01
A bedroom, not an alcove
A separate bedroom with a closet and a door. It fits a queen bed and a dresser, and it stays quiet when someone is in the kitchen.
The Mesa · Plan D-1636 · One-Bedroom Casita
A complete home in under six hundred square feet.
A real bedroom, a full kitchen with an island, and a full bath, built on your lot by a licensed Arizona contractor — priced in writing before we break ground.
Fixed price, from$165,000
Plans, engineering, City permit fees, and the base finish package are all in that number. Site conditions are quoted from a published schedule before you sign.
Licensed AZ builder·ROC #361366·Permits handled end to end
- Conditioned
- 576 sq ft
- Footprint
- 16′ × 36′
- Layout
- 1 bed · 1 bath
- Kitchen
- Island, seats 3
- Typical timeline
- 4–6 months
The idea
The size most East Valley backyards can actually take.
Sixteen feet wide and thirty-six long, The Mesa slips down the side of a standard Mesa, Gilbert or Queen Creek lot: big enough for a bedroom with a door that closes and a kitchen island someone can cook at, narrow enough to clear setbacks without giving up the whole yard.
It is also the least expensive way to put a complete home on your lot — a real place for a parent or adult child thirty feet from yours, or a one-bedroom rental on land you already own.
02
A kitchen with an island
Range, dishwasher and a nine-foot island with a double sink and seating for three. Bring your own refrigerator and it is move-in ready.
03
A contractor on site
Damon Owens holds the license and shows up to the pour, the framing and the walkthrough. You deal with the builder, not a salesperson.
Floor plan
Kitchen at one end, bedroom at the other.
The front door opens into one long great room — kitchen and island at one end, living in the middle — with the laundry closet, bath and bedroom behind it at the far end. Final dimensions are drawn to your lot and setbacks.
| Room | Dimension |
|---|---|
| Kitchen + great room | approx. 16′ × 20′ |
| Kitchen island | 9′, seats 3 |
| Bedroom | approx. 11′ × 10′ + closet |
| Bath | approx. 5′ × 9′, tub/shower |
| Laundry | stacked W/D closet |
| Conditioned area | 576 sq ft |
Room sizes are read from the current plan set and rounded; the drawings for your lot are part of the price and are finalized before permit submittal.
Included in $165,000
What the fixed price covers.
- Architectural plan set and structural engineering
- City or county permit application, fees, and submittal through approval
- Engineered concrete slab foundation
- Wood framing, wall insulation, drywall and texture
- Spray-foam insulated roof (no vented attic)
- LP SmartSide board-and-batten siding or stucco
- 4:12 shingle roof
- Vinyl no-flange windows
- Electrical, plumbing and ductless mini-split HVAC
- Kitchen with cabinets, countertops and appliances (refrigerator excluded)
- Full bath with tiled shower, vanity and toilet
- Luxury vinyl plank flooring and baseboard, interior and exterior paint
- Standard utility connections to the main house
- One-year builder warranty
- Stacked washer and dryer hookups in a dedicated closet
Built for Arizona heat. The roof is sealed with spray foam instead of sitting over a vented attic, so there is no superheated attic space above the ceiling in July. The casita stays cooler, the mini-split works less, and there are no roof or gable vents for dust and monsoon rain to get into.
Quoted separately
What depends on your lot.
Every one of these is priced from a published schedule during pre-qualification, before you sign anything. No line item on this list is ever discovered mid-build.
- Electrical service panel upgrade, where the existing panel can’t carry the load
- Water, sewer and electrical runs beyond the standard distance from the main house
- Extreme grade correction
- Removing or restoring pools, patios, walls, or mature landscaping
- HOA architectural submittal — we prepare it; association fees vary
- Refrigerator and finish upgrades beyond the standard package
How it compares
Low end of the market. Everything in the number.
Measured against turnkey casita prices published by other Phoenix-metro builders for comparable 500–620 sq ft one-bedroom plans (September 2026).
| Feature | The Mesa | Published East Valley turnkey pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Conditioned area | 576 sq ft | 500–612 sq ft |
| Published price | $165,000 | $163,200–$255,500 |
| Price per sq ft | $286 | $300–$428 |
| Plans & permits | Included | Varies; frequently excluded |
| Contingency asked for | None — scope is fixed in writing | Some add 5–10% on top of the quote |
| Licensed AZ contractor | Yes — ROC #361366 | Check the ROC number |
What people build it for
What 576 square feet is for.
Rental income
A one-bedroom with its own kitchen and entrance rents at the top of the East Valley range, and it is on land you already own.
A parent nearby
Independent living with a real bedroom and no stairs, close enough to share dinner and far enough to keep everyone’s routine.
Adult kids
A place of their own at a fraction of Valley rent, without anyone living in the spare room.
Office and guest suite
A workspace with a door that closes during the week, and a full guest suite when family visits.
The process
Four stages. No surprises in any of them.
01
Free lot check
We check your parcel, setbacks, utilities and HOA before you spend a dollar. Some lots don’t work, and we would rather tell you in week one.
02
Design & written price
Pick a model and your finishes. You get one number, in writing, that doesn’t move unless you change the scope.
03
Permits handled
We run the city submittal end to end — plan review, corrections, approval. You sign where the owner has to sign, and nothing else.
04
Build
Slab, framing, finish. Photo updates against a milestone schedule, then a walkthrough before you take the keys.
Price it on your lot
See what The Mesa costs on your lot.
Four questions. We’ll follow up with a real number for your property, including whether your city allows a casita at all.
We usually reply the same business day. If your lot doesn’t qualify, we’ll tell you that instead of booking a sales call.
Also in the lineup
Four models. One fixed-price promise.
576 SQ FT
The Mesa
One bedroom, one bath, kitchen island — 576 sq ft that fits most East Valley lots. From $165,000.
You’re here
768 SQ FT
The Gilbert
Two bedrooms, two baths, 768 sq ft — a narrow 16-foot plan for long side yards. From $225,000.
792 SQ FT
The Chandler
Two bedrooms, one bath, 792 sq ft — a wider plan with a full-width great room. From $230,000.
990 SQ FT
The Queen Creek
Three bedrooms, two baths, 990 sq ft — the most casita Arizona lets you build by right. From $245,000.
None of these quite right?Go fully custom →