With 3D printing becoming increasingly popular, it seems a logical step that people would try to 3D print a house.
One project in the Netherlands has done just, building five houses using the process in 2021, and couple Elize Lutz and Harrie Dekkers receiving their 'digital key'.
The bungalow, owned by real-estate investment company Vesteda, was being leased on six-month contracts at about $1,400 a month, Business Insider reported in 2021.
The homes are certainly a departure from a bricks and mortar house, with a summary of the project describing how it wants to explore the design possibilities from 3D printing.
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Now obviously this is a bit different from a 3D printer you would have at home. The crane-mounted printer lays several thin layers of concrete which are stacked on top of each other, starting from the ground up.
There's no steel frame or reinforced concrete, it's just layer after layer of concrete mix, with the 3D printing also creating cavities to provide insulation and space for wiring and plumbing.
They look a bit like the filling of an oreo or an ice cream sandwich.
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But what are they like to actually live in?
Lutz said: “I saw the drawing of this house and it was exactly like a fairytale garden," adding: “It is beautiful."
Dekkers added: “It has the feel of a bunker – it feels safe."
It is hoped that the structure will help provide affordable housing that's quick to construct.
In a press release, housing and spatial development alderman at the municipality of Eindhoven, Yasin Torunoglu, said: "In addition to affordable homes, the market increasingly demands innovative housing concepts.
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"With the 3D-printed home, we're now setting the tone for the future: the rapid realization of affordable homes with control over the shape of your own house."
At present, this process of building houses is still not more cost effective than older ways of doing so, despite reduced labour costs.
However, this is something that they hope to change in the future.
It is also hoped in the construction industry that the use of 3D printed construction could reduce the environmental impact, and also cut costs.
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In the Netherlands it is also a way to keep up construction as the country faces a shortage of skilled bricklayers.
Construction company executive Bas Huysmans said: “If you look at what time we actually needed to print this house it was only 120 hours.
“So all the elements, if we would have printed them in one go, it would have taken us less than five days because the big benefit is that the printer does not need to eat, does not need to sleep, it doesn’t need to rest.
"So if we would start tomorrow, and learned how to do it, we can print the next house five days from now.”
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