America Needs 3 Million Homes. Can 3D Printers Help? | Big Business | Business Insider

Summary

The video explores 3D-printed homes as a potential solution to the housing shortage, highlighting the technology's ability to reduce construction time and costs. Companies like SQ4D and Icon are leading the charge, with SQ4D's first 3D-printed home in Long Island and Icon's ambitious project of 100 homes in Texas. Despite the promise, challenges remain, including scaling production, material consistency, and public acceptance. The technology offers a more resilient and potentially cost-effective alternative to traditional wood construction, but requires further development and standardization to become mainstream.

Takeaways

• 🏠 3D printing technology is being invested in heavily to address the housing shortage, with the potential to construct homes faster and more cost-effectively.
• 📈 The number of 3D printed homes remains low in comparison to traditional construction, with less than 100 built in the US last year out of 1.5 million total homes.
• 🛠️ Daily challenges are faced in the 3D printing process, indicating that the technology is not yet perfected and requires ongoing adjustments and problem-solving.
• 💰 3D printed homes can be more cost-effective, requiring fewer workers and eliminating the need for separate crews for different construction stages.
• ⏱️ The construction time for 3D printed homes is significantly reduced, with the potential to complete a house in 16 days versus the traditional method which takes months.
• 🔄 The material mix for 3D printing is sensitive to environmental conditions, requiring adjustments based on temperature and humidity to prevent issues like cracking.
• 🛡️ 3D printed homes can offer benefits such as reduced waste and increased resistance to common housing issues like fires, weather damage, mold, and termites.
• 📊 The cost of building a 3D printed home is estimated to be about 30% cheaper than traditional stick-built homes, providing a financial incentive for adoption.
• 🏗️ Scaling up 3D printed home production is challenging due to strict building regulations and the lack of widespread standards for 3D-printed structures.
• 📚 The history and performance of 3D printed homes over time are still being studied, as the material and construction methods are relatively new to the industry.
• 🌐 Public perception and acceptance of 3D printed homes are gradually improving, with early adopters viewing them as a form of living art and a conversation starter.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of using 3D printing technology in home construction?

The primary purpose of using 3D printing technology in home construction is to help solve the housing shortage and potentially cut building time in half.

How many houses were built using 3D printing technology in the US last year, according to the script?

Fewer than 100 houses were built using 3D printing technology in the US last year, out of 1.5 million total homes.

What is the estimated cost saving of building a 3D printed home compared to a traditionally built home of the same size?

SQ4D claims that a 3D printed home is about 30% cheaper than a stick-built home of similar size.

What is the role of Kristen Henry in the context of the script?

Kristen Henry is the chief technology officer at SQ4D, a company that built the first 3D home listed for sale in the US.

How does the 3D printing process for home construction impact the number of workers needed on-site?

Most of the job in 3D printing a home can be done by just three people: one operating the printer, another controlling the mix, and a third monitoring the site as a chief safety officer.

What are some of the challenges faced in the 3D printing construction process?

Challenges include the need for daily adjustments to the concrete mix based on temperature, winds, and humidity, and the lack of widespread building code standards for 3D-printed structures.

How does the 3D printed home construction process compare to traditional methods in terms of speed?

If everything goes right, most of the house structure can be done in just 16 days using 3D printing, which is three times faster than traditional lumber and drywall construction.

What is the estimated cost to build a 1,400-square-foot 3D printed home as mentioned in the script?

The total cost to build a 1,400-square-foot 3D printed home was about $132,000.

What is the current status of 3D printed homes in terms of adoption and public perception?

While there is excitement and interest in 3D printed homes, the adoption rate is still low, and public perception is mixed, with some skepticism due to the novelty of the technology.

What are some of the factors that could potentially slow down the scaling up of 3D printed home production?

Factors include strict building regulations, the need for specialized concrete mixes that can be expensive and hard to come by, and the difficulty in finding trained personnel for 3D printing construction.

What is the significance of Icon's project in Georgetown, Texas, in the context of 3D printed homes in the US?

