They are normally used as water tubs for livestock to drink out of, but people have found a new use for stock tanks — a stylish, functional, and cheap version of a plunge pool.

When David Mortimer started his custom tank building business 15 years ago he never expected to be making pools.

“We build stainless steel water tanks for residential, commercial, and rural customers,” he said.

“But about two years ago we started getting some customers in asking if we could build a tank without a lid on it.”

Curious to see what all the fuss was about, Mr Mortimer started experimenting with a range of different sizes and structures that would best work as pools.

“We’re always looking for new opportunities and areas to diversify … so we ran with that concept and developed the product further,” he said.

“We got it [the stock tank pool] fully engineered and certified, and made sure it’s able to withstand the forces of people jumping in it.

Price point the big seller

Mr Mortimer said a lot of his customers are looking for a cheaper alternative to the standard in-ground pool.

“You’ve got your pools where you dig a hole and you build the pool and they start around $50,000,” he said.

“Then you’ve got your concrete plunge pools that generally hover around the $12,000 mark, but you need quite a significant crane to get those in.

Mr Mortimer said the tanks also fitted in most small backyards which had made them widely popular in metro areas.