Brutally honest video on Mighty Buildings. It's an interesting concept with a lot of potential, but it's not a fully 3D printed building. Let's keep the media honest.
I really appreciate your brutal honesty and no nonsense objective overview on these future housing pitches we see online frequently. In the future do you plan to post a video on what you see as the ideal concepts using the best, affordable and innovative methods of construction?
Have you ever heard of Boxable? It’s pre-fab home company that is completely manufactured and shipped. Starting price is $50k a unit. I’d love to hear your opinion.
The pricing is completely bonkers. I love tiny homes but part of the appeal of tiny homes are the tiny price. $185K for a 350Sqft is not even remotely within reason. $528 a sq foot is insane.
There are probably places where people would consider that reasonable, but I’m living in a 1800 sq foot house with a huge garage on a full acre that cost less than that…
Even in the highly overpriced market I'm in now, you could buy a large, stationary house for that. The tiny house (mobile homes) fad is mostly for wealthy, virtue-signaling young adults.
I’m glad you got a shot of the giant crack in the wall. Every time I see 3D printed homes, my first thought is “where are the expansion joints?”, especially with the concrete ones
Yup! Science is always going to get in the way of aesthetics. (just like those flat solar panels on their roof that won't be as efficient as angled ones).
In fact it would surprise me if established manufactured home builders didn't begin cranking out ADU's. Many factory home builders are well capitalized with full infrastructure, and quite nimble.
A single wide is at least more mobile. Hell, I believe even a luxury RV would have a better fit and finish (at a lower cost). I could see using LSM as an exterior on traditional housing, but then you are competing against every other building material. There is nothing else brought to the table here. Sure, it looks good, but that much glass must make it horrendous to live in (or have horrendous heating and cooling bills- how is that sustainable?).
It's a fashion statement! Just like owning a Birken bag or a Frenchie. Single-wides are ubiquitous because having axles under them makes them not accountable to the same standards and codes as a _permenant_ structure. _This_ is not that.... It's a modular home that is *entirely* contained in one module.
You have really exposed the devil laying in the details. Your channel is an excellent source of engineering details needed to bring the ideas into reality.
What annoys me is how removing labour from the equation is somehow considered a virtue. Work is dignity. That and the removal of personal agency. You can build your own home, do it from basic, non petroleum based materials like hempcrete, cob, adobe, rammed earth, timber, stone, but the industry is too over regulated and biased against the owner builder. Excellent content as always Belinda.
They've essentially developed printing technology to manufacture a slightly novel, durable 'plastic', non-structural panel. The home price point is ridiculously expensive, carbon zero or not. Of course this project could kick-start an industry resulting in more competition and lower prices. Probably their most important contribution is attempting to standardize ADU regulations.
Thanks for a great video! It’s great to hear the truths of what is actually going on instead of just hearing a headline and then never hearing about it again. Thank you for not overly editing your conversation with the rep. I can honestly say that your videos have changed my perspective on building materials and processes.
This channel is refreshing when looking stuff up for building a place and finding a constant barrage of buzzwords, marketing, SEO, upselling, and prices that don't say dollar signs but instead "CONTACT US". (If the price is "CONTACT US" or "INQUIRY" then it isn't actually for sale, imo. Unless you are purposefully trying to spend more for no reason.) It's nice to see not everyone is infected, just.. most.
I'm encouraged that your channel is growing so quickly. I'm always happy to see hard work rewarded, but in your case, there is another dimension. You seem to be reaching for a health balance between critique and encouragement. I respect this, but I'm also heartened by the fact that so many people are resonating with it.
There is so much intelligence and well thought out content here! Been following since I realized the typical architecture path wasnt right and found your video talking about it. Its great to learn what else is going on in this industry, its easy to get burnt on it amd want to ignore it. Thank you for your videos!
The fact that none of the founders have a construction background pretty much says it all. I think the main goal of these guys was to be the Elon Musk of housing, which is overhyped and overmarketed. Now the realities are coming into play and they have pretty much gone back to the starting block and had to rethink and redirect this project. They probably would like to ditch this but have sunk too much capital in it. All hat, no cattle.
Steel moment frames alone cost a lot more than stick-framed walls (and are far less energy efficient), and then you have to then print a wall in that plane, and then then you have to cover that wall with gyp board, because it is printed out of flammable material - which does not meet US building codes or California wildfire code. This is a perfect example for your last video - about 3D-printed buildings being a gimmick.
This was a super insightful video! As always Belinda's reporting feels non biased and gets to the point. One small thing I caught which was strange. When she's talking about building the Coachella houses, she says they use flexible solar on the roof. Why in the world would they do that when they are building perfectly flat roofs that seem taylor made for traditional modules?
Exactly. Hence why I threw the "apparently" in that sentence. I asked them why they would choose flat panels instead of optimally angled ones. The answer: "it will be a new type of solar panel that captures sunlight throughout the day, so it averages out to the same as an angled panel. It also won't puncture the roof." As an architect, I have a hunch that designer didn't want the panels to be visible from the ground in the rendering. Aesthetics over function.
Positioning the building where the widows face south (north in the southern hemisphere) would require a overhanging roof that blocks the sun in the summer.
@@BelindaCarr The good reason I think to have horizontal panels is the now low cost of the panels versus the tilt framing (which would need to be optimised for each site). Whilst there are more panels required to cover the area horizontally, they still capture about the same about of energy, just at a lower power versus area. A problem with horizontal is that they won't self clean, though it could be they end up having a small pitch and a couple of variations to optimise for orientation. I wonder if the use of flexible panels is that they considering having have a sight hump or crown in the roof for drainage and cleaning.
The honesty is really what made me subscribe. Really refreshing to hear your perception and professional opinion of things. I wanted to be an architect during my youth so I thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of the things that made me interested in the field. Good luck on your way to 100k... it won't be long now! 🙌
The way a lot of "technical" folks speak really grates my nerves. The upspeak, the answering your questions beginning with "Yeah, so...." and so on. It's becoming more and more prevalent and my old English teacher is spinning in her grave.
Anytime a person speaks quickly, believe he/she is hiding something. I worked on Wall Street for many years and the biggest scamsters were fast talkers...
I built my tiny home using split wall technique will aircrete as insulation. It is 528sf with a half loft and a 6'x14' porch, lots of windows just not as open as these homes. My cost for the finished shell ( with half log ext.) Was $11,580. Very warm and cozy on Montana winter nights. There are way too many greedy people taking advantage of the poor and needy.
Difficult questions were asked, which many other reporters would ignore for the sake of ratings. It is also good to see a company that was willing to realistically answer the questions rather than just twist them into a sales pitch.
