3D Printed House - Wells Fargo will finance.

[BMWTurboDzl]

I've been waiting for these to get a foothold in mainstream construction so we'll see how it goes. Per ICON, the cost savings over traditional stick built is around 40%. (shrug)

WFS is partnering with the builder to provide financing. (https://www.iconbuild.com/technology)

 

[buster]

Really interesting.

 

[supton]

40% savings but is that passed to the consumer? Higher upfront cost to the builder I would think; they would need to amortize that 3D printer over several builds.

I have to wonder, what is the resale value of these structures after 10 years? 20? Will they be desirable, or will they age like trailer homes? Modular homes have shown to retain value as well as stick build, presumably due to having to be built well enough to ship, and with perhaps even better compliance with codes.

The gap in the walls might make for great insulation. Wonder what the drawbacks are. Wonder what the future rework is like (how hard to add another room, for instance).

 

[Zee09]

Kool....
Wonder what the Leukemia score is?

 

[KrisZ]

There is a whole neighborhood that’s been 3d printed near where I live. They were going for high $400s to mid $500s. Pretty much on par with traditional builds of similar square footage.

 

[Zee09]

I have done some 3D printing myself and this is very interesting.
I hope they have a way or a material to abate the smell...can you imagine???

 

[fantastic]

There is a whole neighborhood that’s been 3d printed near where I live. They were going for high $400s to mid $500s. Pretty much on par with traditional builds of similar square footage.

Well, that's no good.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

40% savings but is that passed to the consumer? Higher upfront cost to the builder I would think; they would need to amortize that 3D printer over several builds.

I have to wonder, what is the resale value of these structures after 10 years? 20? Will they be desirable, or will they age like trailer homes? Modular homes have shown to retain value as well as stick build, presumably due to having to be built well enough to ship, and with perhaps even better compliance with codes.

The gap in the walls might make for great insulation. Wonder what the drawbacks are. Wonder what the future rework is like (how hard to add another room, for instance).

View attachment 339535

Well they are the builder so I imagine the equipment is already being depreciated. The more they build the cheaper it becomes so I imagine some savings will be passed onto the buyer. Resale and long term maintenance is going to be interesting. I'm sure there's a learning curve on repairs/maintenance and long term durability of the concrete mixture will be key.

The site contains some projects (https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/wimberley-springs)

Exterior walls have a thermal rating of R-18 which meets code for about any state within the lower 48. (https://www.iconbuild.com/design-build/wall-system)

EDIT: The biggest downside is concrete flooring and lack of basement option.

 

[alarmguy]

I think that community in Texas is cool. More so for retirees.

 

[alarmguy]

Well they are the builder so I imagine the equipment is already being depreciated. The more they build the cheaper it becomes so I imagine some savings will be passed onto the buyer. Resale and long term maintenance is going to be interesting. I'm sure there's a learning curve on repairs/maintenance and long term durability of the concrete mixture will be key.

The site contains some projects (https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/wimberley-springs)

Exterior walls have a thermal rating of R-18 which meets code for about any state within the lower 48. (https://www.iconbuild.com/design-build/wall-system)

Seems like it would hold up to a hurricane better than stick built. I am sure energy efficiency is much better even though to my surprise it is only r-18 in the walls. It will be a solid r-18 being it is foam vs r15 fiberglass batts in stick built homes.The icon foam insulation will meet that r18 in the actual wall as long as it is properly composed and doesnt shrink, fiberglass batts will not achieve a full r15 between studs..

 

[KrisZ]

Well, that's no good.

It’s almost never about saving money for the final customer, although many people, after reading such articles, assume so.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Seems like it would hold up to a hurricane better than stick built. I am sure energy efficiency is much better even though to my surprise it is only r-18 in the walls. It will be a solid r-18 being it is foam vs r15 fiberglass batts in stick built homes.The icon foam insulation will meet that r18 in the actual wall as long as it is properly composed and doesnt shrink, fiberglass batts will not achieve a full r15 between studs..

Unfortunately "Grade 1" install for batt insulation is the except rather than the norm.

https://insulationinstitute.org/im-...installation-guidance-2/grade-1-installation/

 

[alarmguy]

Unfortunately "Grade 1" install for batt insulation is the except rather than the norm.

https://insulationinstitute.org/im-...installation-guidance-2/grade-1-installation/

Yeah, our last new home in 2006. Wife I actually went to the home with a roll of R-13 on a Sunday while it was under construction.
I filled in any gaps no matter how small with insulation. Including many times gaps at the bottom of the batts.

This home 2023, surprisingly was well done in the walls, tight and they seem to be that was in the area as to this day still many homes being built, wife and I walk through them.
HOWEVER the attic installation I did measure, also we had a final inspection done before the 1 year warranty ended and found some areas in the attic without a full 12 inches or so of insulation. So we had them come back, the workers themselves are always very nice. They spent a lot of time blowing more in and he pointed out to me they did areas not even on the report. A lot of workers are foreign and the nicest people to work with. No fraud in this case it just was what it was, now it is really deep.

