Alternatives to the traditional building style have been on the rise for the last decade. Container homes, refurbished trailer homes, and 3D-printed homes – as we all know – have been hot topics.
3D-printed homes are a cut above the rest and are making big moves here in Austin. The Austin Culture Map recently reported on a whole community of 3D-printed homes coming to market here in 2023.
ICON, the company fronting the project, has already broken ground in Georgetown, a neighborhood that is well known for its current home cultivation. They plan to bring 100 affordable homes to the area priced up to the mid $400,000s.
ICON’s co-founder had this to say about the project:
“For the first time in the history of the world, what we’re witnessing here is a fleet of robots building an entire community of homes. And not just any homes, homes that are better in every way … better design, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency,”.
When I first heard of the plan myself I was thinking sure these are going to be cool but small aren’t they? No matter how interestingly built a home is, a family needs more space than a loft or one bedroom, which is what we have typically seen prior with 3D-printed homes. That’s not the case, however, as these homes are being planned to have 3-4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, and 8 different floor plans.
It’s catching people’s interest, especially those coming into Austin and current residents who are sustainably minded. With the consistent influx of west coast tech gurus and east coast businessmen and women, they are all going to be vying for an affordable structured place to call home.
This build may also be the first of many we see around the country, so it’s a trend to keep an eye on. We all know the housing market is facing a torrent of ups and downs.
Communities like this will keep the market afloat if we do come to another crash. 3D-printed homes are worth the effort to research. Sustainability like this is the future of home buying and selling alike. It’ll be something to promote and a sector most realtors haven’t explored just yet, which means you could get ahead of the game!
A native New Englander who migrated to Austin on a whim, Stephanie Dominique is a freelance copywriter, novelist, and certificate enthusiast. When she's not getting howled at by two dachshunds or inhaling enough sugar to put a giant into shock, she is reading, cooking or writing about her passions.
