When you build from the ground up in todays market you are paying top dollar for materials, builder costs, land lots, rates, etc.Log cabins can be tough because most appraisers will only use other log cabins on an appraisal to support value.

I have many out of market/state/country investor clients (and I also do out-of-state investing for my own portfolio) who self-manage their properties which is the best way to maximize cash flow and retain control of your investment.

If so what's the return on the time/material invested? 

You can pay them a competitive interest rate and you will retain full control of the building while you learn about managing rentals.

No Architects in the area have experience with that as it's not common and the local codes I heard can be more stringent than Energy Star.So then do they have to physically meet or can I just send the architectural drawings to the Rater to make changes or add materials?

If you file jointly then a spouse's material participation should count. 

I need $33,500-$40,000 to complete the rehab including cost of permits, labor, and materials.

A property is considered Uninhabitable if "A condition that materially interferes with the tenant's life, health, or safety." 

We do this for all our tenants and have been able to retain all of them here since we bought the building.

We design this properties for the future by making sure we use high quality materials.