3D-printed homes get built by robots in Texas neighbourhood

Work is nearing completion on the world’s largest 3D-printed neighbourhood.

Some 100 homes have been built by the robotic printers since November 2022.

The ICON Vulcan printers measure 45 feet wide and weigh 4.75 tonnes.

Concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed together and pumped into the printer.

A nozzle then lays the concrete mixture layer by layer along a pre-programmed path.

The single-story 3D-printed homes take about three weeks to finish printing.

Only the walls are printed – the foundation and metal roof are installed traditionally.

The walls are designed to be resistant to water, mould, termites and extreme weather.

3D printing homes is faster, cheaper and minimises waste of construction materials, says ICON.

The 3D-printed homes at Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas range from $450,000 to $600,000.

[Sangreaalstube]

$450-$600k for a 3D printed house? How on earth is that economical? They are price gouging.

[andreyromashchenko]

Omg, my generation might end up owning homes. WAIT, 600K?

We’re back to renting.

[AussieBodybuilder]

I thought these houses were supposed to be affordable 😂

[TychoKingdom]

For 450k to 600k they need to go back and smooth out every ridge on every wall.

For half a mil I want smooth walls. Absolutely ridiculous.

[rogeliorodriguez]

The house is “loud”. It needs acoustical treatment.

[sibhuskyguy]

not one straight smooth wall in the entire place.... no way to change the layout because it's built as one piece.... the echo in the house is insane when that guy is talking.... next to no property surrounding the house and crammed in as close as possible... and the price.... not a space i would want to live in.

[Rysdad]

Tip for that home owner if he sees this, put the wifi router in the attic, that'll fix the connection issues

[victorlin]

Imagine how awkward it would be to clean your wall when your wall texture is literally dozens of protruding layers.

[connorscherer]

Why is no mentioning how uneven and inconsistent the building looks

[SteveSabbai]

"Cheaper" doesn't mean a lower price for home buyers, it means more profit for the crooked contractors.

[Duffloop]

Those ridges are gonna need some serious dusting ;-)

[fuentes]

How 3D become more expensive then regular homes?

[dustintacohands]

Way overpriced jeez I thought this was supposed to be cheaper??!!!

[Noah-]

Bro, 3D printed homes should be way cheaper than that. It should be like 50k, not 500k. The materials and less labor would cost way less than 500k. It's doesn't make sense.

[pokene_pokemon]

Fun fact. This system was originally designed to make the construction of homes cheaper but since it got so viral, people actually DESIRE these houses for the “story” and thus, the market price is more expensive than a normal house. It’s like half of the tiny/houses out there… the price per sqft is 1.5-3X that of a normal house. Consumers are facinating

[moonlander]

I was thinking of buying one but when they said $600k I think I’ll go back to a dumpster 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[macallen]

The interface between the roof and the walls looks really strange. It's like the roof is a separate unit that is just dropped onto the walls.

[AintItGreat]

Imagine trying to do repairs or remodeling a concrete house, absolute nightmare

[mutteringmale]

Less Out on a barren prairie, far from the freeway, no trees, no water? I guess they're practicing for building on Mars.

[jaridkeen]

I thought this was supposed to be cheaper??? Why not also smooth the walls? It looks like a half finished home marketed as a modern art piece