Initially, 3D printed homes generated a lot of hype; the promise was that they'd allow for more design freedom and most importantly, be cheaper than standard construction. Those things haven't happened yet: The "design freedom" seems to manifest as adding arbitrary angles and curves, and the houses are still freaking expensive per square foot.

But it's still early days, and the hope is that prices will come down once 3D printed construction companies are able to enjoy the benefits of scale. Thus Texas-based Icon, the market leader in American 3D-printed residential construction, is plowing ahead and tackling an "affordable" home. In the Austin neighborhood of Mueller, the company will print at least three of their Bungalow designs. These are modest—some might say tiny—651-square-foot homes.

On the ground floor, roughly half of the footprint is taken up by a covered patio, and there is no ground floor bathroom.

The bathroom and single bedroom are upstairs.

The price is said to be $195,000, which works out to $300/sq. ft., which is relatively pricey. Moreover, that $195,000 price is after it's been partially subsidized by the nonprofit Mueller Foundation's Affordable Homes Program, which seeks to help lower income households. Still, the lower overall price will help the three eventual buyers gain homeownership, even if they will not be raising families there.

This being a desirable neighborhood (it's 3 miles from downtown Austin), the bungalows will be back-to-back with conventionally-priced Icon offerings.

3D printed homes have a long way to go before they become truly affordable, but we can't get there without companies like Icon (and helpful organizations like the Mueller Foundation) taking these early steps.