A local Colorado startup in the business of building high-quality, 3D-printed homes is disrupting the housing crisis in the Centennial State. Its 3D-printed homes not only cut construction timelines and budgets, but they are also more climate-resilient in the face of increased extreme weather events.
Earlier this year in March, VeroTouch finished construction on Colorado's first 3D-printed homes, 3D Printing Industry reported. The 3D-printed homes, each measuring 1,100 square feet, are located in Buena Vista, where new homeowners have since moved into, Colorado Biz reported last month.
Despite the unconventional and innovative nature of these new homes, Nate and Jess Dannels, new homeowners of one of the newly constructed Buena Vista homes, seem more than ecstatic at their new property.
"We just loved the exposed look of the walls from the 3D-printing process, so it was absolutely a driver in our wanting to acquire the home," Jess said, per Colorado Biz. The couple added that the house was "high-tech" and "built with a very high standard."
VeroTouch's 3D-printed homes are made with a composite material rated A1 for fire-resistant and mold-resistant components, making the house more durable and resilient against wildfire threats. The high-tech nature of the composite material also adds to the insulating quality of the house, which can help reduce energy consumption, lowering household energy costs.
As insurers continue to raise homeowner insurance premiums for Colorado homeowners due to increased extreme weather events, like wildfires, these 3D-printed homes offer a safe and climate-resilient option for housing.
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In addition, 3D-printed homes are much faster and more affordable to build, cutting construction timelines and budgets by at least a third — savings that can eventually be passed on to the consumer.
"It's not just one component, it's changing the entire way that we think about how we build," said VeroTouch CEO Grant Hamel, per the Colorado Biz.
The sale price of one of the Buena Vista 3D-printed houses was $625,000, which is only slightly less than the average price of homes in the Buena Vista area, which cost about $675,000, per the Colorado Biz.
Hamel reasoned, "It was never intended to be cheaper than a cheap, stick-frame home," per the Colorado Biz. "We built two high-quality homes that are super insulated with super high structural integrity," he said, justifying the price tag.
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Definitely 👍 Under a YouTube video covering the largest 3D-printed neighborhood in the country, which is a suburban community in Austin, Texas, commenters were quick to point out that 3D-printed homes are more affordable to build, but their price tags don't reflect those savings.
"So you're telling me that they build a home that is WAY cheaper to make, uses less resources and is built faster but is the same price as a normal home. That's crazy," one commenter wrote.
Another commenter explained, "You're paying for the R&D (research and development) but as this gets better developed and more accessible- it will benefit from economies of scale."
"These machines are not cheap and they need more and more of them," a third user added.
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