Lets go back to that 2006 house, once again, same deal with the blown in attic insulation ONLY THIS WAS what I looked as fraud by a DR Horton contractor. Wow, I got on the phone with this guy as he told me that my complaint was not valid, I am looking at "settled" depth now. No way, not that short of time. But this is where I nailed him. They put these cardboard rulers between the joists in some areas to show the depth when they blow the stuff in. I trust nothing I used my own ruler. It didnt match up with their cardboard one.
Guess what? Using my hands I dug down through the insulation to the bottom of the joist. The cardboard ruler was bent at the bottom by a couple inches. SO on the surface it looked like more than was there. Can you imagine how many contractors may get away with this. Not many consumers like me checking.

Ok, so let's go to the year 2025. My son closed on his large DR Horton home. Inspection report just came in, similar to my experience in 2006/ When I say just came in, he sent it to me a couple hours ago. Some areas of the attic has insulation as little as 4 inches.
You can bet this is pervasive in the home building industry, more so now adays. I cant imagine many people like us knowing to measure their attic insulation. It really to me seems like a HUGE problem. What at are the chances that I ran into the same issue my son did in 2006 and he has it in 2025 built home?

Our 2023 built home still had an issue but smaller I see that one as most like carelessness/lazyness vs possible fraud of the others.

This is part of his report that he texted to me a couple hours ago on his 2025 home that he will have DR Horton correct.

 

[Skippy722]

Yeah, our last new home in 2006. Wife I actually went to the home with a roll of R-13 on a Sunday while it was under construction.
I filled in any gaps no matter how small with insulation. Including many times gaps at the bottom of the batts.

This home 2023, surprisingly was well done in the walls, tight and they seem to be that was in the area as to this day still many homes being built, wife and I walk through them.
HOWEVER the attic installation I did measure, also we had a final inspection done before the 1 year warranty ended and found some areas in the attic without a full 12 inches or so of insulation. So we had them come back, the workers themselves are always very nice. They spent a lot of time blowing more in and he pointed out to me they did areas not even on the report. A lot of workers are foreign and the nicest people to work with. No fraud in this case it just was what it was, now it is really deep.

Lets go back to that 2006 house, once again, same deal with the blown in attic insulation ONLY THIS WAS what I looked as fraud by a DR Horton contractor. Wow, I got on the phone with this guy as he told me that my complaint was not valid, I am looking at "settled" depth now. No way, not that short of time. But this is where I nailed him. They put these cardboard rulers between the joists in some areas to show the depth when they blow the stuff in. I trust nothing I used my own ruler. It didnt match up with their cardboard one.
Guess what? Using my hands I dug down through the insulation to the bottom of the joist. The cardboard ruler was bent at the bottom by a couple inches. SO on the surface it looked like more than was there. Can you imagine how many contractors may get away with this. Not many consumers like me checking.

Ok, so let's go to the year 2025. My son closed on his large DR Horton home. Inspection report just came in, similar to my experience in 2006/ When I say just came in, he sent it to me a couple hours ago. Some areas of the attic has insulation as little as 4 inches.
You can bet this is pervasive in the home building industry, more so now adays. I cant imagine many people like us knowing to measure their attic insulation. It really to me seems like a HUGE problem. What at are the chances that I ran into the same issue my son did in 2006 and he has it in 2025 built home?

Our 2023 built home still had an issue but smaller I see that one as most like carelessness/lazyness vs possible fraud of the others.

This is part of his report that he texted to me a couple hours ago on his 2025 home that he will have DR Horton correct.
View attachment 339551
View attachment 339552

I follow a guy on Tiktok who's a home inspector (Cyfy home inspection), I can't remember if he's done any DR Horton homes but my God are some of these new homes downright scary. Little to no insulation, rafters improperly or not fastened at all, beer bottles left behind, sliding doors not properly installed allowing anyone access to the home, gas leaks etc etc.

 

[RooflessVW]

A wise man once told me that there are only two kinds of concrete.

 

[IndyIan]

Well they are the builder so I imagine the equipment is already being depreciated. The more they build the cheaper it becomes so I imagine some savings will be passed onto the buyer. Resale and long term maintenance is going to be interesting. I'm sure there's a learning curve on repairs/maintenance and long term durability of the concrete mixture will be key.

The site contains some projects (https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/wimberley-springs)

Exterior walls have a thermal rating of R-18 which meets code for about any state within the lower 48. (https://www.iconbuild.com/design-build/wall-system)

EDIT: The biggest downside is concrete flooring and lack of basement option.

I imagine they could do a basement, but it would need something like a duplicate floor plan below the main floor to support the weight of the main floor walls.
I was wondering how well each layer actually bonds to the next, and it seems its not strong enough for basement exterior walls, otherwise they would offer that? If its beating relatively cheap above ground walls for price, it would be an incredible deal compared to the cost of poured concrete basement walls!
Also I guess they can't operate in the rain, below freezing, or maybe even in very high or low humidity?
I imagine painting it is a bit of of a chore, but I guess with a good sprayer setup it would be ok. It would be good to see how baseboards work, or the seam to the drywall ceiling?

