Casitas · ADUs · East Valley
Built in your backyard. Priced in writing.
Four standard casitas from $165,000, plans and permits included — built by Damon, a licensed Arizona contractor based in Mesa.
Licensed AZ contractor · ROC #361366 · Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek & the greater Phoenix metro
Casitas from $165,000 — one written price, plans and permits included. Call (480) 779-7073.
The models
Four casitas. Prices you can see.
Named for the towns we build them in. Every price below is published, in writing, with plans and city permits included — no 5–10% contingency added at the end.
Model 01
The Mesa
1 bed · 1 bath · 576 sq ft
From $165,000
See The Mesa
Model 02
The Gilbert
2 bed · 2 bath · 768 sq ft
From $225,000
See The Gilbert
Model 03
The Chandler
2 bed · 1 bath · 792 sq ft
From $230,000
See The Chandler
Model 04
The Queen Creek
3 bed · 2 bath · 990 sq ft
From $245,000
See The Queen Creek
Model 05
Fully custom — your design
Your plans, your sketch, or one of ours changed to fit. Priced with a written, line-item bid.
How custom bids work
Why under 1,000 sq ft
Stay under 1,000 square feet and skip planning approval.
Arizona’s 2024 casita law (HB 2720, A.R.S. §9-461.18) requires every city over 75,000 people — Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek, Phoenix and the rest of the Valley’s big cities — to approve a casita up to 1,000 sq ft or 75% of your home, whichever is smaller, as a permitted use — through ordinary building-permit review, with no zoning hearing in front of it.
That is why all four of our standard plans are 576–990 sq ft. Staying under the line is the single biggest thing you can do to shorten the calendar.
01
No planning hearing
Under 1,000 sq ft (and under 75% of your house), a casita is a permitted use. No public hearing, no variance, no use permit, no neighbor notice. It goes straight to building-permit plan review.
02
5-foot setbacks
Cities can’t require more than a 5-foot setback from the side and rear lot lines, so a casita fits in yards that older casita rules ruled out.
03
Limited design rules
State law says a city can’t require a casita to match the main house’s exterior, roof pitch or materials. In practice, some cities still push for a level of design matching or material standards. We check what your city expects and design to it from the start, so it doesn’t hold up your permit.
04
Rent it, limited parking rules
Long-term rental is allowed and the city can’t require you to live on the property. State law also bars requiring an extra parking space, though a few cities still ask for one. We confirm what your city requires before we plan the site.
Go over the line and the process changes.
Past 1,000 sq ft, or past 75% of your house, the building is no longer a by-right casita. Depending on the city that means a use permit, a variance or a public hearing with neighbor notice — months added before a building permit can even be filed — or a flat no.
Two things the state law doesn’t cover.
HOA rules are private and still apply — we prepare the architectural submittal. And towns under 75,000 people and unincorporated county land follow their own rules. The free lot check tells you which rules cover your address.
On the job
Every build starts with the slab.
The slab is the part of a casita you never see again, so it gets the most attention. Damon Owens is on site for every pour, every framing day and every walkthrough. Real jobsite photos, not stock.
The process
How it works.
01
Free lot check
We check your parcel, setbacks and HOA before you spend a dollar.
02
Design & written price
Pick a model. Get one number, in writing, that doesn’t move.
03
Permits handled
We run city permitting end to end — you sign, we file.
04
Build with photo updates
Slab, framing, finish. Photo updates at every milestone until walkthrough.
Why a casita
What’s your casita for?
Rental income
A backyard casita in the East Valley rents like a small apartment, on land you already own.
Family
Aging parents, adult kids, multigenerational living — close, but with their own front door.
Office, gym, studio
A real building thirty feet from the kitchen. We also build golf-sim rooms, pool houses and garage build-outs.
Lot check
Will a casita fit on your lot?
Enter your address and we’ll pull your lot size, home size and zoning straight from county records — then tell you the largest casita your city or county allows, and what actually fits in the space you have.
Check my lotTakes about ten seconds. Free, no obligation.
- Your parcel
- Lot size, home size and zoning, read from Maricopa and Pinal county records.
- Your legal maximum
- The largest casita your city or county allows on that specific parcel — the rules differ between Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and unincorporated county.
- What actually fits
- Which of the four models works in the yard you have, not just on paper.
Find out what a casita costs on your lot.
Tell us about your property and Damon will follow up with a real number — and whether your lot qualifies.