California-based real estate startup samara released more details about its factory-built studio and one-bedroom units. The company, led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and former Flex chief executive Mike McNamara, will now roll out a selection of DSU units, collectively known as the Backyard Range, across Southern California and the San Francisco Bay area.
Prices for the Backyard model in San Francisco will be $299,000 for a 430-square-foot studio and $399,000 for a 550-square-foot one-bedroom apartment; figures that reduce by $10,000 for Southern California models. Customers can also choose from five colors, two roof designs, and customizable windows, doors, and decks.
“Built from durable, state-of-the-art materials, engineered with precision and factory assembled, Backyard is designed to last a lifetime,” said Samara. “It harvests enough solar energy to power itself, and we’ve made it incredibly easy to obtain by taking care of the entire building process.”
“We’re obsessed with every square inch of Backyard, from the custom cabinetry of our signature kitchen to the airflow and duct layout of our quiet central heating and cooling system,” the company added.
Similar to other design-build disruptors Recently featured on Archinect, Samara offers an all-inclusive service for Backyard, including design, building permits, construction and installation. Backyard’s entire design process takes place on the Samara websitewhere a simple interface invites users to choose and customize their unit’s features, from cladding materials to wardrobe finishes.
Leaving Backyard is a big milestone for Samara, who started her life as internal innovation team within Airbnb in 2016. Earlier this year, the company spun off to become an independent startup, although Airbnb retains a minority stake in the company. Samara’s founding team is made up entirely of Airbnb alumni, including Airbnb co-founder Gebbia, who left his full-time role at Airbnb in July fully engage in the startup.
Samara’s decision to launch Backyard in California can be seen as a response to the state’s dovish attitude towards ADUs. As we reported last year, Los Angeles has recently sought to facilitate the construction of ADUs by publish an ADU standard plan program containing 14 pre-approved plans. Last month, we also reported on the rapid increase in ADU applications in San Diegoas West Coast cities grapple with an ongoing housing crisis.
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