its a pain in the ass, if you are really a DIY guy just buy an older house, and dump cash into modernizing the interior. im looking to do that to a old mansion oh LeBrun, add hardwood and nice lighting and stuff… youll save money in the long run. i dont know if youre trying to build from the ground up, but youll still get raped in architect fees, not to mention you need to get the land zoned and get someone from the EPA(?) to check the land. there was a nuclear med tech out in colorado that had the idea to build his house, and he built a $15million place, and found out that there were trace amounts of radium in the soil, so he wasnt allowed to live there… thus went bankrupt