Southern Arizona’s most affordable, energy-efficient casitas for family, rental, or work-from-home additions to your property.
Make the most of your backyard—without the stress of a custom build.
We build modern casitas throughout Southern Arizona that meet ADU zoning—giving you a fast, affordable way to add space for family, rental income, work from home space or quiet retreat.
Is a casita possible for your backyard?
We believe building a casita shouldn’t be overwhelming. That’s why we offer a clear process, efficient build method, and support at every step.
Why choose Backyard Casitas?
Backyard Casitas offers a choice of a pre-permitted turnkey casita or a shell casita that you can creatively finish with your own contractor. NOT a custom build, which keeps costs down and reduces the speed of the project. Energy-efficient design means comfortable living and low operating costs long-term, with financing available. Locally based – making jobs and solving housing in and for southern Arizona.
Driven by a passion for urban density and affordable housing, we provide efficient, zero-energy ready, quality ADUs. Our casitas meet the US Department of Energy ‘zero energy ready home’ requirements: a high-performance home so energy efficient that a renewable energy system could offset most or all the home’s annual energy use.
- Our pre-permitted model plans and manufactured panels speed up installation, ensuring your new space is ready faster, with minimal disruption to your daily life
- Based in Tucson, we are deeply committed to enhancing local communities and providing jobs in southern Arizona.
- Built with sustainability in mind, our casitas feature energy-efficient designs that reduce your carbon footprint and save on energy
- Offering competitive pricing and financing options, we make expanding your living space affordable and straightforward.
- Choose turnkey for fastest occupancy, or choose a shell and personalize your casita to make it truly yours!
- Perfect for guest houses, home offices, or rental units, our versatile casitas meet a wide range of needs.
Our Services
Pre-approved model plans with two options that give you full control:
Turnkey
We handle everything from permitting to final walk-through of your fully finished casita.
Shell
We build the full exterior and install the drywall — including structure, roof, utilities, windows, doors, stucco and drywall.
Our team manages all permitting and site planning and brings experience with the details (and the potential headaches) that can slow down other builds. Whether you’re looking for a move-in ready space or a hands-on project, we’ll help you get it done—simply and clearly.
The Process at a Glance
Discovery
We review your property for zoning and site fit, then help you choose the right casita for your goals and space. This sets the foundation for your site plan.
Site Plan & Permit
We handle the permits—navigating local rules to keep things moving smoothly. We create a detailed plan for your site, covering all required work and ensuring it meets local codes, and submit the site plan for the build (fee applies).
Financing
We offer simple, short-term financing with interest-only payments to help you get started fast. You can refinance later or use your own lender—whatever works best for you.
Build
With permit in hand, we kick off production of your panels and then start construction using proven designs and quality materials — built quickly with a skilled crew.
Final Walkthrough & Move-In
We’ll walk through the finished space together, take care of any final details, and wrap up the build so your casita is complete, comfortable, and ready for whatever comes next.
**for shell builds, you pick up the next interior finish steps to finish it exactly the way you want it.
Building More Than Just Spaces
At Backyard Casitas, we believe in turning your backyard into a cornerstone of family, community, and sustainability. Specializing in Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), we’re committed to enhancing communities with small homes that cater to a whole range of needs.
Housing costs have skyrocketed. If you own your property, chances are you could add one or two casitas to your backyard using the land you already own!
Because casitas are in your backyard, there are some real benefits: Flexible living or working space for smaller homes without having to move, easy to keep ‘multigen’ aging family members or loved ones close by for support, easy to manage guests for short-term rentals, easy to keep an eye on long-term rental use.
With casitas you are building equity based on your existing property and potentially generating long-term rental revenue.
What are the benefits of adding a Backyard Casita to your property?
- Flexible living or working space for smaller homes without having to move
- Keep “multigenerational” aging family members or loved ones close by for support
- Easy to manage guests for short-term rentals
- Easy to keep an eye on long-term rental use
- Build equity based on your existing property and potentially generate long-term revenue with your investment
Bringing the factory to you
Driven by a passion for urban density and affordable housing, we provide efficient, zero-energy ready, quality ADUs. At Backyard Casitas, we think buying an ADU should be like buying a car, not something that consumes you with decisions and tradeoffs for months on end.
