3D Printed Home Listed On Long Island Could Be Game Changer For Affordable Housing
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Island is home to what's believed to be the world's first licensed 3D printed home listed on the open real estate market.
"Right now, this is the most viewed home on the planet," Long Island realtor Stephen King told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan. "Everything, the feel about it is all traditional. But it's built by a robot."
It's 1,400 square feet, and the concrete footings, foundation, interior and exterior walls all went up in 48 hours, said 3D builder Kirk Andersen, of SQ4D Inc.
"We mix our concrete on demand and we have a giant 3D printer follow the floor plan and print each wall layer by layer," he explained.
The Moya family learned about the $299,000 price tag in the town of Riverhead, where the search for affordable housing is spiking.
"Wow, that's great," one family member said.
"We would be able to have affordable living," another said.
Proponents say the cost of 3D technology construction is 50% cheaper than the cost of comparable newly constructed homes in Riverhead -- and 10 times faster.
"We're hoping to build the houses in under 100 days," Andersen said.
Anderson said they are expediting the process by cutting back on labor costs. It's a radial change for job sites.
"The machine is autonomous. As little human intervention as possible," said Andersen.
After the structure is printed out, other trades and crafts people come in and finish off the finer details.
"This is where your electrical, your plumbing and blown insulation goes," King said.
The building codes were approved by the town and energy efficiency cited.
The concrete home has three bedrooms, cement closets, two baths and a detached garage, plus sliding glass doors and an arched timber ceiling.
"The opportunity to have a new constructed home for $299,000 on Long Island, it just doesn't exist," said King.
It's strong and durable enough to last 50 years, the builders claim. They believe the affordable technology could be used to tackle homelessness.