Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Print Me a House

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by

Dick Hall-Sizemore
in ,

3D printer used to construct a house                                 Photo credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch

By Dick Hall-Sizemore

For someone who stays away from housing issues, I now have my second one in two days. Yesterday, I expressed dismay at the price tag on new “affordable” homes. Today’s topic is 3D printed homes.

As strange as that may sound, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported yesterday that work has begun in Richmond on the “first house in Virginia partially constructed using a 3D printer rather than lumber.”

I have trouble wrapping my mind around this concept.  =As I understand it, the “printer” is a large contraption that lays down concrete, rather than ink or toner, in precise patterns that have been programmed into a computer. The concrete is then smoothed out with a different nozzle that has a scraper attached. In the case of this house in Richmond, the printer is laying down layer after layer of concrete to “print” the outer walls of the house. The interior walls will be constructed by more traditional means.

The house will have 1,550 sq. ft., with three bedrooms and 2 baths. It is estimated that it will cost between $180,000 and $190,000 to construct and sell for $210,000 to $220,000.

More 3D houses are planned for other areas of the state. One is planned for James City County and five for the Eastern Shore. In addition to the outer walls, the interior walls in James City County will be built with the 3D printer. The houses on the Eastern Shore will be smaller, ranging from 500 sq. ft. to 1,300 sq. ft.

Providing the innovation and the funding, and taking the risk, is not a private sector entrepreneur, but the government. Virginia Housing, a quasi-governmental agency that was previously known as the Virginia Housing and Development Authority, has taken the lead on this project. It provided a $500,000 grant to the Virginia Center of Housing Research at Virginia Tech to pursue the project. Tech contracted with a 3D consultant, who used most of the grant money to buy the 3D printer from a Danish manufacturer. The other participants in the project are two nonprofit organizations and a traditional contractor.

Once the process is perfected, the project will be able to produce energy-efficient homes at a cost that is significantly lower than that for homes built in the traditional manner. There is only one downside for society: it requires significantly fewer workers, i.e. jobs.

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68 responses to “Print Me a House”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Very cool! But someone also took their name – ‘manufactured housing”! 😉

    And there are also thoughts that these can be “affordable” homes –

    https://www.thewaywardhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/best-little-house-in-texas.jpg

    And if you get down to it – this has always been affordable housing and still exists …

    http://images8.design-editor.com/93/9333390/3958/DC98AA2E-BCD2-DD71-A4C8-15BC7974F93F.jpg_400

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      The implications for 3D houses go beyond “affordability”. The technology enables quicker construction; minimizes the use of wood, the supply and price of which is volatile; uses more sustainable material (concrete rather than wood); and is cheaper. The biggest implication is the need for far fewer workers, which would decrease the number of jobs available for folks with less formal education. And all of that is applicable for full-size houses.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        I wonder how 3d printed concrete can be strength tested.

        In fact, I wonder enough that I am going to look into it and find out.

        1. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          They would have to do break tests the same way they do them for current construction. However, I don’t think you’d be able to conduct the standard onsite tests of “slump” and so forth to meet code.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            But would they pour the concrete cylinders for the break tests prior to using the batch for “printing” or have they developed specific “printing” methodology for preparing the test cylinders? My point being, laying concrete in “printed” layers is significantly different from pouring it, and the method of application can/will affect the ultimate strength of the finished product.

            Plus, the concrete mix designs are quite different for “printing” vs. conventional pouring.

          2. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            I would think they would have to. You’re testing the mix with the break to make sure you can meet the minimum psi.

            I’m not aware of the process, but like you I’m unsure how you’d retain any of the required strength through printing it.

            I also don’t see how it would be any cheaper than a poured house. Just because you don’t have a carpenter building forms doesn’t mean you’re not paying for the tech you’re using.

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Two stories and not on sand…

        3. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          That is a good point. Not being very knowledgeable about construction, I did not think about that. Let us know what you find out.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            I shall.

      2. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        One more thing: Concrete may be more “sustainable” than lumber, but it has a much larger carbon footprint – and increasing its use will make it even larger:

        https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844

        https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth

        https://www.ecori.org/climate-change/2019/10/4/global-warming-has-a-co2ncrete-problem

        😉

        1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          That possibility had occurred to me, but I did not follow up on the idea.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            It is the making of the cement used in concrete which causes almost 100% of its “carbon footprint”. As with most industries that pollute, cement manufacturers are working to reduce emissions related to their product, and are having some success.

  2. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    This Virginia Housing project makes a nice counterpoint to the RHHA project you wrote about yesterday. Housing at half the price! Once the feasibility of the technology has been demonstrated, I have no doubt that the private sector will happily take over.

