Main Content

3D-Printed Houses: The Future of Housing Development?

3D-printed homes are transforming the construction business by enabling quicker, more affordable, and more sustainable housing construction.

This cutting-edge construction technology can print the walls and foundation for a tiny house for a fraction of the typical construction cost in less than 24 hours.

In Georgetown, Texas, massive machines are squeezing out 100 three and four-bedroom homes in the first large-scale housing complex to be 3D-printed on-site.

The project is being developed by one of the biggest homebuilders in the country, Lennar, in collaboration with ICON, a 3D printing business.

In 2023, these houses will be put up for sale, with prices starting in the mid $400,000 range.

ICON promises to build the home’s entire wall system—including the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems—two to three times faster and for up to 30% less money than a conventional home.

The printers are designed to run 24 hours a day and are nearly fully automated, with only three personnel at each house. One person supervises the operation on a laptop, and another checks the concrete mixture, which must be adjusted to the current weather conditions. Another helps by spraying the area with water or adding new material into the system.

Will this be the future of housing development?

In this episode, Matt and I talk 3D printed neighborhoods, $300k backyard houses, and a Nantucket house for $2M that’s 360 square feet.