Virginia family obtains keys to Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D printed house in the United States
By Sara Smart, CNN
Posted:
Update:
(CNN) – A family in Virginia received the keys to their new 3D printed home in time for Christmas.
The house is the first Habitat for Humanity 3D printed house in the country, according to a press release from Habitat.
Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN she partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to kickstart the process.
The 1,200 square foot home features three bedrooms and two full bathrooms and was constructed of concrete.
The technology allowed the house to be built in just 12 hours, saving about four weeks of construction time for a typical house.
April Stringfield bought the house as part of the Habitat for Homebuyers program and is moving in with her 13-year-old son.
“srcset =” “/>
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity members, sponsors and building partners welcome April Stringfield and her son to their new home.
“My son and I are so grateful,” Stringfield said in a live stream on the Habitat Facebook page. “I have always wanted to be an owner. It’s like a dream come true.
To buy the home, Stringfield logged hundreds of hours of sweat capital, one of the requirements for homebuyers through the program, Green told CNN.
“Every Habitat branch in the country and around the world sells homes to partner families who have low to moderate incomes,” Green said. “They have to have and maintain good credit and be prepared to partner with us.”
“I am excited to make new memories in Williamsburg and especially in a house, a house,” Stringfield told CNN affiliate WTKR. “A place that I can call home and give my son that backyard that he can play in and also for my puppy to run around in the yard.”
The concrete used in the 3D construction of the house has many long-term benefits, such as the ability to maintain temperature and withstand natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
Stringfield’s home also includes a personal 3D printer that will allow her to reprint anything she may need, from “an electrical outlet to cabinet knobs,” Green told CNN.
While this is the first Habitat for Humanity 3D house in the United States, it certainly won’t be the last. Green told CNN he hopes to continue to partner and develop the technology used for printing.
“We would like to build more with this technology, especially because it saves homeowners long-term savings,” Green said.