Icon's project in Georgetown is significant as it represents the US's biggest neighborhood of 3D homes, with the company aiming to print 100 houses, demonstrating the potential for scalability and cost-effectiveness of 3D printed home construction.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 3D Printed Housing: Revolutionizing the Construction Industry

The script introduces the concept of 3D printed homes, a technology that companies are investing in to address the housing shortage. It discusses the potential of 3D printers to halve the construction time and the challenges faced in scaling up 3D printed housing, including technical issues and the lack of established systems. The segment features SQ4D, the company that built the first 3D printed home for sale in the US, and explains the cost and labor savings associated with this method. The process of 3D printing a home, from foundation to walls, is described, including the materials used and the environmental factors that can affect the printing process. The segment also touches on the reduced waste and faster construction times compared to traditional methods, concluding with the total cost of building a 1,400-square-foot 3D printed home and its comparison to conventional construction costs.

05:00

🛠 Overcoming Obstacles in 3D Printed Housing

This paragraph delves into the difficulties faced by 3D printing companies in making their technology mainstream. It highlights the challenges of finding the right concrete mix for different climates, the high costs of specialized materials, and the need for daily adjustments to the printing mix due to environmental conditions. The narrative follows Alquist 3D, a startup that has struggled with the cost and availability of materials, leading to the demolition of a partially built home due to material failure. The segment also discusses the historical context of mass-produced housing in America, from Sears catalog homes to modular houses, and the reasons why these initiatives did not become widespread. It emphasizes the need for 3D printing to prove its scalability and cost-effectiveness to gain industry acceptance, with Icon, an Austin-based company, attempting to demonstrate this by printing 100 homes in Texas. The paragraph concludes with the acknowledgment of the need to reduce the costs of 3D printing machinery for wider adoption.

10:03

🎨 Living in a 3D Printed Home: Aesthetics and Practicality

The final paragraph of the script focuses on the experiences of a 3D printed home owner, Sierra Romas, who purchased her home through Habitat for Humanity. It provides a first-hand account of the benefits and unique aspects of living in a 3D printed home, including its solid construction, the conversation it sparks, and the quietness during a thunderstorm. The narrative addresses common concerns about modifying the walls or painting them and the homeowner's decision to embrace the distinctiveness of her 3D printed home. The segment concludes with the homeowner's positive outlook on her living experience, comparing it to living inside a piece of art.

Keywords

💡3D Printing

3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional objects from a digital file by laying down successive layers of material. In the context of the video, it is used to construct the walls of a home, which is a novel application of this technology. The script mentions that 3D printers can cut building time in half, demonstrating the potential of this method to revolutionize the construction industry.

💡Housing Shortage

Housing shortage refers to a situation where the demand for housing exceeds the supply, leading to a lack of available homes. The video script discusses how companies are investing in 3D printing technology with the hope that it could help address this issue by increasing the efficiency and speed of home construction.

💡Cost Efficiency

Cost efficiency in this context refers to the ability to construct homes at a lower cost compared to traditional methods. The script highlights that 3D-printed homes can be 30% cheaper than stick-built homes, which is a significant advantage in addressing the housing crisis by making housing more affordable.

💡Foundation

A foundation is the base upon which a structure is built, providing support and stability. In the video, the 3D printing process begins with preparing a trench for the foundation, which is a crucial step in the construction of a 3D-printed home.

💡Construction Labor

Construction labor refers to the workforce involved in the building process. The script mentions a shortage of construction labor in Long Island, which is one of the challenges that 3D printing aims to overcome by reducing the number of people needed on-site.

💡Regulations

Regulations are the rules and restrictions set by authorities that govern how buildings should be constructed. The video discusses how strict building regulations in Long Island have made it difficult to scale up 3D-printed home production, indicating a potential barrier to the widespread adoption of this technology.

💡Concrete

Concrete is a building material composed of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, and water. It is used in the 3D printing process to create the walls of the homes. The script notes that concrete is more resistant to fires, weather damage, mold, and termites compared to wood, which is traditionally used in construction.

