Home / Casita plans / 540 sq ft flat-roof

Albuquerque, New Mexico

540 sq ft casita
with a flat parapet roof

Eighteen by thirty, drawn for a specific Albuquerque lot rather than pulled from the city's set. It is the plan the June 2026 quote on this site was written against, so its shell price is the quote itself and not a rate applied to a different size. The trade-off is real: the city's drawings are free and this one's are not, and the permit goes through the structural review a pre-approved plan skips.

A continuous level-top parapet across the full front width hides a single-pitch roof that drains to the rear through metal canales. Reflective elastomeric coating in white or desert tan.

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Tijeras 540 sq ft 30' × 18'

The number

What this plan costs to build.

Every dollar below traces to a line item, anchored to a June 2026 Albuquerque contractor quote instead of a national average. This is the one plan on the site the quote was actually written for: the shell line below is that quote, not the rate applied to a different size. The drawings are a real line here, because the city only publishes its own.

All in, on an easy lot $138,308 Design, permits, construction, and contingency. About $256 per finished square foot.
On a harder lot $159,368 A long utility run, a new sewer connection, a tight gate, a slope, and an old slab to clear. Most lots land between the two.

The five lot questions move this number more than anything else, and a website can't answer them for you. The configurator asks them and reprices as you go.

The plan

What's inside 540 square feet.

  • Living / dining zone, 18' × 15'-6"
  • Sleeping nook, 11' × 13'
  • Full bath, 9' × 5', pocket door
  • Kitchenette, 12' × 2'-6"
  • Laundry and wardrobe buffer, 7' × 3'

Specifications

Plan540 sq ft, flat parapet
DrawingsCustom, stamped for this build
Plan reviewFull structural review
Heated area540 sq ft
Footprint30' × 18'
Sleeps1 sleeping nook
Bathrooms1
Roof styleModern pueblo
Shell rate$165 per sq ft

Permit to keys

How long this takes.

01
Design and site plan

Pick a plan, walk the lot, and get the plot plan and grading drawings drawn against the pre-approved set.

2 to 4 weeks
02
Permit

Site Plan - Administrative review, public notice, then the building permit through ABQ-PLAN. Pre-approved plans skip the structural review that eats most of this window.

4 to 10 weeks
03
Site work and foundation

Clear, trench the utility run, form and pour the monolithic slab.

2 to 3 weeks
04
Frame, dry-in, rough-ins

2×6 walls at 16" on center, roof, windows and doors, then the trades.

4 to 6 weeks
05
Finishes

Insulation, drywall, stucco, cabinets, floors, fixtures, paint.

5 to 7 weeks
06
Inspections and keys

Final inspections, certificate of occupancy, walkthrough.

1 to 2 weeks

Step two runs longer on this plan. The pre-approved set is what lets a permit skip the structural review, and a custom plan does not skip it. Budget the top of that four to ten week range, not the bottom.

City rules

What Albuquerque requires.

These apply to every casita on a residential lot, not just this plan. Check your own parcel on the city zone map before anything else.

750 sq ft maximum650 sq ft inside the Downtown CPO-3 area.
One casita per lotAnd it has to sit behind the rear wall of the main house.
5 foot setbacksSide and rear. Corner lots match the main house street setback.
No taller than the main houseHeight is capped by whatever is already on the lot.
R-A, R-1, R-T, and R-ML zonesCheck your parcel on the city zone map before anything else.
One off-street parking spaceAn existing spare space counts.
25% yard coverage capThe casita cannot cover more than a quarter of the side and rear yard.
Exterior has to match the houseColor has to match or closely resemble the main dwelling.

The other nine

Compare it against the rest.

450 sq ftFlat parapetStudio450 sq ftSingle-pitch metalStudio540 sq ftSingle-pitch metal1 sleeping nook550 sq ftFlat parapet1 sleeping nook550 sq ftSingle-pitch metal1 sleeping nook650 sq ftFlat parapet1 bedroom650 sq ftSingle-pitch metal1 bedroom750 sq ftFlat parapet2 bedrooms750 sq ftSingle-pitch metal2 bedrooms

Price it on your own lot.

Two minutes gets you a number you can take to a lender or a builder.

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