I'm thinking about calling local builders and see if they do spec bulding. 

@Anthony SimboliYou can go to ASHI.org and search for a certified one, they passed a battery of tests to become certified and follow a code of ethicsPaul

I'm looking at their specs, but I don't see anything about it even though the wear layer will be a key important factor for durability. 

the only bummer is I can't get any bank there to loan me spec money so we had to do it out of pocket.. if I had bank money my COC returns would be off the charts.. regardless we pushed on.. and now we have almost 10 new constructions built and sold.. 6 rehabs we did in the last year all bought rehabbed and sold with very nice margins..

I am working with a building friend of mine on building two spec homes on two lots in a highly desirable area.

This is sort of a weird question but bear with me......I work for a builder and am also an investor on one of our projects - we do new construction spec builds in higher end areas usually between 1M-2M......we've been sitting with our house a little longer then we expected at this point - we dropped the price 70,000 from the initial listing price and am contemplating our next move if we don't get bites in the next couple weeks....my question is how much of a drop is worthwhile?

Home Depot makes a $40 weed whacker that uses the same 18V battery I have in my power drill, so the frustration associated with maintaining it is minimal.I would second the wood chips, fake grass, and would also throw in pebbles or gravel.  

The contractor will determine scope of repairs (structural and infrastructure plus feasibility) and total costs (hard and soft) given your specs.  

My goal is to have a few flips and or build a couple specs later on (maybe in a few yrs) part-time and on weekends, etc. 

Old slabs are not built to the same specs as new ones, and any garage slab , even a newer one, is not built to be a 'living area'.