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First 100 accessory dwelling units (granny flats) to help fund Cosmic’s new modular construction factory in bid to transform backyard usage.
San Francisco-based startup Cosmic is looking to shift the conversation in the modular construction industry with its approach to building accessory dwelling units (known as Granny Flats in Australia) for the American market. The company’s first 100 prefabricated accessory dwelling units (ADUs), starting at $279,000 (AUD $423K) for a 35.7 square-metre are expensive. The reason for their excessive cost is to help fund the building of their factory.
They are marketing their ADU’s as not only stylish but also environmentally friendly, interestingly, also generating enough energy to potentially power the main house.
Cosmic’s founder, Sasha Jokic, has a vision of ending global housing insecurity by manufacturing prefabricated multi-family residences for low-income families.
The ADU market in the US is currently experiencing a boom, with states like California and New York incentivising homeowners to build ADUs on their properties. And Cosmic is hitching its wagon on the loosening of local planning regulation, with its focus on sustainability. The company claims that its backyard homes can generate more energy than they use, thanks to their solar energy systems and battery storage, potentially reducing the homeowner’s electricity bill.
Cosmic’s studio unit, for example, comes equipped with a five-panel, 2.2-kilowatt photovoltaic system and a five-kilowatt-hour battery, which can be upgraded to further support the primary home’s energy needs. The units also feature water-saving systems that can be enhanced with a recycling water filtration system, allowing water to be reused for non-drinking purposes.
The company’s largest model, a 750-square-foot two-bedroom ADU, starts at $419,000 (AUD $636K) and includes appliances, permitting, and delivery. The profits from the sales of these first 100 homes, along with a recent USD$1.5 million pre-seed funding round, will be used to automate Cosmic’s manufacturing process, aiming to reduce costs and delivery times.
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At present, Cosmic’s ADUs are assembled by hand in San Francisco, while local contractors lay the foundation on the buyer’s property. The completed ADU is then transported to the client’s home and craned into place. The units also feature white oak floors, dishwashers, and spa-like bathrooms.
While the initial focus is on high-end micro-homes, Cosmic’s long-term goal is to produce self-sustaining affordable homes that can be deployed across different climates and geographies without any grid connectivity. The company is also developing a new construction method and delivery processes that prioritise transparency in material sourcing and embrace circular economy principles.
