The Biden administration said in September that the United States currently has a housing shortage of about 4 million homes, but Habitat for Humanity has a plan to help fix that thanks to newer technology.
The nonprofit has recently built its first two 3D printed homes in the country, and believes they can help build more homes faster because of the 3D printers.
Home prices in the Phoenix, AZ metro area are rising more than anywhere else in the country, up 32% in the last year, according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index. The main reason is that Phoenix hasn't built enough new houses to keep up with the recent population growth.
A family with three children from Tempe were unsure if they were going to be able afford to stay in the area, but with the help of Habitat for Humanity, they are buying a house with 3D printed walls.
The printer has a steel rail that moves back and forth between columns that straddle the building site, and follows automatic plans to lay wet concrete and coils layers on top of each other to build up the inside and outside walls of the 1700 square foot, 3-bedroom house. Workers then add a wood frame roof to complete the home.
Debra Bradley with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona hopes the technology can help them meet a faster demand for houses.
"If we can get down to where we can build a house in seven or eight hours, the exterior of the home, then the cost makes sense, and the product is stable and long lasting, then why wouldn't we do that," Bradley said.
The only other 3D printed home by the organization was built in Virginia, as there are some concerns if the technology is cost effective right now.
3D printing houses could save money in the labor side of building a home, especially somewhere like the Phoenix area. Bradley said that it's ok if the house being built was behind schedule and over budget, because it still shows people that it can be done.
"And now we can take this and prove to the world we can do things differently and have a better outcome," Bradley said.
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