When you have questions arising from the material, post on the forum. 

I'm driven and want to suck up all the possible knowledge.

I am guessing that it is because they can't make enough profit due to rising costs of land, labor, and materials. 

The bad thing with this is that material costs and home prices normally increase, but the policy coverage will only decrease.  

Plus, price varies vastly on materials used.

There are several podcasts that discuss the color, types of material, etc.Ultimately though, don't just stick with one thing.

Insurable value is what it would take to rebuild your home in the case of a catastrophic event with regards to Material, Labor, and resources.

I've put one out before, so even though these projects are way out of my league, I'm gaining experience and knowledge of what the city wants, and I'm naive or driven enough to keep working them.  

We made payments for various materials, labor for different parts, and so on. 

@Lane Kawaoka I agree about living the dream- although I suspect that the more you move into purpose driven "professions" the more satisfied people there are.