Mahn... I really do appreciate the objectivity of this channel. A breath of fresh air from the irksome exaggeration I see all around UA-cam. Thank you for your effort.
The only part of this company that I think has real potential is the light stone material as a replacement for concrete in certain applications. And maybe their use of 3D printing. Other than that, their pricing and perhaps quality control leaves a lot to be desired.
'Affordable housing' is a concept that requires clarification. In the first place we need to define the term 'affordable'. Traditionally mortgage lenders stated that a homeowner's principle + interest payment should not exceed 25% of averaged monthly household pre-tax income (AKA gross income). Although ratios like this might appear cookie cutter in principle, it seems like a good starting point. Lifetime maintenance and 'operational' cost of any structure cannot be ignored as part of the affordability metric; these include prop taxes, repairs/improvements, roofing/siding, energy cost and insurance. Houses generally are not a great investment play. Over the long term residential value appreciation is about equal to inflation, and that's before the above mentioned list of annual/maintenance cost, and does not include seller's +-10% cost when the home is eventually sold. Belinda mentions that housing minimalism is a smart concept, I totally agree. Thinking smaller and energy efficient is smart.
I enjoy your honest appraisal and your humour too. Thanks for the information, I am planning to build my first home soon and the knowledge you provide is helping the design ideas flow.
Take out here, 3d printing is a tool, a wonderful one albeit, truth is complimenting it with conventional building will open lots of opportunities for growth and innovation, it's not the "golden goose 🦆" of the building industry, but it could definitely be a useful component.
Your videos continue to be some of the best, most thorough, and honestly engaging content on youtube! I can't wait until you reach that 100k subscriber mark. :)
Excellent reporting, editing, and information. I felt like I was watching a high-budget mainstream produced documentary on 3D printed ADU's. Great work. I'm subscribing now :)
I feel like "missing middle" is increasingly just a NUMTOT friendly buzzword for the kinds of upper class housing that companies were already doing. I just fail to see how plastic and glass houses with pools in the desert is going to sustainable or improve the housing situation in California in any way.
Why would it need to improve anything besides the profit. Get real. Maybe the innovation and ideals make a change, but it more than likely isn't their intention. If xou cant afford to live in California, then move away. Nobody cares. Didnt want to sound like a capitalist smartass, but that's how the economy works. Pay or gtfo.
@@privileguan9127 Poor people don't really move though. If the poor people of California left then there wouldn't be a problem. It's not the lower class that's leaving California. It's the upper middle class.
For 1 its and advancement of technology For example back in 2018 or so the "liberator" was test which is an all 3d printed 357 handgun (im not sure if its 357 sig or 357 magnum) the printer used at the time ran around 10 k a comparable printer now would be about 300-500 So cresting and advancing new technology to give a superior means of manufacturing 2 quickly creating homes at a potentially low cost means more and and better housing as she said it is all around better than concrete Lastly "plastic" incase you're unfamiliar alot of things are made from "plastic" you can with a 500 to 800 usd printer without modifications print with the same material polymer handgun frames are made out of (glass reinforced nylon) and harder materials such as carbon fiber reinforced nylon aswell as certain types having better thermal properties than something such as steel in way of a 3d supressor Dont underestimate a technology you dont understand i made the same mistake then I took the time to learn about it and honestly I expect 3d printing to replace most forms of fabrication and manufacturing in a few decades especially after seeing this its further along than I had figured
@@royrogers3624 1. .380 not .357 2. the sorts of printers were 200usd in 2018, not 10k 3. this is a completely different technology you clearly have no idea what you're talking about, genuinely baffling reply
I love this new style of video with the interview/tour. It’s good to cut through the crap and get to what is actually cool. It’s been fun watching the channel evolve, keep up the good work!
Missing middle is not about income bracket. It is about but doing scale from a duplex to a small apartment building. The goal about missing middle is to incrementally reconstruct our existing neighborhoods with affordable housing. Adu would be on the fringe of an missing middle spectrum. But I know you know that 😃. I really appeciate you candid fact finding. Thanks for not caving to the pressure of the "brands".
@@spicemasterii6775 Not particularly. It's a personal issue on my part. I find him to be smug but that is no reflection of his knowledge. He is intelligent, but his delivery doesn't hold me. I saw this from Dave at EEV Blog of which I am also not a fan.
@@spicemasterii6775 You don't have to be a fan of Thunderf00t to recognize that solar roadways was a terrible and stupid idea. I've seen plenty of takedowns of solar roadways that never even mention Thunderf00t - a lot of them have probably never even heard of the dude bro (and he is a dude bro).
The concept of “3D printed houses” is mostly a solution looking for a problem. It essentially is a “trendy” way to try and reinvent framing for a house that requires machines that weren’t necessary before. I’m willing to bet MORE material is being used than traditional framing too. In this videthey used steel framing for structure underneath which basically means the 3D printed goop is for decoration?… They should’ve stopped after the steel. These little companies have nothing to offer when you realize they’re little more than a silly, gimmicky, overdone way of building walls.
@@jacky9575 Don't know about the guy above but my main issue with that labeling is the fact it's used more on new methods/products then anything else and bring the issue of their upfront environmental footbrint and when they are demolished and simply tossed because it is greatly cheaper making fresh instead of recycling.
@@jacky9575 LEED and other "sustainable" credits give value to absurd things like bamboo cabinetry (assembled with toxic glue and slave wage labor in Southeast Asian and shipped across the planet) Credit for BS mechanicals tied to IOT that are completely fubared if a control board fails or your internet goes down. Credit for recycled aggregate when we should be looking for an alternative to conventional cement rather than using _more_ of it. Ad infinitum.... It's 98% greenwashing in it's most insidious form. Virtue signaling.
Wow, all these comments make sense. Interesting that Silicon Valley VCs, who dumped millions in this, could not see through the glimmer of 3D printing - to see what is really there.
Their "LSM" is really interesting, it would be cool to learn more about its properties like in your previous videos on different types of insulation. Also, thanks for the no-frills assessment of this startup. The business model and state of their technology really make it easier to understand where 3d building construction stands today and might go tomorrow. I wish more journalists would do this instead of "regurgitating" misinformation and talking points (when you said that, it cracked me up).
I grilled them about LSM, but they couldn't reveal the details since it's proprietary. I would love to know exactly how it cures and what it's made of.
@@BelindaCarr They are probably using a Dupont 405nm UV based corian quartz resin that you could probably order from the chemical plants in Texas. I did research into purchasing plastics and custom resins in 2017-2018. In the US we actually ship plastics to China just to have them shipped back to us at a markup.
I appreciate your approach to topics like this, keep up the informative content that cuts through the noise and hype. I would rather know the truth about both good and bad ideas!
