I'm not sure what you're trying to avoid. After the plan is finalized, there is a discussion between the builder and owner about materials and furnishing (e.g.

I'm not sure what you're trying to avoid. After the plan is finalized, there is a discussion between the builder and owner about materials and furnishing (e.g. flooring, countertops, cabinet style, siding, roofing, HVAC, lights, paint, etc). But once those decisions are made, it's (hopefully) off to the races. That's the way it'll be with a budget builder or a luxury builder. The actual construction is what is crucial. All builders and their subcontractors will be in a hurry to get the job done so they can move on to the next job. I expect most are professionals and care about doing a good job, but there are plenty who are OK with a shoddy job. They'll be most likely gone when the problems in their workmanship is done. Hang out in /r/HomeImprovement for a while and you'll see all sorts of contractor fuckups. Getting a good builder and subcontractors is a crap shoot. My wealthy neighbors a few years ago wanted to build their dream/final home. The builder left halfway through. They found a new builder and eventually completed the project but way past the original date. They finally moved in and had to deal with so many issues that it was hurting their marriage. After about a year, they decided to sell the house. The new owners were still dealing with construction issues (for example, the crawlspace wasn't properly waterproofed and had significant water intrusion). If you want to be hands off, buy an existing house and hire a really good inspector to tell you what kind of shape it's in. Some inspectors don't do a very good job either, so...