April Stringfield of Williamsburg, Virginia, had always wanted to own a home and her dream came to pass last week when she got the first keys to a 3D-printed home from Habitant for Humanity, which was built in partnership with Alquist, a 3D printing company.
Stringfield purchased the home through the Habitat Homebuyer Program and she received the keys to her new home just in time for Christmas. She will move in with her 13-year-old son.
She logged hundreds of hours of sweat equity, which is one of the requirements for homebuyers through the program, in order to acquire the property, Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN.
“My son and I are so thankful,” Stringfield said. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.”
She also said she was excited to make new memories, particularly at a place she can call home. “I’m excited to make new memories in Williamsburg and especially in a house, a home,” she said. “Some place I can call home and give my son that backyard that he can play in and also for my puppy to run around the yard.”
In a statement, Habitant for Humanity explained that some of the sweat hours were spent actually helping the crew on the construction site and others were recorded at the Habitat ReStore in Williamsburg. The statement said Stringfield, employed full-time for five years at a nearby hotel, will pay the no-interest mortgage back to the local Habitat affiliate — funds earmarked to go toward building future homes for qualified families.
“Every Habitat affiliate in the nation and worldwide sells home to partner families who have low to moderate incomes. They must have and maintain good credit and be willing to partner with us,” Green said.
Stringfield’s 1,200-square-foot home comes with three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete. The 3D technology allowed the home to be built in 12hours instead of the usual construction period of months.
Alquist used concrete in place of lumber to 3D print the walls, saving an estimated 15% per square foot in building costs, Habitat for Humanity said.
“The history that we’re making today is that this is the first-ever owner-occupied 3D printed home in the world,” said Zachary Mannheimer, founder and CEO of Alquist 3D.
The 3D home for Habitat for Humanity in the U.S., according to Green, won’t be the last. Green hopes that they will continue to partner and develop the technology used with the printing.
