Building a custom home in the Catalina Foothills
The Foothills offers some of Tucson's best views, and some of its hardest lots. Slopes, rock outcrops, saguaros and washes are part of the appeal and part of the challenge. The Catalina Foothills is unincorporated Pima County, so your permit comes from Pima County Development Services, not the City of Tucson. That puts the county's land rules at the center of any new home here.
Hillside development
Pima County's hillside development chapter applies to any lot with slopes of 15% or more that run longer than 50 feet horizontally and rise more than 7.5 feet. Its stated aims are to fit development to the slope, keep grading to a minimum, restore graded areas, protect natural drainage and limit erosion. In practice, that shapes where the pad goes, how the driveway climbs and how much retaining is needed. On a hillside lot, the design and the site work have to be solved together.
Native plants
The county's native plant preservation rules apply when grading reaches 14,000 sq ft or a grading plan is required, with exemptions for some existing lots. Where they apply, protected plants are inventoried and a preservation plan is approved before permits are issued. A design that keeps the footprint and driveway tight can reduce how much has to be salvaged or replaced.
Washes and drainage
Many Foothills lots are crossed by washes that run hard during monsoon storms. Nearly any structure in a regulatory floodplain or erosion hazard area needs a Floodplain Use Permit from the county's Regional Flood Control District before construction. We check the county flood maps at the start, because a setback from a wash can move the whole house.
Design for heat, light and views
Foothills homes tend to be about the view south over the city or north to the mountains. That means big openings, deep overhangs and careful roof design. Flat roofs with parapets are common here and need proper drainage and coatings. Concrete tile and metal age differently in the sun. We build in masonry block or wood frame with stucco, and our own crew handles the framing, structural work, stucco and roofing. Large openings often mean steel or engineered beams, which is structural work we do every week.
Replacing an older Foothills home
Some of the best Foothills lots already have a house on them, often built decades ago and showing it in the roof, stucco and layout. Owners weigh a major remodel against starting over. A remodel keeps an existing footprint and may keep work inside what's already been graded. A new home lets you fix orientation, ceiling heights and energy performance from the ground up, but brings the full set of county reviews. We can walk the existing house with you, look at the structure and roof, and price both directions honestly. See our home remodeling page for the other side of that decision.
A guest house with the home
Pima County allows one guest house per lot, which may have a kitchen, shares the main driveway and can't have its own meter. On a sloped lot, designing it with the main house usually saves grading and utility runs. See our Catalina Foothills casita page.
How we build your Foothills home
- Consultation and site walk. Slope, washes, access, utilities, views and what you want from the home.
- Plans review. We review your architect's drawings or talk through design next steps, including how the home sits on the slope.
- Written estimate. A clear scope, with site work, retaining and utilities spelled out.
- Approvals. County building permit, plus hillside, native plant and floodplain items where they apply.
- Build. One licensed contractor (AZ ROC #344537) from foundation to finishes, including custom cabinets and bathrooms.
- Inspections and handover. For a single-family home, the county's final inspection approval serves as the certificate of occupancy. We walk the finished home with you.
For budget context, see our custom home cost guide and the custom home building process. More on our Foothills work is on the Catalina Foothills contractor page.