There are some builders that don't require progress payments, but not sure if that style of house suits you. I'll PM you the one I know of if you like

We sold our first house and rented while we built this house, so slightly different scenario. It was hard toward the end, especially when the loan was 85% drawn over the Christmas break period (grrrrr!) but we managed to knuckle down and save heaps before the first progress payment was needed and that kind of kept us above water. The excitement of the new house actually made us determined to stick to a really strict budget (and have no life lol) for the 8 months while we built. If you can do without, it will be worth it!