Really enjoying these videos, which I only discovered yesterday. I’ve sent several to my son, who is obtaining a degree in civil engineering. I thought it was so funny when your “Texas” slipped out at 9:55.
Excellent intro to this type of construction. I believe this may not be for everyone, but it offers some solutions. Will see about the cost in the long run. Too expense for now.
I’m confused, what solutions are you referring to? Did you watch the video? This building is just a really expensive small building built like every other. The printed part is just a architectural non structural piece. Perhaps I missed the solution you are referring to.
I just refereed to this construction method as a solution to resolve some expensive ways to build structures. As of now, it is just too expensive. However, they have to start somewhere has development cost lots of money. Let see if they can make some structural printed section over time. That's all. Cheers
You are an absolute gem! The shared core values of that company will propel them far into the future, even if the end product isn’t all its cracked up to be.
There are so many jokes I can make about these being the "Tesla of construction." Not the least of which is the fact that if a kid hit's your house with a ball, your house bursts in to flames. I wonder if they're installing a self-cleaning feature in this model. It would be cool to move your house with a phone app though.
I can see this being very very handy as a yoga studio or a podcasting/writing studio or an interview filming room or a reading room. Jesus, I might just buy two. One for here and one for when I go back to Africa.
So UV curing resins come in many recipes, but currently they all derive from petrochemical supply chains. Biologically sourced polyesters, epoxides and acrylates are all possible, but the only route we have right now is to grow oil crops and press the seeds. So it becomes a choice between further supporting the petrochemical industry by buying a house’s weight in their products, or further subsidizing oil crops which under current farming practice creates soil carbon loss, fertilizer run off and just general poor land use decisions. Mass timber construction, for all its problems, is simply a more direct utilization of solar-to-biomass energy. The energy a plant invests in creating oils uses up more of its photosynthetic potential than does the creation of lignocellulose.
I had very similar points in my reply. Growing up my father was director of engineering for a few plastic/chemical corporations. I know just how petroleum intensive monomers and resins are. I'm not big on mass timber. Not nearly using wood for its great qualities, and losing on its mediocre R-value. Though I DO appreciate 'nature's primary fiber reinforced composite' for everything it IS.
There is nothing like translating engineering camo to English. This Exotic Beauty is one of the most incredible intellects that have surfaced from this world in a long time.
I think it would be a really good idea to combine this with hempcrete. It would increase the possibility of being able to deliver a framed product while allowing for expansion to fit a homeowner's needs. Not to mention if they could print the floor, curved side or sides, and roof plus the supports needed then this could truly be a gamechanger
Tesla pursued niche customers before tackling the more difficult problem of mass manufacture, which means that APUs are analogous to the Roadster for Mighty Building. The goal is usually to bring costs down by a significant fraction, if not an order of magnitude. If legislators really wanted to tackle the problem of housing shortages, they would address the problem of 1 out of ever 9 houses being vacant, likely with less absurd homestead exemption thresholds, and disoccupancy fees.
These have lot of potential. In my country people leave in cheap gated communities where all the houses are exactly the same. Manufacturing houses like this might lead to a reduction on labor errors as you just have to install them on site and they are standardized.
My only true issue with the unit you guys were standing in front is that I can't imagine myself being able to maintain sanity in there. The way it looks, I'd feel more like a museum piece, or that one snake from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone than someone living in their own home. I am glad to hear that the owners aren't arrogant, and they're looking to truly innovate. Hopefully they do well.
I'd like to see a video of you touring/commenting at conventional manufactured home plant. Insist on observing the process on the HUD home floor (not high end modular type). I think you would be impressed by the design, quality control, and energy efficiency built in.
I have to agree these types of homes have come a long ways from the old trailer days. I have seen a few of them and they are built stout with everything down to not wasting anything. Though the prices can be quite costly. I still have not found any company that offers a bare bones type units. I am not interested in your mark up floor types, The extra cabinets and all of the other frills they offer. I want basic solid built and I will upgrade as I see fit. The major cost in these types of house is their width, if a company can offer 8.5 feet and max height of 13.5 and what ever lenght and then stack and build them on site the haul prices will go down by a large factor. Delivery price can be upwards of 10k just to deliver based on distance, obstacles and other factors. Which adds to the what ever price.
@@kameljoe21 Recently HUD manufactured home builders have gotten caught with higher lumber/material prices, and perhaps some have forgotten who is their prime customer. HUD type home buyer's typical house-hold income is under 50% of the US median HH income. A wider customer base is limited by stigma (Trailer Park Boys:), zoning restrictions, and memories of pre-1976 poor quality homes (pre-HUD regulations).
I think they're going about this the wrong way, instead of what they're doing now, I think they should use their proprietary material to 3D print ICF blocks. They can even be much longer/larger than normal ICF blocks, as big as their printer will allow. Not only that, they can 3D print all the curves, corners and other bespoke shapes to their hearts content. Take a home plan, break it down into the most sensible sized 3D printed blocks, print it, finish the blocks where necessary, load it on a semi and send to customer's site. Heck, they could even just send the printer(s) on site, print there and then return the printer! The blocks could be finished out to already contain snap-in/feed through points for rebar, they could even already have snap/lock together points for brick to brick. You could _really_ put together the walls very quickly with zero waste material (or at least MUCH less than normal) and fill with concrete very quickly. No window/door bucks needed, significantly less (to no) bracing needed, the list goes on and on. I think they've seriously missed a trick with this. I'm not spending $200k on a 350sqft studio, but if they could provide ALL the blocks to build an ICF house at a competitive price to normal ICF, perhaps even less with less labor and materials costs/waste, then I'd be down.
One minute into the video and the estimated costs pop up and that’s where we see that this is yet another proof of concept, a product for yuppies with a bunch of money to be dumped in a “feel-good” build. Are those people out of their f$&”g minds ?!
There are *three, big, red flags* for me regarding this company and their product. 1. *The pricing is very high.* In Texas, I can get so much more of a quality home including larger size with the prices they're quoting. Maybe in California this is a good thing, but if they plan on expanding into other states, they're going to have to figure out a way to lower costs. 2. *Regulations, regulations, regulations.* A company that goes out of its way to ask the government to regulate businesses is _not_ a friend to businesses. By artificially increasing regulations, they're trying to make sure _other businesses,_ especially _smaller businesses_ don't compete with them. If they think their standards are high, then they should just use their standards; they don't need the government to regulate all businesses to what they're doing. 3. *The Oakland mayor was involved.* Whether through kickbacks, donations, bribes, or what have you, the Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf should _not_ be around and involved. Politicians tell people what politicians believe the people _want_ to hear and can make utopian promises, but when their promises don't work out, the politicians aren't responsible for any repercussions of what they were involved in. I did a basic search and the first thing that came up for her was _"Oakland Mayor Schaaf says she believes A's want to stay in Oakland despite team's objections to city vote."_ www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/Oakland-Mayor-Schaaf-A-s-want-to-stay-in-16329705.php She's promising the team that taxpayers' money will cover *$352 million* in expenses for a baseball team to stay and get a new stadium. John Stossel and others have done great research in exposing that taxpayer money is never made back when it's used to assist in building stadiums, regardless of sports. Belinda, thank you for this video. I love when you get to explore work sites and give us the good information. I'd never heard of this company and will probably never use their product, but the knowledge you gave me has already made me smarter. :)
So it's super expensive trailer. Those prices are bonkers then I realized oh wait..California company schmoozing California politicians...makes sense. I love this channel, great job!
