Woah now, let's look a the other side of this thing a minute!
i don't play banjo and I've never been to Chicago, but I was that kid! a couple years ago, I took the notion into my head that I wanted to learn to play a mountain dulcimer and i wanted to build it myself; no kit, no plans, no experience, (None,) just from scratch.
money was a very tight commodity and tools pretty scarce too, but time was free and off I went. i got the book from the library and renewed it about five times (you can renew books from the library, you know,) The librarians thought i was crazy.
i went to the lumberyard and asked for the wood. they asked what i was doing and what my budget was, then told me i was crazy.
i went home and did some research. i happened to have a fine piece of topwood laying forgotten as scrap under my porch, and enough walnut tonewood in a corner of my basement to do the trick. the people i asked about it told me i was crazy.
i went to the music store and asked for "the metal parts" just like the kid. the builders thought i was crazy, but they sold me the parts and sent me on my way.
i spent every spare second of my summer in the basement, with my tools and my little book, making noise and dust, but no music. my FAMILY thought i was crazy. (that one actually hurt!)
i have been playing a beautiful little walnut, redwood, mahogany, and ebony, three octave Appalachian dulcimer, with a sweet, deep, bell like tone and astonishing sustain, for the better part of two years now and twenty bucks. but the best part is, when i show people the product and tell them the story of its birth, they still think i'm crazy.

I don't mean to brag on myself like this. all i hope to do is serve as living proof of some advice:

Don't listen to people who think you're crazy.

Don't be to proud to dig up free plans or reverse engineer your own.

Use the best material you can get your hands on/afford, but don't think eleite's the only way to go; a world famous violin was made by a little impoverished chinese dude with stolen junkyard palettes and a lot of love. it's no excuse.

Don't listen to people who think you're crazy.

Don't bother with kits. you are capable of doing better, cheaper, yourself.

Respect the "Old Farts". they've forgotten more than you will ever know, and if you don't swallow your pride and ask, it will stay that way. i hope to become one myself someday.

Ask dumb questions and smile. they'll laugh, but they'll tell you in the end.

Don't fall for "I'm not an expert" syndrome. the pro's weren't either when they were you.

For heavens sakes, if you're scared of "glue under your fingernails", forget it and go home.

Don't listen to people who think you're crazy.

Hope this helps set anyone curious about an attempt straight. now get out there and build that thing!