Just a very small part of the cost of a new home (Score 5, Insightful)

3D printing is exciting technology, but for building homes it does not live up to the hype IMHO. Take a closer look at so-called 3D-printed houses, and you'll see that with today's technology, 3D printing only covers what is called framing in conventional construction in a typical North American home - and it doesn't even include floors. Just the core of the upright walls, nothing else gets 3D printed. Everything else is still conventional: foundation, floors, roof structure and shingles, inside wall finish, siding, windows, doors, flooring or carpeting, plumbing, showers and bathtubs, lighting, electricals, kitchens, heating and air conditioning ducting and controls. And what is 3D printed, is done in concrete, with plenty of heat bridges on the inside. This may provide better insulation than walls of poured concrete, but it's difficult to get to the excellent insulation of a modern wood-framed wall. Not to mention that wood is a carbon sink, whereas concrete has a big carbon footprint because of the way cement is produced.