It seems there are 2 main reasons people turn to DIY. The first is for performance. They typically have a production board (not always) and have outgrown its capabilities. They want more speed, more range, more torque, better aesthetics, etc etc. The other reason people turn to DIY is cost savings. They think that they will be able to save some coin by building their own instead of spending the money on a prebuilt.
In my opinion, one of these reasons is valid and one is not. If you are looking for performance, then drive on! If you are just looking to save a few bucks by building your own board… I hate to say it, but it probably just won’t happen. Not to say that this is always the case, but more often than not, it is. The amount of time and necessary tools alone precludes many from actually seeing cost savings in going the DIY route. By the time you get all of the necessary tools and small unaccounted for parts, a build is typically pretty damn expensive. Even cheaper builds.