Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the US

Timelapse video shows construction of 3D-printed home

01:31 • Source: WTKR

Trending Now 11 videos

Timelapse video shows construction of 3D-printed home

01:31

Now playing

• Source: WTKR

NOAA announced this week that it finally solved the 2.5-year-old mystery of an unidentified object found on the ocean floor in the Gulf of Alaska during a 2023 expedition. CNN’s Yon Pomrenze explains what scientists used to uncover the origin of the "golden orb."

Why Alaska golden orb is trending

01:30

Now playing

• Source: CNN

The highs and lows of Spotify’s first 20 years

01:29

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Bill Weir reports from the Arctic Ocean as sea ice drops to an alarming new low

02:10

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Hollywood Minute: 'The Silence of the Lambs' returns for its 35th anniversary

01:11

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Chinese social media mocks Trump, touts China’s rise

02:40

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Do you smoke cigarettes? You're far in the minority among Americans. Harry Enten breaks it down

04:02

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Is Nothing the next big thing in smartphones?

03:23

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail and Pinterest CEO Bill Ready

Why Venmo’s social feed was so controversial at first

02:46

Now playing

• Source: CNN

'Find the right people': Usain Bolt's advice to sprint sensation Gout Gout

01:10

Now playing

• Source: CNN

DJs over 60 take the stage at music festival

01:05

Now playing

• Source: CNN

CNN —

One Virginia family received the keys to their new 3D-printed home in time for Christmas.

The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation, according to a Habitat news release.

Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. Alquist’s crew printed the house.

The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete.

The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home.

April Stringfield purchased the home through the Habitat Homebuyer Program. She will move in with her 13-year-old son just in time for the holidays.

“My son and I are so thankful,” Stringfield said in a live feed streamed on Habitat’s Facebook page. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.”

The concrete exterior of the new Habitat for Humanity 3D printed house.

To purchase the home, Stringfield logged hundreds of hours of sweat equity, Green told CNN, which is one of the requirements for homebuyers through the program.

“Every Habitat affiliate in the nation and worldwide sells home to partner families who have low to moderate incomes,” Green said. “They must have and maintain good credit and be willing to partner with us.”

“I’m excited to make new memories in Williamsburg and especially in a house, a home,” Stringfield told CNN affiliate WTKR. “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.”

Janet V. Green, right, welcomes April Stringfield, left, to her new home.

The concrete used in the house’s 3D construction has many long-term benefits, such as the ability to retain temperature and withstand natural disasters, like tornadoes and hurricanes.

Stringfield’s home also includes a personal 3D printer that will allow her to reprint anything she may need, “everything from electrical outlet to trim to cabinet knobs,” Green told CNN.

While this is the first 3D home for Habitat for Humanity in the US, it certainly won’t be the last. Green told CNN it hopes to continue partnering and developing the technology used with the printing.

“We would love to build more with this technology, especially because it’s got that long-term savings for the homeowners,” Green said.