The Compact
from $65,000 in shared-meter cities
Illustrative payment ≈ $455/mo*
- 380 sq ft studio · full bath · real kitchen
- Best for: guests, office, rental, adult kids
- Priced for shared-meter cities like Chandler
Plan your Arizona casita with fewer surprises. Before you commit to anything, know what your property can hold, what it will really cost in your city, and the permit path to get it built — with the price published up front, not hidden behind a sales call.
Straight talk: Modern Casita Builders is a planning & feasibility company — Not a Licensed Contractor. Construction is performed by licensed Arizona contractor partners. How we work →
The Compact — a 380 sq ft studio casita, from $65,000 in shared-meter cities like Chandler.
Most Arizona casita companies publish no prices at all. The few that do start around $69,900–$155,000. Here are ours — with exactly what’s included on the pricing page.
from $65,000 in shared-meter cities
Illustrative payment ≈ $455/mo*
from $149,000 final price after site review
Illustrative payment ≈ $1,042/mo*
from $219,000 final price after site review
Illustrative payment ≈ $1,531/mo*
*Payments are illustrative only: principal & interest at 7.5% over 30 years. Not a loan offer — Modern Casita Builders is not a lender. See Financing. Floor plans are concept layouts, not construction drawings.
Two lots, same casita, different cities — different real cost. The biggest hidden factor is meters: whether your city lets a casita share your home’s utility meters or makes you install new ones.
Chandler requires casitas to share the main home’s utility meters — no separate city water meter. That keeps utility work simple, and it’s exactly the situation The Compact’s from-$65,000 scoped price is built for.
Glendale requires separate meters for a casita — including a separate City of Glendale water meter. That adds real cost to any casita there, whoever builds it. We price it openly after your check instead of burying it.
Also see: Phoenix casita guide · Mesa casita guide. Arizona’s HB 2720 (2024) requires larger Arizona cities to allow backyard casitas on single-family lots — our guides explain what that means on your street.
Send your address. We screen zoning, setbacks, lot fit, and your city’s meter & permit rules.
A site review turns the published starting price into your lot’s actual price — before any contract.
The licensed building partner prepares plans and pulls permits with the city under its own license.
Construction by the licensed partner, inspections by the city, keys to your new backyard home.
Financing math, rent-offset examples, and what a payment could look like — all labeled as illustrations, nothing promised: see the Financing page →
No — and we say so everywhere. Modern Casita Builders is a planning, feasibility, and marketing company. Construction is performed by licensed Arizona contractor partners under their own ROC licenses and contracts. Full licensing page.
It’s a real, scoped starting price for The Compact in shared-meter cities like Chandler, with a published list of what’s included. Separate-meter cities like Glendale cost more — we tell you that before you spend a dollar. Pricing & what’s included.
Nothing. It’s free, and you’ll hear back within 1 business day.
Usually yes for long-term renters, subject to your city’s rules and any HOA restrictions — your feasibility check flags both. Short-term rental rules vary by city.
Free feasibility check. Published prices. Your city’s rules in plain English — and your real number in writing after a site review.