Corrales company builds first 3-D printed house in the state

CORRALES — New Mexico Concrete Prints, a subdivision of Nieto Custom Builders, Inc., successfully the first home in the state of New Mexico created by 3-D printing.

“It becomes real when you walk in it and see it with your own eyes,” said Jesse Nieto, who is the mixologist and public relations person for New Mexico Concrete Prints. “This is available now, and it’s available to the public.”

The house printed by New Mexico Concrete Prints is roughly 530 square feet and has one bedroom, one bathroom, a living area and a kitchen. The house is fireproof, flood proof, tornado proof, mold proof and 100% recyclable. The concrete mix used to print the house is rated at 6,000 pounds per square inch and can withstand winds up to 450 miles per hour.

It’s kind of hard to imagine a house being printed, but here is how Jesse explains it: “Basically, it is a giant CNC printer, and it prints layer by layer just the same way as any traditional 3-D printer would.”

The successful printing of the house looks to be a solution to help with the housing shortage in New Mexico.

“This is could be a way to help mitigate that problem,” Jesse said.

The company received a letter on Sept. 5, 2024, from Martin Romero, New Mexico’s General Construction Bureau chief, stating that the process had been approved as an acceptable building practice and the home’s designs have “been reviewed and approved for compliance with all applicable codes and regulations including electrical plumbing and structural standards.”

Romero also said, “We commend you on the innovative approach taken with the construction of this home and appreciate your commitment to sustainable building practices. We anticipate that we will see the positive impact that 3-D printing technology can have on the housing industry.”

The house took 17 hours to print and required the hard work of a lot of people around the clock.

“We really want to thank Martin Romero for helping us get through this process,” said Pete Nieto, who is the president and CEO of NCB Inc. “This is a golden ticket. This is not a normal construction practice. No one has ever seen this or done this before … It’s the first one in New Mexico.”

According to Pete, the dream to print a house started “five to six years ago” as Pete began serious research into the matter as it could benefit New Mexico. Pete waited another three years to get approved to purchase a Mudbots Concrete Printer; Mudbots is a company located in Toole, Utah. This was done so that the company could operate its own printer.

“We wanted to control the print from a construction standpoint since we have been in the industry for so long. Mudbots are the experts in technology and we’re the experts in construction so naturally this works,” Pete said.

The process was not entirely seamless, though.

During the print, a pump and a mixer went down. However, the training of the crew gave them pit crew-like speed when replacing parts and kept the print going.

Members from NCB Inc. who were involved with the project include Pete Nieto, Jesse Nieto, Shawn Nieto, Randy Nieto, Kimberly Nieto, Erica Nieto, Kayla Gomez, Anthony Gomez, Kael Gomez, Xzavier Gomez, Tommy Mora, Tomas Mora, Ashley Mora, Jerry Garcia, Julian Gonzales, Cole Korbas and Lisa Monday Brand.

Shawn Nieto and Anthony Gomez operated the printer as they are “certified pilots of the printer.”

Other individuals from different businesses involved were Richard Pfeiffer from QPEC; Andy Cordova from CSI; Tim Hooper and Dennis Rush from Buildology; Will Johnson from WJ Electric; Ben Sego from Sego Insulation; James Williams from Triple 7; and Ed Fay and Micheal Suaceda from Fay’s Painting.