💡Additives

Additives are substances added to a material to alter its properties or improve its performance. In the context of 3D-printed homes, the script mentions that the concrete mix often contains additives to make it stronger, which can affect the cost and the adaptability of the material to different climates.

💡Modular Houses

Modular houses are pre-fabricated homes that are built in sections in a factory and then assembled on-site. The video script refers to past attempts to mass-produce homes, including modular houses, which did not catch on due to various challenges, providing a historical context to the current exploration of 3D-printed homes.

💡Scalability

Scalability refers to the ability of a process or system to handle a growing amount of work or to be enlarged to accommodate that growth. The script discusses the challenges of scaling up 3D-printed home production, which is essential for the technology to have a significant impact on the housing crisis.

💡Adoption

Adoption in this context means the acceptance and use of a new technology or method. The video script suggests that for 3D printing to become mainstream in home construction, it needs to prove its benefits in terms of cost, speed, and quality, prompting builders and consumers to take the risk of adopting this new technology.

Highlights

3D printing technology is being explored to address the housing shortage, with companies investing billions into its development.

An estimated 3 to 6 million houses are needed, yet less than 100 3D-printed homes were constructed in the US last year.

3D printers can reduce building time by half, but daily challenges persist due to the lack of a perfect system.

The cost comparison between 3D-printed homes and regular homes is a significant consideration for the adoption of this technology.

A 3D home's construction begins with a foundation trench and involves workers preparing concrete for the walls.

SQ4D, the company that built the first 3D-printed home for sale in the US, emphasizes the use of easily available materials.

3D-printed homes can save on labor costs by reducing the number of workers needed on-site from 30 to just three.

The mixture for 3D printing must be carefully monitored as it can be affected by temperature and humidity.

Most of a 3D-printed house's structure can be completed in 16 days, which is significantly faster than traditional lumber and drywall construction.

3D-printed homes can help reduce waste by eliminating the need for certain materials like drywall and sheathing.

The total cost to build a 1,400-square-foot 3D-printed home is about $132,000, which is approximately 30% cheaper than a traditionally built home.

SQ4D has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build more 3D-printed homes but faces challenges due to strict building regulations.

The lack of widespread standards for 3D-printed structures makes scaling up production difficult.

The US building industry and supply chains are primarily built around wood construction, which presents a barrier to adopting concrete-based 3D printing.

Concrete is more resistant to fires, weather damage, mold, and termites compared to wood, but its use in 3D printing is still in the experimental phase.

3D printing companies face challenges with material costs and the need to adjust concrete mixes for different climates.

Finding skilled labor for 3D printing construction is difficult due to the novelty of the technology.

3D-printed homes have the potential to be more scalable, less expensive, and faster to produce than conventional homes.

Icon, an Austin-based company, is leading the way in 3D-printed homes by constructing 100 houses in Georgetown, Texas.

The public's comfort with 3D-printed homes is expected to increase as more are built and the technology becomes more familiar.

Sierra Romas, a new owner of a 3D-printed home, finds it to be a major talking point and enjoys living in what she describes as 'art'.

Transcripts

Narrator: This machine is printing the walls of a home.

Companies are pouring billions into this new tech,

hoping it could help solve our housing shortage.

Houses that we need is anywhere from 3 to 6 million.

Narrator: 3D printers can cut building time in half.

But one company estimates

fewer than 100 were built in the US last year,

out of 1.5 million total homes.

We run into problems basically every day.

There is no perfect system on how to do this just yet.

Narrator: So, why hasn't 3D housing taken off?

How does the cost compare to regular homes?

And can this new tech help solve our housing crisis?

A 3D home starts with a big trench for the foundation.

Then workers prepare the concrete for the walls.

Kristen: We're really focused on a

easily readily available mix

so that you could go to your local Home Depot

or a local quarry

and pick up the materials you need to print.

Narrator: That's Kristen Henry.

She's the chief technology officer at SQ4D,

a company that built the first 3D home

listed for sale in the US, in Long Island, New York.

