Saving $ building you own homes? What experiences to look out for? (New Braunfels: house, neighborhood)

[fitguru]

Have any of you built your own homes out here and if so what are some of the ways you saved money? Was a contemporary style cheaper than a traditional style? I would love some input. My husband and I are anxiously awaiting our house to sell here near Nashville so we can come home and we are trying to decide on land. Our choices have come down to budget and cost of building. There is an unrestricted neighborhood we are thinking about and could build a contemporary home I think would be a great deal less expensive than a traditional in a restricted neighborhood in New Braunfels. I would love to hear from anyone who has tackled this undertking, pictures would be great as well. We are thinking very open and post and beam construction so that we do not need nay walls except bedrooms and baths, but I also love cottages if we needed to scale down our ideas!
Thanks in advance.

[kevcrawford]

I've met a lot of people that have tried to do this that regretted it at the end, because they ended up spending more money than they would have if they'd hired a builder. The extra money comes from not getting good rates with subs, the building process taking MUCH longer than planned, paying more for materials, things needing to be redone, etc.

If you're going to go that route, I'd recommend talking to companies that help out with that. It'd at least help a bit. I don't really have anything to do with that as a Realtor, but I can pass on the name I know of someone that does.