California-based Samara has opened a factory in Mexicali, Mexico, to scale up manufacturing of their backyard ADU units. As we reported in late 2022, the startup is led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia alongside former Flex chief executive Mike McNamara.
The 150,000-square-foot factory will host the construction of Samara’s modular units, including interior and exterior finishes. Following production in the factory, each unit will be loaded onto a truck for delivery to the customer’s property.
The company’s first unit, Backyard, is being manufactured in studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts, with a larger two-bedroom expected to launch soon. Samara notes that the unit can be installed in “as few as seven months,” including permitting, with 30 days of on-site labor. The unit is currently available for purchase in California.
“Our homes are central to our lives,” said McNamara in a statement. “On average, most people in California live in their home for 17 years. Backyard is a powerful tool to help people get more mileage out of their properties, without the tax implications and hassles of a renovation. With our factory acquisition, I’m proud Samara can now integrate its world-class design, engineering capabilities, excellent customer experience, and in-house manufacturing capacity.”
As we reported last year, Los Angeles has recently sought to facilitate ADU construction by publishing an ADU Standard Plan Program containing 14 pre-approved plans. Our editorial has also recently reported on the rapid increase in ADU applications in San Diego, as cities along the West Coast grapple with an ongoing housing crisis.