People ask me this more than anything else: how did we build our own home? The short answer — we planned to GC it ourselves from day one. The longer answer is two full-time jobs, spreadsheets after dinner, and a few years living with my parents to make it happen. Here's what it really looked like.

Finding land is the hardest part of DIY building — and no one warns you. We got ours through pure luck: a farmer selling acreage off-market, after 3 months in my parents' basement with zero luck elsewhere. My husband saw it once, we made an offer, and 20 acres became ours. Here's our story, plus exactly where to look, what questions to ask before you buy, and why you need to be ready to drop everything and drive the second a lead comes in.