    The bottleneck at that point will be the availability of developable land. Will local governments approve enough projects to keep up with demand?

    (Thanks for posting so many stories the past couple of days, Dick. Your timing is impeccable. I’ve been on mini-vacation and unable to do much more than check emails and glance over the blog. You’ve kept it very lively in my absence!

    1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      “I have no doubt that the private sector will happily take over.”

      …and triple the price…

  3. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Are they all made out of “ticky tacky”? This is really pretty amazing.

  4. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    “It is estimated that it will cost between $180,000 and $190,000 to construct and sell for $210,000 to $220,000.”

    This is the crux of the matter, the houses you wrote about yesterday that sell for $400,000 likely cost no more to build.

  5. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Cool, no? There’s a house in England that was build by two college students using pieces cut using CAD/CAM featured in a documentary a few years back on Netflix. It was a beautiful house, but 100% wood.

    But still…
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VUoXtddNPAM

  6. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    A 3D printer is a robot. I watched a short documentary about using 3D printers to build bridges in Holland. It was estimated that 80% of the labor required to build a bridge the traditional way would be avoided through the use of 3D printing (i.e. robots). Go to any construction site in Northern Virginia and get close enough to hear the workers speaking to one another. In all likelihood they will be speaking Spanish. Years of open borders and unfettered illegal immigration have provided the basic construction labor for the ongoing construction boom in places like Loudoun County. Use robots to cut that demand in half and there are a whole lot of unemployed people with limited transferrable skills. And construction is only one place where robots are taking over. If a car can drive autonomously on a highway why can’t a lawn mower operate autonomously in someone’s yard? Domino’s is already experimenting with autonomous delivery vehicles provided by a company named Neuro.

    Eliminating the Secretary of Technology as a cabinet level post was one of Northam’s many stupid ideas.

    Virginia has about 20 years to figure out how to survive in the brave new world of relatively low cost robots. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet even a single member of the General Assembly who seems capable of having an intelligent conversation on the three related topics of automation, education and employment.

    The bread and circuses of ancient Rome may well become marijuana and professional sports in post-modern Virginia.

    https://youtu.be/fn3KWM1kuAw

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Calling Isaac Asimov, calling Isaac Asimov…Time to get those three laws fully imprinted on their positronic brains….

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Just stand in the yellow box painted on the floor.

      2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        That’s great. I need to re-read his “robot” books. It has been awhile.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          You should read “Our Final Invention” rather than rereading Asimov (although I always like Asimov).

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            “Tell me MultiVac, is there a god?”
            “Yes, now there is.”

        2. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Isaac Asimov said this was the favorite story he ever wrote. It’s my favorite too. The link goes to a pdf, you don’t even have to buy anything to read it.

          https://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Why, almost any day now, we humans will be sitting on the veranda, sippin’ our tea, and watching the droids building our next EV on the lawn.

      Until some religious types demand we save the droid souls and not enslave poor machines.

      Boxes of hammers have rights too!

      1. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        You should read “Our Final Invention”.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Well, if it ends as suggested by the title, global warming won’t make a difference. Question, if you could transfer your intellect to a droid, would you?

          BTW Artifical intelligence is to intelligence as artificial insemination is to insemination.
          What do you get if you cross a computer with a gorilla? A Hairy Reasoner.

          1. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            Yes, I would transfer my intellect to a droid. Some would say that the transfer wouldn’t take all that long.

            AI is beating top human fighter pilots in China, at least … according to the Chinese government.

            Hold on to your hats.

            https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2021/06/18/chinese-ai-learns-to-beat-top-fighter-pilot-in-simulated-combat/?sh=501133691b8c

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            It is one of the simpler tasks humans perform. We could have eliminated pilots 30 years ago, but then glorifying war wouldn’t be as easy. They have a strong union.

            If you remove the pilot, the aircraft is limited only by its design, and the aircraft can pull maneuers that would turn the human pilot into a pizza.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Drones have changed the game even without AI. If you have enough drones, you can take down an aircraft carrier. Those ships are real targets now. Any ship is.

            And if dozens of drones can take out a ship, imagine what they could do to say, something like a Nuke plant.

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Two types of ships in the US Navy. Submarines and targets.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            even subs now. autonomous undersea drones can take out subs without risking a single sailor.

            Think Kamikaze without the suicide pilot (which you already did upthread).

          6. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Gotta find ’em first. Trust me. If you hafta be anywhere, you want to be in an attack class submarine.

          7. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Maybe. An underwater drone, sitting still outside a known sub port with passive sonar is it’s own “attack submarine” and no loss of life if it fails.

            I agree once the sub gets out into the ocean but even then – a “loitering” drone just listening for “signatures” – a few hundred or thousand of them and it’s a much smaller ocean.