There’s a buzz around ADUs right now. Tucson now allows up to two ADUs in backyards. But for homeowners, it’s confusing and complicated to navigate. I might be able to say “I want one”, but then what? If I go online it looks like there are lots of options, but pricing is unclear. If I choose an ADU, how to do find someone to build it? How can I know how much it’s actually going to cost? It’s too much to figure out.
Backyard Casitas is here to reduce the complexity and help you own one or two ADUs in your backyard. You want a turnkey ADU? You want to personalize finishes after your ADU is mostly built? We don’t do custom ADUs, because that means a long drawn out process that costs you more. We offer a limited set of site-built ADUs designed to perform well in southern Arizona, and designed to keep your energy costs low long term. And because we only build a limited set of designs, the build is efficient with our builder. Whether you want turnkey or to do the finishes yourself is up to you!
We’ll work with you to get the job done, using our expertise in the overall process from start to finish.
Sustainability
We are committed to casitas that deliver superior performance, comfort, and efficiency, while offering sustainable use of energy and water.
- Our casitas meet the US Department of Energy “zero energy ready home” requirements: a high-performance home that is so energy efficient that a renewable energy system could offset most or all the home’s annual energy use.
- Our casitas are quickly assembled on-site from factory-built insulated panels that go together seamlessly with no gaps or places where hot or cold air can leak in, and ensures your ADU stays comfortable year round at low cost. We use mini-splits to heat and cool them efficiently, and Energy Star appliances to reduce long term energy costs.
- Our casitas are “solar ready”, meaning they are electric-only units ready to accept solar.
- Our casitas are plumbed for grey-water use, and you can easily add gutters for rainwater retention as an additional feature.
Financing
Most ADU builders require you to work out your own financing, which can be challenging with ADUs. At Backyard Casitas, we want to help make this easier for you.
ADUs are small structures that can be quick to build and occupy. Conventional banking isn’t set up to be very quick, and the build can be easily completed in 3-6 months. We have partnered with a lender who offers loans based on the appraised value of the property WITH the planned ADU(s) prior to the build. These interest-only payments for 3-6 months can then quickly be transitioned to a conventional bank loan after construction is complete.
While you can work through conventional banking with a Home Equity Line of Credit or a Renovation Loan or a Construction Loan, the overhead for that initial phase can be substantial, just to turn around and refinance in a few brief months.
Local to Tucson Company
Backyard Casitas is a Tucson-based company committed to southern Arizona. With solar, we saw companies like Solar Store and Technicians for Sustainability, both local, be overwhelmed with solar companies who were from elsewhere and in for a quick buck, like a modern-day gold rush. Homeowners suffered with questionable business practices that led to companies closing up shop, and declaring bankruptcy.
Backyard Casitas started here in Tucson to impact the housing crisis in the region, and to create more affordable housing that could be built in our backyards. The founder built two Backyard Casitas in her yard in 2023-24 and knows what it takes, from initial financing to occupancy. She personally knows how hard it can be to navigate the whole process. Backyard Casitas is here in Tucson and is committed to serving Southern Arizona homeowners, and to make jobs for Southern Arizona contractors and service providers.
Our Commitment to You & Our Community
We’re here to make expanding your living space straightforward and stress-free. From your first questions to the final build, we’ll guide the process with clarity and care.
Because we work from a focused set of designs and materials, there’s no guesswork. You’ll know exactly what to expect—and we’ll build it efficiently, without delays or surprises.
Why We Build in Tucson
Backyard Casitas was born from a belief that more people should be able to live, work, and age in place—without leaving the neighborhoods they love.
Tucson is facing a real housing squeeze, and ADU-friendly zoning has opened the door for smarter, smaller housing solutions. We’re here to help local homeowners make the most of that opportunity—with casitas that are energy-efficient, thoughtfully designed, and built right here in Southern Arizona.
