part 1. Getting started with custom-home building: The custom-home process in a nutshell ; Preparing for the process ; The land grab : selecting the perfect site ; Defining your house style -- part 2. Assembling your team: Architects and design : time spent is money saved ; Engineers and city folk : approval bureaucracy made somewhat easy ; All the king's men : the contractor and their cohorts -- part 3. All you need is dough : financing your custom home: Cash is king : borrowing to your advantage ; Knowledge is power : what you don't know about construction loads can hurt you ; Qualifying : it's the bank's way or the highway ; Show me the money : flowing cash through the project -- part 4. Hammers and nails : overseeing the construction process: Excavation and foundation : getting a solid start ; Framing and rough : so much goes behind those walls! ; Heading for the finish : the devil's in the details -- part 5. All the after stuff: Making a house a home : moving in, furnishing, and using smart tech ; Taking it outside : the art of landscaping and hardscaping ; Making your nest egg financially sound -- part 6. The part of tens: Ten common custom-home mistakes and how to avoid them ; Ten great ways to lower construction costs ; Ten common stuck-in-the-middle problems and their fixes ; Ten ways to build sustainably ; Ten helpful custom-home resources.