In no particular order, here are some random personal observations on the psychological aspects of the build, and other unexpected discoveries:

Building an aircraft, even an extremely simple example such as a Gyrobee, will put you through pretty much every conceivable emotion, from the starry-eyed daydream which starts the project, to the frustration and rage experienced when the fourth attempt at fabricating the same fitting takes a chunk of your skin and your last piece of usable aluminium.

Unless you've done it before, you will almost certainly MASSIVELY underestimate the time involved.

You will find yourself driving some phenomenal distances to obtain obscure parts & services from even more obscure suppliers.

Your aircraft represents the apex of an enormous pyramid. You must painstakingly cut each block of stone, layer by tedious layer, grovelling around on the ground in the hope of one day slipping those surly bonds.

Unless you happen to live by yourself, you will discover that introducing a third element into your relationship requires compromise. You will also need a certain amount of sheer bloody-mindedness.

You may be shocked to discover that the Internet is NOT the real world, and that most valuable discourse around aviation actually takes place off-line.

There comes a point when the initial burst of enthusiasm which got things rolling needs to be replaced by something gruntier. Building an aircraft isn't a destination, and it's not really even a journey: It needs to be a state of mind.

You should read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". I would also recommend Richard Bach's "Gift of Wings", specifically the chapter entitled "Why You Need an Airplane and How to Get One".

You will learn to grit your teeth before peeking at your bank balance.

You will become very well acquainted with the postal system, and unless you happen to live in the US you will also learn a lot about international logistics and customs clearance procedures. And fees.

You may have to be careful not to become an aluminium bore.

You will learn to love working in Imperial units.

If you haven't done much bare-metal engineering before, or been involved with recreational aviation, you will have your faith in human nature restored by the people involved in both these endeavours.

Conversely, you will wonder which rainforest supplied the monkeys employed by large hardware chain outlets.

You will learn patience.

If construction appears to be going incredibly smoothly - you're about to discover the enormous balls-up you just made.

If you're congratulating yourself on getting to bed at a reasonable hour for once - you're about to discover the enormous balls-up you just made.

There is absolutely NOTHING that cannot be fabricated from 1" aluminium angle.