Maybe for California, although I think the problem there is much deeper and totally unrelated to the construction industry. In my area, a builder quality 3 bedroom 1600 sq ft house sells for about $175, 000. That's in a decent subdivision on a quarter acre.
Have they tested these dwellings in areas that tend to get natural disasters like tornados or hurricanes. The unknowns….are the insurance companies willing to insure them?
Land costs not included in prices mentioned. So these costs aren't comparable to homes for sale. Also it would be nice if a comparison (cost, features, sustainability) was made with existing manufactured homes that have "green" claims.
It’s so strange that people got mad at you for telling the truth. I started watching and enjoying your videos because it educated me beyond my superficial understanding of all the things you state the media does.
great work catching all the slight-of-hand. i agree the company seems (comparatively) transparent of shortcomings & eager to learn... possibly a good group of well-meaning entrepreneurs that just need an actually good product. this isn't it. all these new building companies need to go learn from the sustainable earthship hippies, the day-in-day-out elec/plumb/hvac pro techs, disaster/leak/remediation clean-up industry, and high efficiency designers of the EU. there's a solution to our crappy housing in the combination somewhere!
This is just an expensive trailer home. Same with these tiny houses, it looks more HQ but it's essentially still just a trailer park in the end just with more rich people or with hippies this time
3d printed the easiest and cheapest part of the construction. The more difficult parts of construction are (in no order): 1) finding open land you can afford in a city you are willing to live in with employment you are able to do at a good wage 2) planning/engineering 3) getting zoning and permits 4) finding contractors that won't rip you off/leave you with a ton of problems post construction 5) finding a bank willing to give you a loan/mortgage 6) plumbing 7) wiring
This sounds so expensive and we haven't gotten to the actual price yet. Ah. $185k... Most full size houses in my neighborhood are cheaper (until the landlords start bidding you up ofc) - and that includes a yard and driveway. Downsizing is nice and all, but the point of downsizing is supposed to also reduce the price. If you're still paying a full price for a tiny portion of the space, you're not saving any money. Edit: Wait, they're targeting firefighters, school teachers, etc as their customers? I get that housing is ridiculously expensive in CA, but this just seems... How much do they think these ppl get paid?! Most firefighters are volunteers! They don't get paid anything!
They didn't 3d print the pipes, valves, toilet, sink , shower enclosure, light fixtures, wiring, switches, outlets, vanity, doors, trim, flooring, windows, paint, kitchen countertop, cabinets, HVAC, foundation........ What is its rating for earthquake and wind loads?
It’s probably the opposite of a subsidy. Permits are so expensive in California. There’s usually square footage minimums that these home do not meet. They hate building new housing units in California that’s partly why they have so many homeless.
I'd like to see a company like this go modular, making rooms or even walls that could be assembled on-site. I have no idea if there is any feasibility to that, but I want to have some say in the layout of my house, and i would guess the flexibility would be a great selling point.
If the business was honest, they should have cut the news/media/politicians short and should have posted their own video on various platforms showing how wrong and misinformed they are and set the record straight. Instead they kept quiet and enjoyed the limelight. Tells a lot about about their integrity and honesty.
Nice job asking the difficult question on the overall R value when at the factory. He did a pretty good job answering too. Side note, did they outfit you in pink, or did you?
As usual very informative vlog. Mr Ruben seemed very likeable. Not smug like Elon and down to earth. Wish I could get one in Canada. Keep up the great work.
Brutally honest video on Mighty Buildings. It's an interesting concept with a lot of potential, but it's not a fully 3D printed building. Let's keep the media honest.
I really appreciate your brutal honesty and no nonsense objective overview on these future housing pitches we see online frequently. In the future do you plan to post a video on what you see as the ideal concepts using the best, affordable and innovative methods of construction?
Have you ever heard of Boxable? It’s pre-fab home company that is completely manufactured and shipped. Starting price is $50k a unit. I’d love to hear your opinion.
Great video! So glad you saw through the bs
@@salkjshaweoiuenvohvr Working towards it! I'm trying to learn about each method in detail first.
@@jordanvill7361 Yes, I have. I was hoping to visit their factory in Nevada, but they're closed to visitors right now.
The pricing is completely bonkers. I love tiny homes but part of the appeal of tiny homes are the tiny price. $185K for a 350Sqft is not even remotely within reason. $528 a sq foot is insane.
There are probably places where people would consider that reasonable, but I’m living in a 1800 sq foot house with a huge garage on a full acre that cost less than that…
It doesn't make sense anywhere! If land is cheap, you can build more for less! If land is expensive, you can buy the same for cheaper!
Even in the highly overpriced market I'm in now, you could buy a large, stationary house for that. The tiny house (mobile homes) fad is mostly for wealthy, virtue-signaling young adults.
@@timgleason2527 new York city would find that reasonable. Right in the middle of wall street. Otherwise it's wasteful. Smallest unit is 600 per sqft
loool "the tesla of housing"
I’m glad you got a shot of the giant crack in the wall. Every time I see 3D printed homes, my first thought is “where are the expansion joints?”, especially with the concrete ones
Yup! Science is always going to get in the way of aesthetics. (just like those flat solar panels on their roof that won't be as efficient as angled ones).
This is essentially a luxury single-wide manufactured home.
In fact it would surprise me if established manufactured home builders didn't begin cranking out ADU's. Many factory home builders are well capitalized with full infrastructure, and quite nimble.
A single wide is at least more mobile. Hell, I believe even a luxury RV would have a better fit and finish (at a lower cost).
I could see using LSM as an exterior on traditional housing, but then you are competing against every other building material.
There is nothing else brought to the table here. Sure, it looks good, but that much glass must make it horrendous to live in (or have horrendous heating and cooling bills- how is that sustainable?).
It's a fashion statement!
Just like owning a Birken bag or a Frenchie.
Single-wides are ubiquitous because having axles under them makes them not accountable to the same standards and codes as a _permenant_ structure.
_This_ is not that.... It's a modular home that is *entirely* contained in one module.
