Does Elon Musk have an answer to the housing shortage?

When Elon Musk launched The Boring Company to build a network of tunnels “to solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic,” at least one question came to mind: What to do with all the dirt?

Musk offered one solution Monday, announcing via Twitter that the company will begin selling “lifesize LEGO-like interlocking bricks” that can be used to build houses and other structures. In a series of tweets, Musk described how the bricks will be made from soil and rock excavated during the company’s tunneling projects, which include a planned 35-mile stretch connecting Washington, D.C, and Baltimore.

If viable, Musk’s building-blocks concept could help address two of the biggest problems in the US housing market: supply and affordability. The number of homes for sale in January was down 10 percent from January 2017, continuing a three-year trend of declining inventory. Meanwhile, the median home value in January was $206,300, up 6.5 percent from the previous year and the highest ever.

According to Musk, the interlocking bricks would make a house quicker and easier to build than traditional construction. He tweeted that the material would be fashioned “with a precise surface finish, so two people could build the outer walls of a small house in a day or so.”

In keeping with it’s reputation for offbeat marketing — flamethrowers, anyone? — The Boring Company will introduce the concept in a rather unique way.