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Well Mrs. Gates, now that the divorce is final, how would you describe life with Bill?
          Micro soft.

  7. tmtfairfax Avatar
    tmtfairfax

    This needs a separate post. SCOTUS just held 5-4 that a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to Section 717f(h) of the Natural Gas Act authorizes a private company to condemn all necessary rights-of-way, whether owned by private parties or states. I think that addresses a concern that Larry has raised many times on infrastructure cases. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-1039_8n5a.pdf

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Hmmm, kinda — what’s the word? — authoritarian, no? Well, Libertarians will be spinning in their graves.

      1. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        Not really. The bigger question for libertarians is whether private companies should be granted monopolies by the state. And, of course, whether those private companies which are granted monopolies by the state should be able to bribe, err … I mean contribute to the politicians who regulate them (in unlimited amounts).

        Richmond is badly broken and this US Supreme Court decision which may be appropriate in most states (which are well run) will be particularly bad for us.

        Elect charlatans and you get con artistry.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Not Richmond. FERC. Dominion could route a pipeline in ANY state and condemn the land – for a purely private for-profit venture.

          How about we do solar farms that way?

    2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      Does this really affect us in Virginia? Doesn’t state law

    3. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      To be clear, I question the legitimacy of ANY project that is said to serve the “public” but is a private venture.

      So – how about this. A private venture wants to build a toll-road and they condemn the land without any justification or regulation – it’s purely a for-profit private venture. Like that? That’s how pipelines work, no?

    4. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      “Amendment V

      No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

      I wonder what part of that they misunderstand…

      PS – It looks like Kavanaugh voted with the majority – Thomas, Gorsuch, Barrett and Kagan dissented. Interesting.

      1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        Under eminent domain, just compensation is provided.

        1. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          Okay. So what?

          That was not the issue at hand.

          PS – What would you consider “just compensation” to the citizens of a state in which a pipeline right of way for a private company is condemned across a state park?

        2. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Right. Who decides what is “just”?

          You cut a generational family farm in half with a pipeline or highway and the compensation is “just”? how?

          1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
            Eric the half a troll

            I recently testified on am eminent domain case. In that case a jury decided… for the property owner…

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            But it’s STILL the same government that took the property – deciding and if they decide to pay less that the property owners hired assessor – they can – and they do.

            “just compensation” when decided by the same folks that took the property is a bit problematical.

            but again – for a private sector – what is the difference between a pipeline and say, a Walmart and solar farm? What differentiates?

          3. Eric the half a troll Avatar
            Eric the half a troll

            A jury is not the government . I agree with you that it is disturbing that a private entity can use eminent domain to further their business interests. I would not have decided this case that way.

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Right. A school, a highway, a port, a prison, etc…. all for a direct public use with no profits involved.

            A pipeline? A private sector for-profit venture that does not directly benefit the public (like a school or road would).

            And what is really boils down to is taking property from one private owner and turning it over to another private owner for the second owners benefit.

            So we treat pipelines different from solar farms ? Because we don’t let private sector solar farms force the sale of land for their use, no?

        3. WayneS Avatar
          WayneS

          Okay. So what?

          That was not the issue at hand.

          PS – What would you consider “just compensation” to the citizens of a state in which a pipeline right of way for a private company is condemned across a state park?

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            What else could be the issue? They give you what they think is fair and, using due process, take your goods. The only issue is dickering over the “fair” word.

          2. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Not fair, just. The two are often not synonymous.

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Ah, as in “here, just take this.”

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            off the wall question on your emoj.

            Can you tell me where it came from?
            Are you a paddler?

          5. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            My emoji is a photo of the upstream end of +/-40,000 gallon water storage tank which is in the James River a little less than 3 miles downstream of the Rt 15 bridge between Fluvanna and Buckingham counties. The tank was washed downstream from the Bremo Water Treatment Plant in Fluvanna County during flooding from Agnes in 1972. It has lain there ever since, and at some point some paddlers or fishermen decided to decorate it.

            The tank (but not the smiley face) can be seen in Google Earth using the October 2017 aerial photography. NOTE: There is something wrong with the 02/2019 photos of that area and the tank is not visible.

            To see the tank, find Route 734 (Town and Country Road) in the northern part of Buckingham County. It is about 3 miles southeast of the Rt 15 bridge. Follow 734 northward to where it dead-ends about 500 feet south of the James River. The tank is in the river about 525 feet NNE of the dead-end point. It is closer to the Buckingham side than the Fluvanna side, a few feet south of a rock ledge that strikes SW to NE. It’s about 45′ long and rust colored.

            I certainly do not consider myself a “paddler”. I can adequately handle canoes and kayaks but I do not own one. I go canoeing or kayaking when invited by friends but I do not go on my own, nor do I organize my own excursions.