.... For Tesla owners
Yes
Belinda "Trash the Hype" Carr is in the HOUSEEEEEEEE!!!!!
I love this channel she really hits hard on over hyped things in Architecture and gives a grounded yet optimistic view
You have really exposed the devil laying in the details. Your channel is an excellent source of engineering details needed to bring the ideas into reality.
What annoys me is how removing labour from the equation is somehow considered a virtue. Work is dignity. That and the removal of personal agency. You can build your own home, do it from basic, non petroleum based materials like hempcrete, cob, adobe, rammed earth, timber, stone, but the industry is too over regulated and biased against the owner builder. Excellent content as always Belinda.
They've essentially developed printing technology to manufacture a slightly novel, durable 'plastic', non-structural panel. The home price point is ridiculously expensive, carbon zero or not. Of course this project could kick-start an industry resulting in more competition and lower prices. Probably their most important contribution is attempting to standardize ADU regulations.
When you consider the carbon footprint of transporting the machines, the houses, the supplies, etc. Probably not carbon-neutral. That's my guess.
Hi Belinda. $250k here in Michigan still buys a 1700 sq ft house on 3 acres.
Thanks for a great video! It’s great to hear the truths of what is actually going on instead of just hearing a headline and then never hearing about it again. Thank you for not overly editing your conversation with the rep. I can honestly say that your videos have changed my perspective on building materials and processes.
Everyone boast the R value of their product until you talk to them about windows.
"well the windows that cover 99% of the house are R2 but this one specific block here has an r value of one million... Or something"
Or how tight their building is... as long as you never open a door or window.
The outside... eeewwwww
That one tiny piece of neutronium which has an R value of over 2 trillion (until it goes through explosive decay I guess).
The design gives off what I’d call a “Retro-modern” aesthetic. Feels like something that would sit next to Monsanto’s old “house of the future”
Yea, it’s known as “retro-futurism”. It has a very space-ageish appeal
@@atlf3357 I’m not sure if “futurism” is the best word in this case. It feels more in-line with earlier “modern” architecture.
76.9k soon to be 100,000. You deserve it!
Thank you!
Belinda, thank you for always being transparent with what you share; this means people are properly informed :-)
This channel is refreshing when looking stuff up for building a place and finding a constant barrage of buzzwords, marketing, SEO, upselling, and prices that don't say dollar signs but instead "CONTACT US". (If the price is "CONTACT US" or "INQUIRY" then it isn't actually for sale, imo. Unless you are purposefully trying to spend more for no reason.) It's nice to see not everyone is infected, just.. most.
So grateful for your videos! They’re the only thing on UA-cam that has a discerning look at hyper-inflated fads in building.
I'm encouraged that your channel is growing so quickly. I'm always happy to see hard work rewarded, but in your case, there is another dimension. You seem to be reaching for a health balance between critique and encouragement. I respect this, but I'm also heartened by the fact that so many people are resonating with it.
There is so much intelligence and well thought out content here! Been following since I realized the typical architecture path wasnt right and found your video talking about it. Its great to learn what else is going on in this industry, its easy to get burnt on it amd want to ignore it. Thank you for your videos!
The fact that none of the founders have a construction background pretty much says it all. I think the main goal of these guys was to be the Elon Musk of housing, which is overhyped and overmarketed. Now the realities are coming into play and they have pretty much gone back to the starting block and had to rethink and redirect this project. They probably would like to ditch this but have sunk too much capital in it. All hat, no cattle.
DING DING DING! We have a winner!
I think it is that business plan that is shaped like a pyramid.
"All hat, no cattle" I'd imagine you didn't coin that euphemism, but I damn sure am going to steal it!
Steel moment frames alone cost a lot more than stick-framed walls (and are far less energy efficient), and then you have to then print a wall in that plane, and then then you have to cover that wall with gyp board, because it is printed out of flammable material - which does not meet US building codes or California wildfire code. This is a perfect example for your last video - about 3D-printed buildings being a gimmick.
This was a super insightful video! As always Belinda's reporting feels non biased and gets to the point.
One small thing I caught which was strange. When she's talking about building the Coachella houses, she says they use flexible solar on the roof. Why in the world would they do that when they are building perfectly flat roofs that seem taylor made for traditional modules?
Exactly. Hence why I threw the "apparently" in that sentence. I asked them why they would choose flat panels instead of optimally angled ones. The answer: "it will be a new type of solar panel that captures sunlight throughout the day, so it averages out to the same as an angled panel. It also won't puncture the roof."
As an architect, I have a hunch that designer didn't want the panels to be visible from the ground in the rendering. Aesthetics over function.
Oh, those silly little thing called physics.
Positioning the building where the widows face south (north in the southern hemisphere) would require a overhanging roof that blocks the sun in the summer.
@@BelindaCarr The good reason I think to have horizontal panels is the now low cost of the panels versus the tilt framing (which would need to be optimised for each site). Whilst there are more panels required to cover the area horizontally, they still capture about the same about of energy, just at a lower power versus area.
A problem with horizontal is that they won't self clean, though it could be they end up having a small pitch and a couple of variations to optimise for orientation.
I wonder if the use of flexible panels is that they considering having have a sight hump or crown in the roof for drainage and cleaning.
@@BelindaCarr Are you AIA?
I like your narratives, subjects you choose to talk about and the position (the facts) you stand when it comes to arguing.
The honesty is really what made me subscribe. Really refreshing to hear your perception and professional opinion of things. I wanted to be an architect during my youth so I thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of the things that made me interested in the field. Good luck on your way to 100k... it won't be long now! 🙌
The way a lot of "technical" folks speak really grates my nerves. The upspeak, the answering your questions beginning with "Yeah, so...." and so on. It's becoming more and more prevalent and my old English teacher is spinning in her grave.
Anytime a person speaks quickly, believe he/she is hiding something. I worked on Wall Street for many years and the biggest scamsters were fast talkers...
Agree. (Belinda doesn't do this!)
They also use the universal millenial conversation filler - "Sooo, yeah."
I built my tiny home using split wall technique will aircrete as insulation.
It is 528sf with a half loft and a 6'x14' porch, lots of windows just not as open as these homes.
My cost for the finished shell ( with half log ext.) Was $11,580.
Very warm and cozy on Montana winter nights.
There are way too many greedy people taking advantage of the poor and needy.
Difficult questions were asked, which many other reporters would ignore for the sake of ratings. It is also good to see a company that was willing to realistically answer the questions rather than just twist them into a sales pitch.
Mahn... I really do appreciate the objectivity of this channel. A breath of fresh air from the irksome exaggeration I see all around UA-cam. Thank you for your effort.
The only part of this company that I think has real potential is the light stone material as a replacement for concrete in certain applications.
