Hiring someone to do the work will likely cost too much (I would charge a small fortune, it's an incredible amount of work) and doing things as cheaply as possible will bite you in the *** later when you start having issues with your own shoddy work and/or materials.

ACM (Asbestos Containing Material) abatement is a tough one because often you won't know (outside pipe insulation & 8x8 tiles which I can spot and point out with no testing).

Because it's a material fact to them.

The inspections have become so nitpicky over purely cosmetic items there has to be an extra $1-2k per year to keep up with the punch list every 1-2 years.

Find out if it's a problem or if it's just cosmetic.  

And remember, authentic content that reflects your unique perspective and experience will always be more impactful than recycled material.

I'm going off the understanding that you still need to spend 500+ hours in the business to achieve material participation (please correct me if I'm wrong). 

A deposit at the start of a build is normal, this usually pays for materials and labor to get started.

all materials, all labor costs to others, Not you, utilities, interest payments, permits, licenses, auto/truck expenses, tools needed are all deductable. 

I am 70% thru the materials and will likely go back and do a quick review of all materials before siting for the exam.