3D-Printed Houses Only Cost $4,000

It takes 24 hours to print the entire home. Non-profit New Story and construction company Icon have created the first permitted 3D-printed home in the United States. Located in Austin, TX, the home is a proof of concept that can be 3D-printed in 12-24 hours. According to ICON, the home was built using its Vulcan mobile printer prototype for $10,000. The production version of the printer will be able to print a single story, 600-800 square foot home for less than $4,000. The printer was designed to work with little to no waste, as well as in harsh environments, such as places with limited water, power and labor infrastructure. The low cost and sturdy homes could be a viable answer for impoverished people around the globe. It certainly looks sturdier than my old mobile home, a lot less flammable as well. Mobile homes typically cost around $20,000, and some people are downsizing into tiny homes that can run up to $40,000 for a 400 square-foot home. According to New Story, more than one billion people in the world don't have safe shelter. With this new process, construction time and cost could be dramatically reduced, hopefully improving living situations for people around the world. The partnership has plans to print an entire community of homes in El Salvador by 2019, but they are still in need of additional funding. The non-profit is looking for $600k by April 13th to fund the next phase of R&D, and another $400k for the first community of 100 printed homes — that's 100 homes for what some people spend on a single house.