And maybe their use of 3D printing.
Other than that, their pricing and perhaps quality control leaves a lot to be desired.
"the whole realm of 3d printing is filled with hyperbole and misinformation" NOOO! !!!! I was so excited from the introduction😭
'Affordable housing' is a concept that requires clarification. In the first place we need to define the term 'affordable'. Traditionally mortgage lenders stated that a homeowner's principle + interest payment should not exceed 25% of averaged monthly household pre-tax income (AKA gross income). Although ratios like this might appear cookie cutter in principle, it seems like a good starting point. Lifetime maintenance and 'operational' cost of any structure cannot be ignored as part of the affordability metric; these include prop taxes, repairs/improvements, roofing/siding, energy cost and insurance. Houses generally are not a great investment play. Over the long term residential value appreciation is about equal to inflation, and that's before the above mentioned list of annual/maintenance cost, and does not include seller's +-10% cost when the home is eventually sold.
Belinda mentions that housing minimalism is a smart concept, I totally agree. Thinking smaller and energy efficient is smart.
The best thing about these tiny homes is their floor plans. I am definitely taking notes.
“We didn’t know we weren’t supposed to” That’s great 😁👏🏻
I enjoy your honest appraisal and your humour too. Thanks for the information, I am planning to build my first home soon and the knowledge you provide is helping the design ideas flow.
Take out here, 3d printing is a tool, a wonderful one albeit, truth is complimenting it with conventional building will open lots of opportunities for growth and innovation, it's not the "golden goose 🦆" of the building industry, but it could definitely be a useful component.
In this scenario, it's not even 3d printing a building in any way. It's 3d printing an accessory for your home.
Your videos continue to be some of the best, most thorough, and honestly engaging content on youtube! I can't wait until you reach that 100k subscriber mark. :)
Excellent reporting, editing, and information. I felt like I was watching a high-budget mainstream produced documentary on 3D printed ADU's. Great work. I'm subscribing now :)
I feel like "missing middle" is increasingly just a NUMTOT friendly buzzword for the kinds of upper class housing that companies were already doing. I just fail to see how plastic and glass houses with pools in the desert is going to sustainable or improve the housing situation in California in any way.
Why would it need to improve anything besides the profit. Get real.
Maybe the innovation and ideals make a change, but it more than likely isn't their intention.
If xou cant afford to live in California, then move away. Nobody cares.
Didnt want to sound like a capitalist smartass, but that's how the economy works. Pay or gtfo.
@@privileguan9127 Poor people don't really move though. If the poor people of California left then there wouldn't be a problem. It's not the lower class that's leaving California. It's the upper middle class.
For 1 its and advancement of technology
For example back in 2018 or so the "liberator" was test which is an all 3d printed 357 handgun (im not sure if its 357 sig or 357 magnum) the printer used at the time ran around 10 k a comparable printer now would be about 300-500
So cresting and advancing new technology to give a superior means of manufacturing
2 quickly creating homes at a potentially low cost means more and and better housing as she said it is all around better than concrete
Lastly "plastic" incase you're unfamiliar alot of things are made from "plastic" you can with a 500 to 800 usd printer without modifications print with the same material polymer handgun frames are made out of (glass reinforced nylon) and harder materials such as carbon fiber reinforced nylon aswell as certain types having better thermal properties than something such as steel in way of a 3d supressor
Dont underestimate a technology you dont understand i made the same mistake then I took the time to learn about it and honestly I expect 3d printing to replace most forms of fabrication and manufacturing in a few decades especially after seeing this its further along than I had figured
@@royrogers3624
1. .380 not .357
2. the sorts of printers were 200usd in 2018, not 10k
3. this is a completely different technology
you clearly have no idea what you're talking about, genuinely baffling reply
@@Alex-nl5cy What did you mean by plastic tho? I was a bit confused on that myself.
I love this new style of video with the interview/tour. It’s good to cut through the crap and get to what is actually cool. It’s been fun watching the channel evolve, keep up the good work!
This has got to be the best new channel I’ve found
Missing middle is not about income bracket. It is about but doing scale from a duplex to a small apartment building. The goal about missing middle is to incrementally reconstruct our existing neighborhoods with affordable housing. Adu would be on the fringe of an missing middle spectrum. But I know you know that 😃. I really appeciate you candid fact finding. Thanks for not caving to the pressure of the "brands".
The "solar roadway" of housing. That politician made me physically face-palm.
Thunderf00t fan?
@@spicemasterii6775 Not particularly. It's a personal issue on my part. I find him to be smug but that is no reflection of his knowledge. He is intelligent, but his delivery doesn't hold me. I saw this from Dave at EEV Blog of which I am also not a fan.
@@spicemasterii6775 You don't have to be a fan of Thunderf00t to recognize that solar roadways was a terrible and stupid idea. I've seen plenty of takedowns of solar roadways that never even mention Thunderf00t - a lot of them have probably never even heard of the dude bro (and he is a dude bro).
The concept of “3D printed houses” is mostly a solution looking for a problem. It essentially is a “trendy” way to try and reinvent framing for a house that requires machines that weren’t necessary before. I’m willing to bet MORE material is being used than traditional framing too. In this videthey used steel framing for structure underneath which basically means the 3D printed goop is for decoration?… They should’ve stopped after the steel. These little companies have nothing to offer when you realize they’re little more than a silly, gimmicky, overdone way of building walls.
100% agree. It’s very similar to the “sustainable” and “green” trend in the building industry.
@@ramzy1285 Interesting, please explain more your point about the trend of sustainable houses
@@jacky9575 Don't know about the guy above but my main issue with that labeling is the fact it's used more on new methods/products then anything else and bring the issue of their upfront environmental footbrint and when they are demolished and simply tossed because it is greatly cheaper making fresh instead of recycling.
@@jacky9575 LEED and other "sustainable" credits give value to absurd things like bamboo cabinetry (assembled with toxic glue and slave wage labor in Southeast Asian and shipped across the planet)
Credit for BS mechanicals tied to IOT that are completely fubared if a control board fails or your internet goes down.
Credit for recycled aggregate when we should be looking for an alternative to conventional cement rather than using _more_ of it.
Ad infinitum....
It's 98% greenwashing in it's most insidious form. Virtue signaling.
Wow, all these comments make sense. Interesting that Silicon Valley VCs, who dumped millions in this, could not see through the glimmer of 3D printing - to see what is really there.
Their "LSM" is really interesting, it would be cool to learn more about its properties like in your previous videos on different types of insulation. Also, thanks for the no-frills assessment of this startup. The business model and state of their technology really make it easier to understand where 3d building construction stands today and might go tomorrow. I wish more journalists would do this instead of "regurgitating" misinformation and talking points (when you said that, it cracked me up).
