While I haven't built a house, I have built a few smaller structures (3 astronomical observatories, several sheds and gazebos, decks). My main advice would be to give the permitting process a lot of attention before starting. You might be required (or better off) to design the whole thing before starting. To me, it seems easier to build and design in stages, like building the whole outer structure with only a rough idea about where everything else will go, then filling in the details when you get to that point. But each stage might require a new permit, since it wasn't mentioned in the previous one. And this can add a lot of time and delays into the project.