Anyways, I guess it will work if you like that aesthetic.

 

[alarmguy]

I follow a guy on Tiktok who's a home inspector (Cyfy home inspection), I can't remember if he's done any DR Horton homes but my God are some of these new homes downright scary. Little to no insulation, rafters improperly or not fastened at all, beer bottles left behind, sliding doors not properly installed allowing anyone access to the home, gas leaks etc etc.

I don’t disagree, but I think it’s always been that way.
Meaning, when something is wrong nowadays, it can get national exposure on YouTube and TikTok and everything else.
The production builders at least the ones I’ve dealt with build a good house and by that I mean a stick built house is a stick built house
I trust them more than custom builders because I could tell you stories about that as well.
With the national builders anything you find wrong or at least anything I found wrong and I could give you pages from both houses never in one instance did they not come back and fix it or dispute it

But you do have to be diligent and make sure in that specific area and the specific companies that they outsource to are doing a proper job
Clearly, from my point of view, they are well aware the general public is not going up in the attic and measuring their insulation with the ruler. To be honest, that is the consumer job to make sure they’re getting what they paid for because the death of the insulation as far as I remember was listed in the sales contract.

 

[PandaBear]

I am not convinced it is going to be 40% cheaper unless they do a large amount of build so they don't need to move and level the printer all the time.

As for cost saving to buyer? No it is all about location. Nothing is obviously more or less desirable unless they want a certain style like a round house that's impossible for a stick frame structure. It likely will be a good thing if there is a local labor shortage (i.e. immigration enforcement). It would be real expensive to cut a section out to expand in the future though.

I am curious why don't factory build metal beam frame core that people bolt together in the middle to make 3d print or stick frame faster and easier to build on site?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Yeah, our last new home in 2006. Wife I actually went to the home with a roll of R-13 on a Sunday while it was under construction.
I filled in any gaps no matter how small with insulation. Including many times gaps at the bottom of the batts.

This home 2023, surprisingly was well done in the walls, tight and they seem to be that was in the area as to this day still many homes being built, wife and I walk through them.
HOWEVER the attic installation I did measure, also we had a final inspection done before the 1 year warranty ended and found some areas in the attic without a full 12 inches or so of insulation. So we had them come back, the workers themselves are always very nice. They spent a lot of time blowing more in and he pointed out to me they did areas not even on the report. A lot of workers are foreign and the nicest people to work with. No fraud in this case it just was what it was, now it is really deep.

Lets go back to that 2006 house, once again, same deal with the blown in attic insulation ONLY THIS WAS what I looked as fraud by a DR Horton contractor. Wow, I got on the phone with this guy as he told me that my complaint was not valid, I am looking at "settled" depth now. No way, not that short of time. But this is where I nailed him. They put these cardboard rulers between the joists in some areas to show the depth when they blow the stuff in. I trust nothing I used my own ruler. It didnt match up with their cardboard one.
Guess what? Using my hands I dug down through the insulation to the bottom of the joist. The cardboard ruler was bent at the bottom by a couple inches. SO on the surface it looked like more than was there. Can you imagine how many contractors may get away with this. Not many consumers like me checking.

Ok, so let's go to the year 2025. My son closed on his large DR Horton home. Inspection report just came in, similar to my experience in 2006/ When I say just came in, he sent it to me a couple hours ago. Some areas of the attic has insulation as little as 4 inches.
You can bet this is pervasive in the home building industry, more so now adays. I cant imagine many people like us knowing to measure their attic insulation. It really to me seems like a HUGE problem. What at are the chances that I ran into the same issue my son did in 2006 and he has it in 2025 built home?

Our 2023 built home still had an issue but smaller I see that one as most like carelessness/lazyness vs possible fraud of the others.

This is part of his report that he texted to me a couple hours ago on his 2025 home that he will have DR Horton correct.
View attachment 339551
View attachment 339552

Yep. Same thing with our circa 2000 townhome. There's a funny YT guys named CYFY out of Phoneix AZ area and he roasts the production builders all the time with his short videos over inadequate insulation, broken trusses, electrical, roof tile, etc.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I imagine they could do a basement, but it would need something like a duplicate floor plan below the main floor to support the weight of the main floor walls.
I was wondering how well each layer actually bonds to the next, and it seems its not strong enough for basement exterior walls, otherwise they would offer that? If its beating relatively cheap above ground walls for price, it would be an incredible deal compared to the cost of poured concrete basement walls!
Also I guess they can't operate in the rain, below freezing, or maybe even in very high or low humidity?
I imagine painting it is a bit of of a chore, but I guess with a good sprayer setup it would be ok. It would be good to see how baseboards work, or the seam to the drywall ceiling?

Anyways, I guess it will work if you like that aesthetic.

The website contains a portfolio of homes they've already built. No baseboards. These homes have a Tatooine vibe.