City/Automarket editor John K. White and his wife are custom-building a new home from the ground up.

This column will document their progress throughout the project, offering tips on avoiding pitfalls, and insight into the custom-building process right up until possession day in the summer.

My wife, Rosanne, wanted to ask directions.

As a typical male, this went against my every instinct. Much like the compulsion to switch channels before knowing what's on, and the need for baseball players to adjust their "boys" between every pitch, I was determined to find our way without aid.

Despite the fact that we'd been driving for quite some time deep inside the heart of East St. Paul, we were no closer to our destination -- the coveted show homes at Pritchard Farm Properties.

Stubbornly, I persisted. I knew we had taken a wrong turn, but I was confident that blind, stupid luck would come through and save my ignorant butt.

As luck would have it, we found ourselves on a street we'd never heard of.

I realized I was beaten. I turned to suggest we ask directions. Although it was getting dark, and Rosanne's patience was wearing thin, all was not lost.

It was then that I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a simple white and green "Private Sale" sign.

We had been looking for a building lot for months. We'd looked inside the city, outside the city ... I'd even started looking in other cities, but nothing fit our needs.

And here it was, a glorious tree-filled plot of land, untouched by human hands (except for the grass clippings, food wrappers, and assorted construction debris scattered about).

We'd wondered why we'd never heard of this slice of heaven. I had been obsessive and compulsive in scouring the Comfree magazine, the Real Estate Guide, every conceivable Web site search involving real estate, and this one had never shown up on radar.

In a panic, we scrambled for our cellphone. I hastily dialed the number and spoke with the owner. I cut to the chase.

"How much?"

He told me the price, paused, and added "firm."

I swallowed hard and thanked him for his time. Apparently heaven wouldn't come cheap.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Although we spent a frustrating year and a half after that searching to find a lot half as beautiful for about half the price, we were skunked.

After nagging Rosanne about my desire to get our dream house project going again, she let out a sigh, and suggested we call back "that guy, with that lot ... you know."

Funny thing was, I did know.

I called him. He sounded changed. It seems the sands of time eroded his resolve to stay firm on the price. While our exhaustive search made us realize we would have to pay more for the perfect lot, the owner of the lot may have realized this might be his only shot.

We made an aggressive offer, and he considered it and quickly called back. We ended up meeting half way that very night, and the deed was done.

The moral of this story? Know what you want before you begin. Carefully research the market -- and make sure you have a realtor scanning the new MLS listings for you, or your utopia will be sold before you even knew it existed.

If you're looking for a lot that offers more than the standard 50' x 100', and extras like trees, a river view, or seclusion, you'll have to work hard.

Because Winnipeg's new-home market is tight, and few new lots are released without fanfare, you'll need every advantage.

Make sure to find out what, if any, services come with the lot. The last thing you need to find out, after dropping $50,000 or more, is that it doesn't have a phone hook-up.

You also have to consider whether you want to have a well and septic field, versus sewer and water service. Obviously, services come with a price, so the choice is yours.

If all else fails, go for a drive, and leave the map at home.