New York-based development company SQ4D has listed the United States’ first-ever 3D printed home for sale, according to a statement released last week. The 1,500-square-foot home is on the market in Riverhead, New York for $299,999.
“This is the future, there is no doubt about it,” SQ4D Director of Operations Kirk Andersen told CNN on Sunday. “What we want to do is print homes fast, and cheap and strong.”
“I want people to not be afraid of automation…it is just a different tool and different method,” Andersen added. “But it’s still the same product; we are still building a house at the end of the day.”
The home features an open floor plan with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a detached two-car garage. A demo version of the home was constructed with 3D printed concrete, which SQ4D said has the “strength and durability that conventional wood-frame construction cannot match.”
SQ4D is conducting virtual walkthroughs of the demo home, which was used as a proof of concept to garner zoning approval from Riverhead’s zoning board. Andersen said Riverhead’s zoning laws are notoriously difficult for developers to navigate, as evidenced by developer Vincent DiCanio’s 16-year court case against the city for refusing to approve his application for a senior living facility.
DiCanio originally applied for the permit in 2001, according to a Riverhead Local article, but a series of zoning law changes from 2003 to 2005 halted the approval process as he fought with the city about his master plan that included residential and commercial buildings.
Although Riverhead’s zoning history would scare most developers away, Andersen said that’s the exact reason they chose the area to test their technology and concept.
“We did it in one of the hardest places and there’s a beauty in that because that means we can eventually do it anywhere,” he explained to CNN. “We can make things more affordable and safer. We can use the technology to tackle homelessness, and aid in disaster relief in an eco-friendly way.”
SQ4D said the building timeline for their 3D homes is three times faster than traditional homes, which results in a “70 percent reduction in total construction costs.” Only three builders are needed for the construction, as most of the heavy-lifting is done by the company’s Autonomous Robotic Construction System.
The ARCS can build a home in six to eight hours, starting with the footing and foundation, and then the interior and exterior walls. In addition to speed, SQ4D said the ARCS system is eco-friendly as it only requires the same amount of power as a standard hairdryer and outputs exactly what’s needed for a zero-waste process.
Realty Connect USA listing agent Stephen King compared SQ4D’s ARCS to Henry Ford’s groundbreaking car manufacturing process and said buyers will warm up to the idea of a 3D printed home once they see the cost-saving benefits.
“The cost of construction is 50 percent cheaper than the cost of comparable newly-constructed homes in Riverhead, New York, and 10 times faster,” King said in SQ4D’s announcement. “This technology will change America, the environment, and history.”
“Just like Ford brought vehicles to the masses, SQ4D makes new construction achievable for everyone,” he added.
