Just outside Austin, Georgetown, Texas, the brand new planned community can be seen, which is far away in this part of the country. But a small subdivision immediately puts the point. Just finished and is now the largest 3D printing community in the world.
Two years ago, LenarThe country’s second largest home builder has teamed up with 3D technology company Icon to print 100 homes in the Wolf Ranch development. The two companies said about 75% of them had sold.
All walls have rounded edges because that’s how the printer navigates with concrete. The layering process makes it feel like a difficult, wide corduroy. The roof is the only part of the structure, not 3D printed, and in this community, is made of metal. Every home is powered by solar.
Lennar and Icon 3D printed houses.
Diana Olick | CNBC
“If you look at its windproofing ability to cyclones, its windproofing ability to destroy fire resistance in fire areas, it’s amazing to be able to adapt modern products to what we need in housing and to build healthier housing markets,” said Stuart Miller.
Icon started the project in Wolf Ranch in 2022 using two 40-foot robot printers. By the second year, the company was using 11 machines to cut printing time in half and squeeze out two houses a week. Each printer can do the work of more than a dozen construction workers. The system runs 24 hours a day.
“All knowledge about this technology needs to be done at a large scale,” said Jason Ballard, CEO of Icon. “The fact is on site, not in the lab.”
Ballard said his team had to work with Lennar’s team, from laying foundations to printing walls, installing internal systems and adding roofs.
“Figuring out how to fit in with Lennar’s business, they are probably the best size builders in the world, and it’s a real growth moment for our company,” Ballard said.
Lennar and Icon 3D printed houses.
Diana Olick | CNBC
These homes have all the amenities of the conventionally built Lennar community. They have 2- and 3-bedroom models and start at less than $400,000.
Holly Feekings and her husband both retired and moved into their 3D printed house about a year ago. The best part of living in a printed house, she said, is her electricity bill – just $26 last month. Concrete retains its temperature, heat or cold air, better than her previous standard colonies, Feekings said. She also likes the durability of the house.
“I’m safer in this house than any house I’ve ever lived in because it’s very well built and doesn’t burn,” Fitkins said.
At the corner, Pierre Megie and his girlfriend were attracted by the appearance of the house.
“We wanted tall doors, high ceilings, concrete floors, and somehow had everything. In fact, it was just a combination of energy efficiency, practicality, price, and then aesthetics,” Meggie said.
Lennar and Icon 3D printed houses.
Diana Olick | CNBC
Community is Lennar’s experiment. According to Miller and Ballard, the cost of enduring is higher than through tangled work.
Miller said Lenar is now planning its second 3D printing community in Texas, which has about 200 homes and is even less expensive to build, given what the company has learned in Georgetown. The next neighborhood will have bigger homes and Ballard expects them to rise faster and cheaper.
“We’ve seen our costs drop by half. We’ve seen our cycle time drop by half. This has made a significant improvement in the growing housing market that is able to change over time and is more resilient and useful in providing affordable and achievable housing for the wider market.”
As for the rising risk of tariffs between the U.S. and trading partners, Ballard said his company uses all concrete that belongs to the U.S. specifically.
