Samara Acquires Factory to Scale Manufacturing of Backyard as Demand for ADUs Soars in California

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA — Today, Samara announced it has acquired a factory that brings the manufacturing of its high-quality accessory dwelling unit (ADU), Backyard, completely in house. Located in Mexicali, Mexico, the factory gives Samara more control over the quality standard of Backyard, shortens delivery timelines, accelerates product development and enables the company to meet rising customer demand in California and beyond.

Born out of Airbnb’s R&D unit, Samara is an independent company revolutionizing how homeowners can add living space to their homes. Its first product, Backyard, is available in studio, one bedroom and two bedroom layouts, with a larger two bedroom, two bathroom layout launching soon. Backyard is designed to mirror a homeowner’s evolving needs, whether that’s extra space to house family, a home office, or a rental property that creates an additional income stream.

At 150,000 square feet, Samara’s new factory gives the company enough space to build its modular units from start to finish. After Backyard’s interiors and exteriors are finished in the factory, each unit is loaded onto a truck and sent directly to a customer’s property.

Controlling a complex supply chain end-to-end can be challenging, leading many companies to outsource their manufacturing. Samara believes that vertical integration is key to ensuring the superior quality of its units and expediting delivery times for customers, who are urgently seeking solutions to more space. The company’s conviction aligns with the surging demand for ADUs; ADU permits issued in California grew nearly 19x from 2016 to 2022.

“Our homes are central to our lives. On average, most people in California live in their home for 17 years,” said CEO Mike McNamara, who co-founded Samara with Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb. “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.”

Backyard makes it possible for homeowners to add square footage to their properties faster and at a lower cost than traditional construction. Due to the company’s factory-built approach and focus on an efficient supply chain, Backyard can be installed in as few as seven months, including permitting, and with only 30 days of on-site labor—a far faster process compared to traditional construction methods. Samara currently offers Backyard in California, with plans to expand to other markets in the future.