Oakland startup revolutionizes construction industry by building 3D homes

Startup uses 3D printers to build homes

Mighty Building in Oakland uses 3D printers to build homes. Pam Cook reports

OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland startup is revolutionizing the construction industry by building homes, using a 3D printer.

"Oh my gosh, you're printing a house, how cool is that?" said Alexey Dubov, one of the co-founders at Mighty Buildings, referring to the typical reaction when people see what they're doing inside the factory.

The 350-square-foot studio apartment can be built in less than 24 hours and costs roughly $115,000. It takes a bit longer for a three-bedroom, three bath, 3D printed home, which is priced at about $285,000, but it's still much faster than a traditional construction site, he said.

"Technically you can get the unit in one month," he said, "from the moment someone first digs on your property and the moment; here are your keys."

The idea came, not to replace construction workers, but as a way to be more efficient.

Dubov pointed out, that at a typical construction site there is a lot of cutting, which leads to extra or wasted wood, drywall, and other building materials.

With 3D printed homes, there is no cutting, and any dust that is generated is put right back into the printer for the next project.

A substantial amount of time is saved in the construction of these homes because while the foundation is being poured, and the electricity and plumbing is installed, the home is printed back at the factory, rather than having to wait for each step to continue the project.

Mighty Buildings are also approved by California's laws regarding insulation, which are some of the toughest in the world, making them extremely energy efficient. Once the home is complete, it is trucked to the location and a crane is used to place it on the foundation.

Zayn El Hajji, is the project manager at Mighty Buildings and is seeing interest from around the world.

"We have younger people who are just trying to get their first home on an empty lot, as well as the older generation who is trying to make space for the younger generations to come on to their property as well as young professionals who need the extra office space nowadays in this COVID lifestyle."