always have a clear idea of the next step.
Though the project wasn’t always easy, we haven’t regretted it for a second. Watching our handiwork take shape was rewarding, and we’re very pleased with the result. The only downside has been the cool early-summer weather, which has curbed our enthusiasm for swimming.
Our friends have also admired the finished pool, although using a dumpster as the base has certainly caused some surprise.
