I also own a Design and Drafting company which specializes in custom homes and additions.

Secondly, I've been looking into a certification/designation.

It's more important for this project to succeed than I can tell you.I know any investor is going to want to see detailed business plans and drawings for the project's design, but I certainly can't afford to hire an architect to draw up a layout.In short, I am in the same position as a man who needs badly to relieve himself and has no pot to catch the stream.

The only way to get equity is to scale back on the rehab which is not doing the buyer any justice at all since this model is designed for a long term hold.  

@Laurie JohnsonEverybody on BP should write their congressmen and senators and tell them how legislation designed as consumer protection has reek havoc of real estate investors trying to sell houses to people who would otherwise not be able to buy a house.Personally I'm too old to go to jail and I don't look good in a monogrammed orange jumpsuit!

Then I asked about a broken picket fence that I could fix to confirm to fix it or not, he answered indirectly which basically meant yeah, I'll do that whether you consent or not.

Additionally, the color approval (and everything else, it seems) is scrutinized and decided by an "environmental control committee" and not the design committee.  

I have a wealth of experience in designing, building, rehab and estimating but know very little about the real estate business itself.

So thank you for confirming that buying makes for sense than renting. 

I suggest you make contact with a CIPS or Certified International Property Specialist, it's a international designation for people that have the knowledge you are looking to find.