3D Printed Homes in Oregon?

The first 3D printed homes were completed, put up for sale, and sold. 34 Millbrook Ln in Riverhead, NY was the first 3D printed home that was made to sell.  The house was made with concrete walls and the exterior was printed in about 48 hours.

Now, ICON and Lennar Homes, which is a large national builder, are creating the first 3D subdivision in Austin Texas, and starting with 100 homes.  The Vulcan is the name of their 3D robotic printing machine, and if you haven’t seen it in action it is interesting to watch.  I’m not sure how I feel about the aesthetics as it does make homes look very different since it has concrete layers.

3D printing technology is fascinating and it is interesting to see it come into the real estate industry.

3D Panels

There is another company, Mighty Buildings, that is using 3D printing technology as well, but rather than printing on-site, they print the panels in a facility and then assemble the panels on site.  The kits come in three sizes of homes and I have to say if you like the look of modern homes, these kits could be a good thing.  It harkens back to the ol’ days when people purchased kits from Sears and then assembled the homes on site.  This is just the new era of Sears home kits.

Mighty Buildings is building a small subdivision in Coachella Valley of 15 of these smaller homes.  Watch the video as the homes look nice. The walls still have that 3D layered look but Mighty Homes are designed to handle a 9.0 earthquake so it will be interesting to see that company develop these homes as earthquake concerns are obviously a thing for Oregon as well. The big issue for Mighty homes in Oregon is the flat roofs. Obviously, with our rain, that is highly undesirable here.

I don’t know that our hills will be a good match for those homes since the builders need to adjust for the land on-site, but in Keizer and east Salem where it is flatter, a 3D printed home might work.  The install would be easier, at least. I don’t know that we will see these homes in Oregon soon, but the technology is advancing and will be interesting to watch.