If anybody's interested in learning the nitty gritty details of the process of homebuilding, especially with an eye towards what drives costs, I highly recommend Contracting Your Home[1]. If you're a neophyte like me, it's pretty illuminating how much you don't know. All the steps involved, what are the tradeoffs between the major approaches, issues that you might not even consider, and the like.

[1]https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Contracting-Step-Step-...