Meet the founder
Co-Founder & Owner, KC KREW · Scottsdale, Arizona
Karla has more than 20 years of construction experience in the field. She co-founded KC KREW in 2017 and is the qualifying party on its Arizona contractor license, ROC 322645.
Karla was doing construction work on her own for a few years before KC KREW had a name. In 2017, after Crystal Lucero finished her business degree, the two of them formally started the company. As Karla puts it in the founders video: "Once Crystal finished her business degree, we decided it was time to make something out of it. And merge our experiences and our teachings together." The name comes from the two of them: K for Karla, C for Crystal.
You can look up the license with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
"One of the big things with our designs is the home should serve the purpose of where it's at, the climate, and the people living in it, and not the other way around."
"The pre-construction phase, it's very important. It's a big, big, big part of what the actual build process will be like."
"It varies 100% based on the kitchen layout and what the needs are."
"Unfortunately, my permitting process alone on something that size would probably be $50,000."
On a request for a five-bedroom casita with a $50,000 budget.
Quotes are from Karla's videos on the KC KREW YouTube channel.
"Karla communicated daily what to expect the next day and addressed our questions and concerns in a timely manner."
"When problems came up and they do in a remodel of this size Karla was so calm and took care of everything."
"Karla was very detail oriented and I appreciated her organization."
"Karla kept the project under my budget even the scope of my project was changed a little."
September 5, 2026
A full kitchen renovation in Scottsdale and Phoenix usually runs $100,000 to $200,000. Here is what drives the cost and where budgets surprise homeowners.
August 28, 2026
No post in the corner. No column. The roof just floats. Here's how a cantilevered corner actually works, why it has to be planned early, and why you'll never see it once the drywall goes up.
August 17, 2026
A stop work order, an after-the-fact permit, an investigation fee, and opening up finished work so an inspector can see it. Here is how that plays out in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, and unincorporated Maricopa County.
August 14, 2026
A real Scottsdale casita with a living space, kitchen, full bath, and 160 sq ft bedroom cost $400,000 to build. Here is an honest breakdown of where that money goes and why every project is different.
August 7, 2026
A homeowner asked us to build a five bedroom casita for $50,000. Here is the honest math on why permitting alone would eat that budget, and what you can actually build instead.
August 1, 2026
A walkthrough of the concept for an upcoming kitchen: double islands at different sizes, partial waterfall ends, a walk-in U shaped bar with hidden appliances, and corner windows with no post.
July 23, 2026
A 26-foot span of 12-foot-tall sliding glass panels, each weighing around 800 pounds, is how this custom home connects indoor and outdoor living without giving up comfort.
July 17, 2026
Most contractors skip straight from a rough square-foot number to a signed contract. Here is why we spend real time in pre-construction first, and what it saves you in dollars, decisions, and surprises later.
July 8, 2026
This casita is 500 square feet today—one bedroom, one bath, and a small living space. Here is how we double it to 1,000 square feet by adding a kitchen, laundry, and a second bedroom with its own bathroom, all wrapped around a shaded courtyard.
July 4, 2026
A standard ceiling-mounted garage opener would not fit around an original structural beam we could not remove, so we switched to a side-mount jackshaft opener and ran a new electrical circuit to make it work.
June 27, 2026
A side mount garage door motor eliminates the center rail and ceiling motor, opens up head space for taller vehicles, and makes the whole garage feel cleaner and more usable. Here's why we spec it on most of our custom homes.
June 19, 2026
What it actually costs to convert a Phoenix carport into a full two-car garage, what you get for the money, and the one detail that keeps it from looking like an afterthought.
June 11, 2026
If your island has the width for it, the back side is some of the most useful storage in the whole kitchen. Here is how we think about it on every build.
June 5, 2026
Footings are the part of an addition nobody sees, but they decide whether the whole thing holds up. Here is what we actually had to do, and why it matters.
May 22, 2026
A same-layout refresh and a full primary gut are two different projects with two different numbers. The gap is mostly plumbing relocation, tile complexity, and glass.
May 21, 2026
Most companies make you jump through hoops just to get a casita price. Here is what actually drives the cost in Arizona, and how to get a quote without the sales pitch.
May 8, 2026
Yes, and people do it every year in the Valley. It is less common here because Arizona footings do not need to go deep, so every foot of excavation is an added cost rather than a byproduct of the foundation.
Whether you're planning a renovation, addition, or custom home, we'd love to learn more about your vision.