          6. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Thanks…

            http://www.bat-jet.com/batteau2021/6-24-21.html

          7. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Earlier I posted this to the wrong thread:

            Floating from Slate River to Cartersville they’ll pass right by the tank.

            Here’s a full size photo of it in all it’s rusting glory.

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c096cfd0040bc17979fcfc2b551e5e21434a07d809ba84ef1bd0a3092f342dc2.jpg

            PS – Yesterday I incorrectly stated that the smiley face is on the upstream end of the tank. It is actually on the downstream end.

          8. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            yep.. I sorta knew that, upstream would get “washed” pretty thoroughly at high water and over time would lose a lot of color.

          9. Eric the half a troll Avatar
            Eric the half a troll

            It is indeed the issue at hand. It make the eminent domain process fully consistent with Amendment V. As to your question, I have no way of knowing but I can tell you that there is a process that can very easily wind up in court to decide. I am no more a fan of eminent domain than you especially for private entity use BUT it is not unConstitutional.

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            No. I AGREE that, to this point, it’s said to be Constitutional BUT
            in my mind there is a big difference between a govt need – like a road or a school and a private sector for-profit “need” and especially so if the product they are selling is for however much the market will bring.

            Tell me how or why a Walmart or Solar Farm could not also use ED in a similar way.

  8. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    The techniques are revolutionizing manufacturing, and the day is coming (may be here) when Navy ships have onboard shops able to 3D print various replacement parts while underway.

  9. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    I just see the 3-D thing as a further and ongoing evolution of construction and technology.

    But 3-D is a bit of a simplistic concept because while it can do 3d objects , things like houses, cars, etc. are not 3d Objects , they are actually layers of different things, wires, pipes, etc… and 3D requires “feedstock” – are you building a wall out of what – lumber then sheetrock on top with places for electric wires and plumbing inside? A floor is joists, then subfloor, then something on top of that?

    You could do a 3-d profile of a car but geeze, it’s a block of something not a real car!

  10. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    RE: Standards and Testing.

    It looks like the development of standards, and test methodology, are underway though not yet finalized or adopted: From the article at the link (from March/April 2021 of ASTM’s Standardization News):

    “ASTM also sponsored an international symposium last December [2020] that brought together — virtually, of course — a number of experts from the field to discuss where new standards are needed. Titled “Standards Development for Cement and Concrete for Use in Additive Construction,” Scott Jones, Ph.D., of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, was chair of the symposium.

    “On the material side, new tests to characterize the rapid hydration of 3DCP materials will be required — ones that look at strength prior to initial setting and the rapidly changing rheology come to mind here,” Jones says. “On the structural side, we now have to contend with a structure that has a layered quality to it and likely new reinforcement mechanisms. We need to be sure the test we conduct probes these features.”

    Here is the link to the entire article: https://sn.astm.org/?q=features/shape-concrete-come-ma21.html

    I’m still looking for more detailed information on testing methodologies, although from the article it appears at least some established test methods may still be applicable.

    EDIT: This is interesting (to me, anyway) – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328584751_Maturity_testing_of_3D_printing_concrete_with_inert_microfiller

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      This is fascinating stuff. I don’t understand all of it, but, what I do understand is interesting.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        I think 3D printed concrete is a great method/product and I am looking forward to seeing it being used wherever it is an appropriate replacement for more expensive, labor intensive construction materials and/or methods.

        I am also gratified to see that there are people engaging in serious study to ensure it is safe to use and will not end up falling apart after only a few years.

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      I always thought, absent rebar, that the strength of concretes, resins, etc., was in the aggregate. For example, epoxy with microballoons is 10s of times stronger and lighter than just the epoxy alone.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Most structural concrete needs rebar , no?

        they look like this before the concrete is added:

        https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6f/a7/08/6fa70803a7275498714d4f24acb0c082.jpg

  11. Paul Sweet Avatar
    Paul Sweet

    I’m not sure this will be as easy as it first appears. “Printing” walls and roofs with thin layers of concrete is only a small part of a house. Concrete can store heat and release it later, but it is a poor insulator. The exterior would probably have to be clad with 2″ or more of styrofoam plus a synthetic stucco, and the roof would need several inches of foam insulation to meet present energy codes. It might be possible to insert electric boxes and horizontal wiring as the concrete is printed, but it is more likely that the walls would have to be furred out and sheet rocked to run piping, wiring, etc.

    Concrete strength isn’t a major issue in small residences. Stresses are very low (well under 100 PSI) and reinforcing typically isn’t required for strength unless it is in a seismic or hurricane area.

    I expect that several innovators will chip away at these and other problems over several years, but right now this is on the bleeding edge.

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