Gregory Kloehn speaks to a reporter outside his 'dumpster home' in the Red Hook neighborhood of New York's Brooklyn borough. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A California-based artist no longer has to shell out money for a hotel when he's visiting . Instead, he lives in a Dumpster that he's turned into a home in .

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"It just hit me. That's a nice shape for a home," Gregory Kloehn

The Daily Mail the Dumpster cost him $2,000. He took six months to retrofit it, adding insulation, a sink, stove, toilet and even an outside shower.

The space is also surprisingly adaptable for entertaining. He built in an outdoor grill and attached a mini-bar to his door. There is even an extra metal panel on top that he can prop up to use as a crude lounge chair on sunny days.

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Kloehn says on he likes "taking the grandeur of the world and mixing it with social irony." His past projects include a line of hybrid bicycles, including a bicycle carrying a small salad bar, which he calls.

The Associated Press caught up with the artist while he was staying in his "home." During the visit, it started to rain, and photographer John Minchillo captured photos ofKloehnstaying dry in his Dumpster. Check out those photos and more in the slideshow above.

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