DETROIT (WXYZ) — Today, the builders of the first 3D-printed home in the Midwest held a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The home is located at 1444 Sheridan Street in Detroit's Islandview Neighborhood.
It's a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 988 square feet, single-family home. 7 Action News first reported on the construction project back in October.
Evelyn Woodman, the co-founder of Citizen Robotics, said the project is 15 months in the making.
She and her father, Tom, started the project.
She said one key highlight of the home is it has a universal design. The home is accessible for people with disabilities.
“As the homeowner continues to age, or should they have any physical disabilities they would have no problem getting around in this home," Woodman said.
She said the concrete walls are built with a 3D printer, and the materials used help save on energy costs for the homeowner.
Mildred Malone, who has lived across the street for 76 years said, “Oh, this place is larger than I thought.”
7 Action News showed Malone photos of the interior.
She said she's lived in her home all her life. So, she’s seen a lot of change, including the condos she said were constructed about 15 years ago.
Malone said of the 3-D home, "I think it’s good. I think it’s good. It’s something different we haven’t seen before.”
“Maybe they’ll put some more up," she said.
Malone, who inherited several plots of land on both sides of the street from her parents, said she’s not opposed to parting with some of it for the sake of more single-family homes.
“I might consider it maybe, but not the house and not the immediate land," she said.
Sam Stragand is the senior program manager for the Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility through the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions.
“I’m excited about it. It certainly is not a solution on its own," he said.
7 Action News discussed the home's listing price of $224,500 with him.
“The median housing value in Detroit is about $80,000. So, this is a house that’s worth more than twice as much as the average house in Detroit. At the same time, it is… I think that in order to develop more affordable housing we are going to need to encourage technological progress in home building," Stragand said.
Woodman said the price comparison is a conversation that comes up routinely.
She explained, “We think it’s not comparable to compare this new build, it’s airtight, it’s energy-efficient, it’ll have low maintenance over time, and low heating and cooling costs over time. So, what we’re focused on is affordability over the life span of a home.”
Woodman said since this is the first build of its kind that they've done, construction costs were expected to be higher and they're hoping it'll come down over time. Citizen Robotics said it desires to build more 3-D homes in the future.
