Are there investors here in Texas that have utilized and would recommend banks they hold series LLC accounts with? 

It may create a problem for you later if your bank discovers the account is owned by an LLC that no longer exists.

But basically with a construction loan you will need to have considerable cash involved - most costs need to be paid for and then the bank will reimburse at certain checkpoints.You may want to start with some smaller value adds inside the existing house to maximize rent from the house hack. 

Someone trying to earn 4-5% return they could get from a bank cd?

I am also a lender, with Chase Bank, but want to expand my knowledge on hard money and private financing options.

I don't want to see you bank on having multiple un-related renters and have your plan fall through in the first few days. 

I used a hard money loan for the bulk of it because, let’s be real, no bank was touching this place with a ten-foot pole.

The real property investment can be repositioned if it proves disappointing in its original form; it can be refinanced or recapitalized if it has too much or too e pensive debt; inflation over time bales out many bad purchases, and finally the investors knowledge, experience and abilities can be leveraged to turn around a cash flow negative property.I’ll provide an exampleThree years ago we purchased a note from a bank secured by two auto repair facilities with a large amount of excess land.  

It's in a rural town so I'm also worried that demand might not be as high as in more densely populated areas.I'm planning to call local banks this week to understand financing options and contact some contractors who might be interested in building additional units. 

I host meetups and would be happy to connect you with the right people to guide you through that 1031 process.