Kristen: The cost to build in Long Island is very high,

and there is also a shortage

of construction labor available.

Narrator: The machine lays down foundation walls

for two days.

Metal wires add support.

Once a final layer of concrete tops it off,

the foundation is done.

Now the walls of the actual house can go up.

Kristen: Operating the printer on-site

is actually a lot less technologically challenging

than people would think at first.

It's actually almost like playing a video game.

Narrator: Most of the job will be done by just three people.

One person operates the printer, another controls the mix,

and a third monitors the site.

Kristen: Kind of acting as a chief safety officer.

Narrator: That's also how 3D-printing companies

can save money.

Typical houses need separate crews

for the wood-framed walls,

exterior siding, and drywall panels.

3D homes don't need those.

Kristen: 30 people to three people,

that's a huge cost saving there.

Narrator: Workers have to keep a sharp eye

on the mixture, though.

The texture changes with the temperature and humidity.

Kristen: On really hot days, for example,

the water evaporates really quickly

and you need a little bit of a wetter mix

in order to prevent the material from cracking.

So it's kind of a delicate balance

that you just have to make sure it's getting enough water

but you're not oversaturating it.

Narrator: But if everything goes right,

most of the house structure will be done in just 16 days,

three times faster than one built from lumber and drywall.

The printer can also help reduce waste.

Kristen: You know exactly how much material you need

at the start of the project.

You don't need drywall as much,

you don't need nailers or vapor barriers in the walls

or sheathing or vinyl siding.

Narrator: But you still need insulation,

which is sprayed manually between the walls.

The printer's job is done,

but it takes three more weeks

to get this home move-in ready.

Kristen: You have to include electrical, plumbing,

finishing HVAC, flooring, cabinets, appliances,

all of those things.

Narrator: Plus a truss roof made of wood.

The total cost to build this 1,400-square-foot home

was about $132,000.

SQ4D says that's about 30% cheaper than a stick-built home

about the same size.

Kristen: Traditional processes usually take

three to six months.

In 3D printing, you can do it in easily half that time.

Narrator: The company has built three homes so far

and is trying to make more

by partnering with Habitat for Humanity.

But Kristen says it's been difficult to scale up production

because Long Island has strict building regulations

that can slow down construction.

Eric: Building codes in every jurisdiction

spell out very clearly

what is required for stick-built construction.

There are no standards that are widespread

of a 3D-printed structure.

Newsreel: Saws and hammers, sweat and toil,

and they work from dawn to dusk.

Narrator: America has been building homes the same way

for over 100 years, mostly out of wood.

Eric: That was sort of the affordable way to build houses.

Our industry sort of developed around that.

Our supply chains,

they're all built around wood construction

of low-rise, single-family houses.

Narrator: Wood is a great insulator,

but it's also susceptible to fires,

weather damage, mold, and termites.

Concrete is more resistant to all of those.

It's gotten pricier in the US ever since 2012,

but it's still less volatile than the price of lumber,

which soared 300% in 2021.

Concrete is already used in the US

to make buildings like schools and hospitals.

But usually builders pour concrete into molds on-site,

shaping it as it hardens,

or pieces are pre-made in factories,

safe from weather conditions,

and then transported by trucks.

3D printing doesn't have these advantages,

and basic concrete doesn't always work,

so some companies have to tweak their recipes

to fit different climates.

The mixes often contain additives to make them stronger,

and that can add to the cost.

Eric: The more specialized it is,

that supply chain is more susceptible to disruption

because there's only a few suppliers of it.

Narrator: Alquist 3D, a startup in northern Colorado,

has tested over a dozen mixes.

All of it is too expensive. All of it is hard to come by.

Narrator: We filmed with them in 2023

when they were printing 10 homes in Muscatine, Iowa.

Zachary: We do have sand and gravel, et cetera,

and many, many additives,

but we're not using a traditional cement mixture.

Narrator: The mix needs small changes every day,

depending on the temperature, winds, and humidity.

Zachary: As you can see, it's a little gloopy.

That means it's a little too cold,

so we're warming it up, we're getting it ready.

