First-of-its-kind house is being ‘printed’ in this Fort Worth neighborhood. Cost: $150K
A first-of-its-kind construction process is taking shape in Fort Worth.
New Jersey-based Black Buffalo 3D has partnered with Boxer Property, owners of La Gran Plaza, to “print” a three-bedroom single family home at 100 Bolt St. The company broke ground on the project Wednesday with a robotic arm dispensing Black Buffalo’s proprietary blend of concrete onto a previously constructed pad.
This model home in the Worth Heights neighborhood is meant to showcase the ease of construction from using 3D printing technology, said Peter Cooperman Black Buffalo’s chief marketing officer.
Boxer Propetery doesn’t plan to put it on the market, a spokesperson said in a text message to the Star-Telegram. There are no plans to build more 3D printed homes.
The 3D printing process can take as little as 25 hours to complete, which is significantly faster than the two to six weeks needed to frame a traditionally constructed home. The process also requires fewer materials and fewer workers, which could make the home less expensive by cutting costs.
The house on Bolt Street is expected to cost $150,000 to construct, according to building permits filed with the city of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth’s building codes still require Black Buffalo to wait 28 days for the concrete to set, however, Cooperman said his company’s proprietary mix can set in as little as four days.
By that point the mix has hardened to about three and a half times the strength of traditional concrete, according to the company’s website. This earned Black Buffalo the seal of approval from the International Code Council, a nonprofit that writes building codes and evaluates material safety standards in over 41 countries.
Black Buffalo expects to wrap up printing the house Thursday afternoon, and Boxer Property plan to have a ribbon cutting in the fall once the roof and interior construction is complete.
This story was originally published May 30, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
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