If you are sure about your requirements from a custom home, then working with the builder would become a lot easier. You should be decisive enough during every phase of the project. You need to be upfront with your builder about your expectations. Particularly, you need to clearly discuss the details regarding the budget and the deadlines of the project. There are builders who overshoot the budget unnecessarily. I have heard this happen more often in custom home projects. It is common knowledge that builders exceed deadlines and it is a lot more common when it comes to custom home building. Hence, you need to talk and make it clear with the builder that these two things are non-negotiable.
A custom home project can be a stressful experience for you as a homeowner. The stress can compound if you do not hire the right professionals to do the job. Of course, since a custom home project is a big financial investment, stress cannot be fully avoided. But, with a good custom home builder, you can minimise it to a great extent.