We're a couple minutes away

from when it's going to be consistent,

and that's when we'll actually start printing.

Even though crews are small,

Narrator: Zachary says finding people is hard.

Zachary: There are few people on the planet

that actually know how to do this.

All of our crew, we've learned it on-site

doing it ourselves, which is expensive and time-consuming.

Narrator: Just a few days after we filmed here,

Alquist demolished a partially built home.

The mix wasn't strong enough to handle wear and tear.

Eric: The material itself does not have a long history yet.

The way it acts during construction

and the way it acts over a long time after it's built

is still to be determined.

Narrator: Alquist built two homes in 2023

but hasn't started any this year.

We have spent a lot of time over the last couple of months

training our crew, honing the material,

making sure that the robot is the right robot

for the right purpose,

and getting acclimated to the climate.

Narrator: America's been trying to mass-produce homes

for over a century.

In 1909, you could order an entire home

from a Sears catalog.

The company precut all the materials in a factory

and usually shipped them by railcar.

The home kits became a $90 million business,

but they were discontinued in the '40s

because of slumping sales.

In the '70s, the US government spent millions

promoting homes fully built in factories,

also known as modular houses.

Roughly 25,000 were built,

but the movement didn't really catch on.

Part of the problem was that it was expensive

to build and operate the factories.

Government aid dried up in the mid-'70s,

and a lot of the builders went under.

Today, roughly 98% of houses are still assembled on-site,

mostly by hand,

and it takes about a month longer

to build a house today than it did in 1971.

There are more regulations today

than there were in the '70s.

Narrator: Material and labor shortages

can also delay projects.

3D printing is supposed to help solve these problems,

but Eric says for the trend to catch on,

someone has to prove you can build lots of them fast

while saving people money.

Eric: And is that difference big enough

that the people who build their housing

will take a risk to adopt a new technology?

Narrator: Icon, a company in Austin,

is trying to prove that's possible.

It's printing 100 houses

in Georgetown, Texas' Wolf Ranch community,

making it the US's biggest neighborhood of 3D homes.

Some of the investment came from

one of the largest home builders in the country, Lennar.

If we want to get where we need to be with housing,

we can't do what we've always done.

Narrator: Icon has printed 95 homes here

using its own custom concrete mix,

and a dozen here have already sold.

In February 2023, Icon's cofounder Jason Ballard

estimated 3D homes could be up to 30% cheaper

and faster to produce than conventional ones.

But the company wouldn't tell us

how much it's spent so far on Wolf Ranch.

Spencer: It is scalable, less expensive, faster,

and a stronger home than any of the homes

that I've built in my past career.

Narrator: While 3D printing can save money,

some costs still have to come down,

starting with the machines.

I do believe we need to keep bringing down

the costs of the mixers themselves,

as currently, those are a pretty significant cost

in addition to the machine.

Narrator: Kristen hopes that as more homes are 3D printed,

the public will get more comfortable with them.

As with any new technology,

people are often pretty skeptical at first.

Even if you think back to the first cars

that were developed, it took quite some time

for consumers to actually start to adopt it

and want to be driving these vehicles all over the place.

Really, the only complaint I've gotten so far

is that too many people are coming to look at the houses

because since there's so few in the country,

people are really excited about it

and are knocking on front doors saying,

"Hey, can I come see your house?"

Narrator: We spoke to a new owner of a 3D-printed home

built in Virginia by Alquist.

Sierra Romas bought it through Habitat for Humanity’s

First Time Homebuyer Program.

Everything that you would think about that a house needs,

it has, so no issues.

Yeah, you can't punch holes through these walls, not at all.

Some people have said, "Oh, I would never.

That's just too different for me.

How do you change the walls? How do you change the paint?"

You could easily put up drywall over the walls

if you wanted to,

but for the most part, I will not cover up my walls.

I think it is a major talking point.

It starts great conversation.

And for me, it's just,

it's kind of like living inside art.

And actually, we just recently

had a terrible thunderstorm,

and it was so quiet.