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Habitat for Humanity Gifts Virginia Family First 3D-Printed Home

In recent years, we’ve learned that 3D printing can save time and money in manufacturing a variety of goods. However, those things tend to be small. Additionally, 3D printers usually use a type of plastic or metal to create those small items. More recently, some European restaurants have started 3D printing plant-based steaks. Habitat for Humanity and their partner company Alquist have changed the 3D printing game. Earlier this month, they unveiled the first 3D-printed home in America.

That 3D-printed home is in Williamsburg, Virginia and it went to one grateful family. April Stringfield, a single mother, moved into the home with her 13-year-old son just days before Christmas, according to CNN. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the history-making home, April shared her thoughts. “My son and I are so thankful,” she tearfully told the gathered onlookers. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.”

More About the 3D-Printed Home

This Habitat home is the king of all 3D-Printed items. It’s a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 12,000 square-foot home. Additionally, the house’s walls are made completely of concrete. As a result, the home is well-equipped to handle severe weather. Also, it will be able to retain comfortable temperatures better than traditionally-built homes which will save April Stringfield and her son money in the long run.

Habitat for Humanity and Alquist are giving the Stringfields more help saving money. For instance, Alquist installed a 3D printer in the house. As a result, anything that April needs for her home can be 3D-printed. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new light switch cover or a piece of trim for the walls, it’s at her fingertips. Additionally, Habitat and Alquist will install solar panels in the future to keep the family’s electric bill low.

Usually, it takes Habitat for Humanity 4-5 weeks to build a house. The 3D-printed home, however, only took 12 hours to build. More than that, 3D printing the house cost about 15% less per square foot. Check out the video below to get a glimpse of the building process.

In the video, Alquist founder and CEO Zachary Mannheimer, talked about the project. “The history that we’re making today is that this is the first-ever owner-occupied 3D-printed home in the world.”

The Important Thing Here…

This is a big step forward for the construction industry. It saved time, money, and materials. So, this home could stand as an example for future homes. However, that isn’t the most important part. The biggest thing about this story is that April and her son now have a home to call their own. More importantly, they were able to move into their new home just 4 days before Christmas.

“I’m excited to make new memories in Williamsburg,” April said. “Especially in a house. A home. Someplace I can call home and give my son that backyard he can play in and also for my puppy to run around the yard.”