I grilled them about LSM, but they couldn't reveal the details since it's proprietary. I would love to know exactly how it cures and what it's made of.
@@BelindaCarr They are probably using a Dupont 405nm UV based corian quartz resin that you could probably order from the chemical plants in Texas. I did research into purchasing plastics and custom resins in 2017-2018. In the US we actually ship plastics to China just to have them shipped back to us at a markup.
I appreciate your approach to topics like this, keep up the informative content that cuts through the noise and hype. I would rather know the truth about both good and bad ideas!
Really enjoying these videos, which I only discovered yesterday. I’ve sent several to my son, who is obtaining a degree in civil engineering. I thought it was so funny when your “Texas” slipped out at 9:55.
That example in the background has so much glass! Oh my gosh I feel like we need to go back to older style building with more narrow windows.
Excellent intro to this type of construction. I believe this may not be for everyone, but it offers some solutions. Will see about the cost in the long run. Too expense for now.
I’m confused, what solutions are you referring to? Did you watch the video? This building is just a really expensive small building built like every other. The printed part is just a architectural non structural piece. Perhaps I missed the solution you are referring to.
I just refereed to this construction method as a solution to resolve some expensive ways to build structures. As of now, it is just too expensive. However, they have to start somewhere has development cost lots of money. Let see if they can make some structural printed section over time. That's all.
Cheers
You are an absolute gem! The shared core values of that company will propel them far into the future, even if the end product isn’t all its cracked up to be.
Very nice video Belinda. Nice to see you back here. I really like you honest, no nonsense approach at this information.
Hey Belinda, keep up the good work. Solid journalism.
There are so many jokes I can make about these being the "Tesla of construction." Not the least of which is the fact that if a kid hit's your house with a ball, your house bursts in to flames. I wonder if they're installing a self-cleaning feature in this model. It would be cool to move your house with a phone app though.
Self-driving tiny houses ftw 😄
I can see this being very very handy as a yoga studio or a podcasting/writing studio or an interview filming room or a reading room. Jesus, I might just buy two. One for here and one for when I go back to Africa.
So UV curing resins come in many recipes, but currently they all derive from petrochemical supply chains. Biologically sourced polyesters, epoxides and acrylates are all possible, but the only route we have right now is to grow oil crops and press the seeds.
So it becomes a choice between further supporting the petrochemical industry by buying a house’s weight in their products, or further subsidizing oil crops which under current farming practice creates soil carbon loss, fertilizer run off and just general poor land use decisions.
Mass timber construction, for all its problems, is simply a more direct utilization of solar-to-biomass energy. The energy a plant invests in creating oils uses up more of its photosynthetic potential than does the creation of lignocellulose.
@Theballonist perzactly. I’ve been looking at industrial hemp derived products lately and see enormous potential there.
I had very similar points in my reply.
Growing up my father was director of engineering for a few plastic/chemical corporations.
I know just how petroleum intensive monomers and resins are.
I'm not big on mass timber. Not nearly using wood for its great qualities, and losing on its mediocre R-value.
Though I DO appreciate 'nature's primary fiber reinforced composite' for everything it IS.
There is nothing like translating engineering camo to English.
This Exotic Beauty is one of the most incredible intellects that
have surfaced from this world in a long time.
I think it would be a really good idea to combine this with hempcrete. It would increase the possibility of being able to deliver a framed product while allowing for expansion to fit a homeowner's needs. Not to mention if they could print the floor, curved side or sides, and roof plus the supports needed then this could truly be a gamechanger
😘 omg I have been searching for content like this in yt. Found your content finally.
Cutting through the BS and keeping it real. Love it 😍
You mean they can't 3D print refrigerators and HVAC?! I guess traditional glass is kinda 3D printed if you think about it lol. Just not automated.
Tesla pursued niche customers before tackling the more difficult problem of mass manufacture, which means that APUs are analogous to the Roadster for Mighty Building. The goal is usually to bring costs down by a significant fraction, if not an order of magnitude.
If legislators really wanted to tackle the problem of housing shortages, they would address the problem of 1 out of ever 9 houses being vacant, likely with less absurd homestead exemption thresholds, and disoccupancy fees.
These have lot of potential. In my country people leave in cheap gated communities where all the houses are exactly the same. Manufacturing houses like this might lead to a reduction on labor errors as you just have to install them on site and they are standardized.
really value your straight talk reporting Belinda
Thank you! I love how brutally honest your videos are. Highly informative!!
My only true issue with the unit you guys were standing in front is that I can't imagine myself being able to maintain sanity in there. The way it looks, I'd feel more like a museum piece, or that one snake from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone than someone living in their own home. I am glad to hear that the owners aren't arrogant, and they're looking to truly innovate. Hopefully they do well.
It reminds me of a container homes.
I'd like to see a video of you touring/commenting at conventional manufactured home plant. Insist on observing the process on the HUD home floor (not high end modular type). I think you would be impressed by the design, quality control, and energy efficiency built in.
I have to agree these types of homes have come a long ways from the old trailer days. I have seen a few of them and they are built stout with everything down to not wasting anything. Though the prices can be quite costly. I still have not found any company that offers a bare bones type units. I am not interested in your mark up floor types, The extra cabinets and all of the other frills they offer. I want basic solid built and I will upgrade as I see fit. The major cost in these types of house is their width, if a company can offer 8.5 feet and max height of 13.5 and what ever lenght and then stack and build them on site the haul prices will go down by a large factor. Delivery price can be upwards of 10k just to deliver based on distance, obstacles and other factors. Which adds to the what ever price.
@@kameljoe21 Recently HUD manufactured home builders have gotten caught with higher lumber/material prices, and perhaps some have forgotten who is their prime customer. HUD type home buyer's typical house-hold income is under 50% of the US median HH income. A wider customer base is limited by stigma (Trailer Park Boys:), zoning restrictions, and memories of pre-1976 poor quality homes (pre-HUD regulations).
I think they're going about this the wrong way, instead of what they're doing now, I think they should use their proprietary material to 3D print ICF blocks. They can even be much longer/larger than normal ICF blocks, as big as their printer will allow.
Not only that, they can 3D print all the curves, corners and other bespoke shapes to their hearts content. Take a home plan, break it down into the most sensible sized 3D printed blocks, print it, finish the blocks where necessary, load it on a semi and send to customer's site. Heck, they could even just send the printer(s) on site, print there and then return the printer!
The blocks could be finished out to already contain snap-in/feed through points for rebar, they could even already have snap/lock together points for brick to brick. You could _really_ put together the walls very quickly with zero waste material (or at least MUCH less than normal) and fill with concrete very quickly. No window/door bucks needed, significantly less (to no) bracing needed, the list goes on and on.
