When Nathan Dannels and his wife bought a two-bedroom, two-bath home in Buena Vista, Colorado, last year, they weren’t just getting a mountain getaway — they were embracing a new type of construction. Their 1,100-square-foot house was built using 3D-printing technology by Salida-based VeroTouch.
“We absolutely fell in love,” Dannels said. “We just love the character. We loved the sustainability.”
The home was one of two VeroTouch printed for the first time.
Jake Rishavy, chief communications officer at VeroTouch, said the texture of the 3D-printed concrete walls can be rough, even corduroy-like, and in the home Dannels bought, which is dark green with woodwork accents, VeroTouch decided to leave that texture exposed.
“It just has so much more character,” Dannels said. The house has a kitchen on the left and living and dining areas on the right. Other features include modern appliances, a primary suite, a second bedroom, and a pantry with a coffee bar, all of which add to the home's functionality.
The house can comfortably host up to six guests, according to Dannels. “It’s not too big and not too small.”
Dannels said he loves that the house is low maintenance, as he doesn’t have to care for it in the same way he would a traditional house, because the walls are concrete.
That convenience can also make it challenging.
With a home like this, people must be prepared for a trial-and-error period as they work to make their house a home.
"I think just learning how to hang a TV. That's a perfect example," he said. "You have to get certain tools. You have to get a hammer drill that can hammer through concrete. ... You have to get a specific kind of bit."
Dannels said he is excited to see where the industry goes and how well his new home stands the test of time.
“In 15 years, if all we’ve done is replace a water heater, that’s huge,” he said. “Whereas a traditional house, you’ve got all kinds of wear and tear, but these things should last a hundred years.”
Concrete homes slated for Salida
VeroTouch has a project printing 31 units for a housing development in Salida, Colorado.
Rishavy said the 31-unit project, known as Cleora @ Salida East, will be a mix of single-family homes, townhouses and duplexes. It is projected to be completed in early 2027.
“The process of 3D printing a house is essentially the same, or very similar to the traditional desktop 3D printers that print in plastic,” Rishavy said. “We use a gantry system. It’s a large steel structure that delivers a print head around the shape of a home and prints with concrete.”
Rishavy said the pricing of the 31-unit development will be at Salida's market rate, which is under $700,000. “We believe that within a year or so, we will be selling homes at about 20% to 30% under market rate,” he said. The median sales price for a single-family home in the community is $769,000, which reflects a 5% year-over-year increase, according to Homes.com data.
Grant Hamel, chief executive officer of VeroTouch, said that for over two years, the company has worked with 3D-printing technology and other building innovations to help drive down the cost and time needed to build homes.
“I founded VeroTouch to combine the most impactful approaches — hardware, software, materials science and business processes — to create a platform that would enable builders around the world to adopt these technologies and build homes faster and cheaper,” Hamel said.
Rishavy said VeroTouch ultimately wants to use its technology to address the affordable housing crisis across the country. “[Cleora] is really our first attempt at doing that on a meaningful scale.”
VeroTouch has plans to build other developments on a larger scale, with 100 to 150 units.
“That’s where we think we’ll really achieve the kind of economies of scale that meaningfully drive down cost,” he said.
Rishavy said that 3D-printed concrete is poised to become part of the U.S. housing market, though its exact share remains unknown.
Hamel added that the technology already offers significant advantages in cost, speed and resilience.
“We believe that housing is a human right and that much like the fast-fashion era left consumers desiring higher quality over just lower cost, our current era of fast housing must change,” Hamel said. “That’s why we’re building homes that will be passed down, not torn down.”