What are some unexpected things that you discovered that you did not know existed before your started building?

(1) The serious lack of existing housing stock that is both beautiful and logical. That, in essence, is what started the whole journey for me.

(2) Good talent is frustratingly rare. The homework in doing due diligence takes me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I feel like I'm learning a ton of stuff all the time, and if I wait until I know enough, I'll never get started.

(3) How much I didn't know that I didn't know.

(4) That I will likely never be free of #3.

Money does not equal taste, although those who have money assume they have both.

I'll stand by my copy's of Tracy Kidder's House and Betty Wason's "It Takes Jack to Build a House."

well it's hard to add something new to what Mark and One Devoted Dame said..:) besides discovering I know nothing, nothing as in "zero". I think I understood that the more specific, in terms of style, your build is, the more limited is choice of materials out there, and you have to spend much more time on finding things that'll work, or/and much more money on them.

Our house is Spanish Ranch (not as great as real old Spanish Ranch, but attempting to be one)

Spanish style is not something not related to Southern California where we live currently..it was one of the first, if not the very first, styles to appear here at all, as missionaries made their way from Mexico up North..yet our GC told me several times, with some desperation in his voice:

-I've never built such a house before..

It was one of the reasons he wanted the job in the first place btw. To do something different. The house itself is relatively small, and in comparison to his other clients we were definitely "budget ones", so we didn't make his weather so to say.

But it strangely proved to be harder

something non-standard-less choice-options are often custom-long wait time..etc, etc

it's great to have some specific limitations by the way, theoretically..you have your idea already there..your blank canvas is not so blank, it's prepared for the painting

yet its hard to get right paints and brushes..:)

Well, I actually built my own house, mostly single-handed, and yes, it does take courage. It's a huge job for one old man. Everything takes longer and costs more than you think it will. You will experience all-time record heat, cold, rain, drought, snow, and plagues of locusts. The work of sub-contractors will rarely meet your expectations. It was one of the best experiences of my life, though.

Exciting and fun though it may be creating a unique living space from a hole in the ground, there are much better ways of making money in the real estate investment game.

(I found Kidder's book a well-written bore. But, then, I was busy building houses rather than analyzing and allegorizing the meaning of their creation.)