I think they've seriously missed a trick with this. I'm not spending $200k on a 350sqft studio, but if they could provide ALL the blocks to build an ICF house at a competitive price to normal ICF, perhaps even less with less labor and materials costs/waste, then I'd be down.
yo that machine is amazing. it print a brig without any thing that crazy
One minute into the video and the estimated costs pop up and that’s where we see that this is yet another proof of concept, a product for yuppies with a bunch of money to be dumped in a “feel-good” build. Are those people out of their f$&”g minds ?!
always great content
There are *three, big, red flags* for me regarding this company and their product.
1. *The pricing is very high.* In Texas, I can get so much more of a quality home including larger size with the prices they're quoting. Maybe in California this is a good thing, but if they plan on expanding into other states, they're going to have to figure out a way to lower costs.
2. *Regulations, regulations, regulations.* A company that goes out of its way to ask the government to regulate businesses is _not_ a friend to businesses. By artificially increasing regulations, they're trying to make sure _other businesses,_ especially _smaller businesses_ don't compete with them. If they think their standards are high, then they should just use their standards; they don't need the government to regulate all businesses to what they're doing.
3. *The Oakland mayor was involved.* Whether through kickbacks, donations, bribes, or what have you, the Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf should _not_ be around and involved. Politicians tell people what politicians believe the people _want_ to hear and can make utopian promises, but when their promises don't work out, the politicians aren't responsible for any repercussions of what they were involved in.
I did a basic search and the first thing that came up for her was _"Oakland Mayor Schaaf says she believes A's want to stay in Oakland despite team's objections to city vote."_ www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/Oakland-Mayor-Schaaf-A-s-want-to-stay-in-16329705.php She's promising the team that taxpayers' money will cover *$352 million* in expenses for a baseball team to stay and get a new stadium. John Stossel and others have done great research in exposing that taxpayer money is never made back when it's used to assist in building stadiums, regardless of sports.
Belinda, thank you for this video. I love when you get to explore work sites and give us the good information. I'd never heard of this company and will probably never use their product, but the knowledge you gave me has already made me smarter. :)
So it's super expensive trailer. Those prices are bonkers then I realized oh wait..California company schmoozing California politicians...makes sense. I love this channel, great job!
Maybe for California, although I think the problem there is much deeper and totally unrelated to the construction industry.
In my area, a builder quality 3 bedroom 1600 sq ft house sells for about $175, 000. That's in a decent subdivision on a quarter acre.
Have they tested these dwellings in areas that tend to get natural disasters like tornados or hurricanes. The unknowns….are the insurance companies willing to insure them?
That top, the colour really suits you
Your channel is underrated.
Land costs not included in prices mentioned. So these costs aren't comparable to homes for sale. Also it would be nice if a comparison (cost, features, sustainability) was made with existing manufactured homes that have "green" claims.
It's really beautiful. My butthole clinched when I saw the price, but I also understand WHY it cost that much. Great content and love what you do
Great video. I love your honesty in these videos. Keep up the great work!
It’s so strange that people got mad at you for telling the truth. I started watching and enjoying your videos because it educated me beyond my superficial understanding of all the things you state the media does.
Great presentation, as always.
great work catching all the slight-of-hand. i agree the company seems (comparatively) transparent of shortcomings & eager to learn... possibly a good group of well-meaning entrepreneurs that just need an actually good product. this isn't it.
all these new building companies need to go learn from the sustainable earthship hippies, the day-in-day-out elec/plumb/hvac pro techs, disaster/leak/remediation clean-up industry, and high efficiency designers of the EU. there's a solution to our crappy housing in the combination somewhere!
This is just an expensive trailer home. Same with these tiny houses, it looks more HQ but it's essentially still just a trailer park in the end just with more rich people or with hippies this time
Awesome video Belinda!
Thank you!
Why aren't they doing triple paned, gas filled windows? Noise reduction, another ADU box checked, makes home MUCH more energy efficient!
We have those in Canada. They're called sheds.
3d printed the easiest and cheapest part of the construction. The more difficult parts of construction are (in no order):
1) finding open land you can afford in a city you are willing to live in with employment you are able to do at a good wage
2) planning/engineering
3) getting zoning and permits
4) finding contractors that won't rip you off/leave you with a ton of problems post construction
5) finding a bank willing to give you a loan/mortgage
6) plumbing
7) wiring
This sounds so expensive and we haven't gotten to the actual price yet. Ah. $185k... Most full size houses in my neighborhood are cheaper (until the landlords start bidding you up ofc) - and that includes a yard and driveway. Downsizing is nice and all, but the point of downsizing is supposed to also reduce the price. If you're still paying a full price for a tiny portion of the space, you're not saving any money.
Edit: Wait, they're targeting firefighters, school teachers, etc as their customers? I get that housing is ridiculously expensive in CA, but this just seems... How much do they think these ppl get paid?! Most firefighters are volunteers! They don't get paid anything!
They didn't 3d print the pipes, valves, toilet, sink , shower enclosure, light fixtures, wiring, switches, outlets, vanity, doors, trim, flooring, windows, paint, kitchen countertop, cabinets, HVAC, foundation........
What is its rating for earthquake and wind loads?
I LOVE YOU BELINDA :) , ISAID IT LONG AGO!!!
How much of their operational costs are covered by state and federal handouts?
It’s probably the opposite of a subsidy. Permits are so expensive in California. There’s usually square footage minimums that these home do not meet.
They hate building new housing units in California that’s partly why they have so many homeless.
A lot. You don't make something so useless as this unless you are getting your real money elsewhere.
Quite small bedrooms, like the matchboxes they build on massive housing estates in UK.
You do look cracking in your pink outfit 😉
I'd like to see a company like this go modular, making rooms or even walls that could be assembled on-site. I have no idea if there is any feasibility to that, but I want to have some say in the layout of my house, and i would guess the flexibility would be a great selling point.
If the business was honest, they should have cut the news/media/politicians short and should have posted their own video on various platforms showing how wrong and misinformed they are and set the record straight. Instead they kept quiet and enjoyed the limelight. Tells a lot about about their integrity and honesty.
Nice job asking the difficult question on the overall R value when at the factory. He did a pretty good job answering too. Side note, did they outfit you in pink, or did you?
ngl, I'm a little hyped over this.
As usual very informative vlog. Mr Ruben seemed very likeable. Not smug like Elon and down to earth. Wish I could get one in Canada. Keep up the great work.
Holy crap. Thanks for the truth
"none of us are from a construction background" no wonder the little buildings are so moronically built and relies so hard on the 3d print marketing
Very observant.
I think you missed the land cost in pricing, and that's is quite expensive in CA