Santa Barbara Homeowner Installs Ready-Made ADU by Crane

Complete Unit Was Lifted and Installed by California Company Samara in One Day

California-based Samara delivered and installed a two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at a Santa Barbara home on Thursday, April 24. The entire process, from truck bed to backyard, took about 15 minutes. | Credit: Ryan P. Cruz

On Thursday morning, a Santa Barbara family had a fully equipped accessory dwelling unit (ADU) delivered and installed in their backyard by crane in one fell swoop. The two-bedroom, 690-square-foot unit came in one piece fully manufactured by Redwood City–based Samara, which specializes in the easy-to-install Backyard ADUs, and the entire unit was lifted from the truck bed over the family’s house and in place in about 15 minutes.

Neighbors gathered outside on the street in an impromptu block party to watch the show, snapping photos while a crew of about a dozen strapped up the ADU to the crane and lifted the 40,000-pound structure up and over the home, navigating the trees on either side of the house and safely lowering it down in the backyard.

Homeowners Roy Bryan and his wife, Brittany, said they were looking into adding an ADU at their property ever since they had their fourth child. Bryan, a radiologist who works from home, is planning on using the two-bed unit as a home office and guest room for visitors.

“We were just kind of running out of space in the house,” Bryan said, “so we thought that we could use a portion of our backyard to add extra room to the property.”

He said he found the company Samara online, and he was drawn to the streamlined process they offered, handling everything from permitting with the County of Santa Barbara to manufacturing the unit to fit their property to delivering and installing the unit. The entire process, from purchase to delivery, took less than a year.

Samara offers five styles for backyard ADUs, ranging from a 420-square-foot studio to the 950-square-foot “supersized” two-bedroom, two-bath unit. Prices range from $152,000 to $277,000, plus installation. The two-bedroom unit that was installed at the Bryans’ in Santa Barbara cost around $200,000.

Roy and Brittany Bryan, their children Thomas, Roy, and Gemma, and their dog Max watch as their new ADU gets installed in the backyard of their Santa Barbara home. | Credit: Ryan P. Cruz

But one of the major perks of working with Samara is that their team handles every step of the process. “It’s cool to see; it’s such a team,” Bryan said as the crews prepared to install his unit. “That’s one thing that I’ve loved about Samara and why we went with them is that they just handle everything. We’re busy, we’ve got four kids running around, and so that’s what I’ve really appreciated, how the whole project is managed and I didn’t have to do anything.

Jenn Miller, project specialist with Samara, said the company has seen a growing interest in the ready-made, steel-frame units. She said a recent survey showed 70 percent of Santa Barbara homeowners are considering investing in an ADU, though the hurdles of permitting and working with a general contractor keep many from making the leap. With Samara, she said, investing in an ADU can be as simple as “buying an iPhone.”

“We design and manufacture everything on our own,” she said. “We’re a turnkey partner. We look at the property and everything.”

The units come with an option for solar power and are manufactured in Mexicali and delivered in about seven to 10 months. Once installed, workers secure the structure with steel bolts and hook up utilities (no gas), and the unit can be certified for occupancy within 30 days.

Samara is currently in the process of permitting and installing a few more of the backyard units in the Santa Barbara area. “The county’s been great to work with,” Miller said.