A new house has hit the market in California, and it is part of a first-of-its-kind community in Yuba County that is being constructed using 3D-printing technology.
4DIFY, the company behind the project, is planning to create five of these 3D-printed houses to form a small neighborhood on Kaizen Way in the town of Olivehurst.
The houses are built using concrete-based material that is applied layer by layer using a large robotic construction system that functions similarly to a commercial 3D printer. After the concrete is layered, human workers apply a stucco mixture on the walls to create a smoother finished look.
Nan Lin, founder of 4DIFY, told The Epoch Times that one of the initial hurdles his team had to overcome was the learning curve tied to the technology required for 3D concrete printing.
“Traditional construction workflows are built around familiar methods,” said Lin, a real estate entrepreneur from Sacramento. “3D printing requires dynamic coordination between reinforcement layout, print sequencing, inspection timing, and trades working in a new environment.”
A few people on the construction team were “initially hesitant about the technology,” Lin said, but the team eventually aligned with a mindset that was “forward-looking, solution-oriented, and committed to making innovation work.”
The construction team also includes people experienced in 3D concrete printing to provide engineering support alongside crew members who come from a trades background.
“The result was not just a completed home, but a stronger operational model positioned for scalable, resilient housing delivery,” Lin said.
The first of five houses is now finished and is located at 989 Kaizen Way, according to 4DIFY’s February update. These houses are better at resisting wildfires because the concrete material is non-combustible, 4DIFY said on its website. The material also resists pests, mold, and moisture better than wooden houses.
The property stands on a 7,279-square-foot lot and has an interior living space of about 910 square feet. The building is one story with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an electric stove, a stacked washer and dryer, and other common household appliances, according to its Zillow listing.
The concrete home is “Spanish Mission inspired” and is listed for $375,000, slightly below the average home value in Olivehurst, which is currently $441,200, according to Zillow.
The interior of the 3D-printed house created by 4DIFY on 989 Kaizen Way. (Courtesy of 4DIFY)
Lin said the project is based in Yuba County because the property on Kaizen Way was “already under [4DIFY] ownership and originally intended as a testing ground for non-traditional construction methods.”
“Once 4DIFY secured its 3D concrete printer, the decision became strategic,” he said.
The project site consists of six contiguous lots of land, one of which already had a house, he said. 4DIFY’s projects are on the other five lots.
The first home was finished in about 40 days, according to the company’s website.
Lin said the construction team is now working to print more homes on the remaining lots, where printing processes will be refined to improve efficiency and optimize labor coordination.
The project site “created the ideal environment to print homes sequentially, allowing the team to refine its feedback loop in real time,” said Lin. “Each build informed the next.”
He added that “Yuba County has demonstrated a willingness to support innovation” and has relatively little regulatory red tape on launching new construction projects. But his company is hoping to “establish a repeatable foundation for scaling 3D printed housing across California.”
The houses on Kaizen Way are slated to be completed between late June and early July, according to Lin.
The exterior of the 3D-printed house created by 4DIFY on 989 Kaizen Way. (Courtesy of 4DIFY)
Other 3D Home Projects
4DIFY has three other similar projects that are currently in their early stages.
A project named Old Auburn describes plans for six units and is currently in the planning phase. 4DIFY’s website states that it is still evaluating city codes to determine how many homes the project will include and where they will be placed. After plans are finalized, the company will start designing the building layouts.
Another project listed as Eldridge Ave shows plans for nine units that are currently in the design phase. The project consists of seven homes and two accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
Finally, the Southcliff Drive project is also in the design phase with one unit. The website states that architects and engineers are helping to finalize designs for the single unit, which will become an Airbnb or short-term rental.
The use of 3D technology to print a house has been around for a few years. California saw its first 3D-printed house in 2023 in Redding, about 162 miles north of Sacramento.
Emergent, the 3D printing company behind that project, aims to “alleviate housing challenges due to homeowners losing their properties to California forest fires,” according to a press release.
The states of Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia also have 3D-printed houses in the works. In 2022, Montana was the first state to grant regulatory approval for 3D printing in construction. Meanwhile, the University of Florida is looking into using 3D concrete printing for sea walls in addition to houses.
