3D Printed House in Houston

When I'm meeting someone for the first time, often times, they'll ask what I do. During small-talk, my career comes up and we start talking about 3D printing. People unfamiliar with the space will still know that they have begun 3D printing houses! And why? Because it's cool! It's cool to think that a technology still in its infancy can be used to manufacture something so core to us and so foundational to our lives.

However, most of what these people hear may have come from 60 Minutes (in the US), or an Instagram Reel. These don't tell the complete story.

There is a house in Houston Texas that reports to be the first two-story 3D printed home in the US (photographed above). You may have not realized that most of the viral content you've seen about 3D printed houseing is usually a one story bungalow with a simple layout and limited bells/whistles. This may be great for affordable housing or when limited manpower is available, but is the technology good enough to bring a 3D printed home to your neighborhood? Can you get all of the features you want or would you need to opt for a traditionally manufactured home?

I invite you to take a look at some of the photos below. This Houston project has (allegedly) been sitting idle for upwards of a year now, with no new progress.

You have to wonder.. Did they run into a fatal flaw with the plan? Were there budgetary issues? Did something happen with the second story that would make this initial attempt no longer possible?

We hope that is not the case, and would love to see this project headed back towards completion in no time. We will keep you posted here as the story unfolds.