Zeena Carmen Fontanilla

Zeena Fontanilla was born and raised in Maui, has lived all over the island, and boasts a special understanding of its neighborhoods, topography and nature. A tiny house and sustainable living expert who lives an off-grid lifestyle in Kula, she’s passionate about demonstrating and actively educating her community and others about minimal, sustainable and affordable living in Hawai’i. Married to a general contractor and formerly directly involved in his construction business for years, she understands the building and design process intimately—with hands-on experience through the bespoke design and build of her family’s own distinctive 360-sq-ft tiny home. 

Now the backbone of Christopher Barca’s team, Zeena handles marketing, client services and administrative tasks while working toward her real estate license. Her goal as a realtor is to enhance the deep well of knowledge she has of Hawai’i’s local building codes and permitting—laws and regulations she’s thoroughly navigated for years as a land renter, tiny-home dweller and lifestyle blogger—in order to better serve her clients and community. With a background in sustainable science management (she’s a Lahainaluna graduate), Zeena is a rich resource for clients with interests in everything from solar to gardening, composting and grey water usage. 

And as a mom of two young boys, she can easily relate to family needs, budgeting and more. Outside of the office, she’s focused on spreading awareness of Hawai’i’s growing tiny home movement and adding to the resource platform she maintains on Instagram.