In the mean time, maximize your house hack. 

=PSo, what exactly does this mean?

So if my bureaucrat-ese is correct that means you can't  use your VA loan as a construction loan.I could be wrong but I talked to a banker the other day about getting a loan to build a duplex to house hack.  

Builder keeps on blaming on suppliers etc, every time there is a new story and hard to updates on delays.

Meaning, if the kitchen has high end finishes...then yours should too.  

As I've been talking to lenders I keep running into an acreage maximum that most seem to have in place.

My cash Refi at 60% LTV would be $105k which would leave 8450 investment in house.... keeping house as is not adding bath is Cash on Cash Return of 7%.3/2 would be...Total investment for this option is $138,450- $2150/monthly or $25,800/annual with all annual expenses totaling $17,344 with positive cash flow of $6652 (70% CoC Return) .My Cash Refi at 60% LTV would be $129k which would leave a $9,450k investment in house.. adding a new bath would be a Cash on Cash Return of 70%. 

Keep calling.  

I got a big jump in my score by keeping all cards under 66%. 

All this means is that you take over the existing mortgage with the same lender but using your credit, income, and assets (the same way as you would obtaining a new mortgage).