Russ, don't give up so easily mate! I build my own but get my LBS to do the final tensioning and trueing as he does it for anfiver a wheel.
Best thing is to strip one down, clean it up then re-build by copying the one that's built up. Remember to lace the spokes you push into the centre of the hub from the outside first and then the other set afterwards - just follow the instructions. When it's done just strip the other one and re-do it by copying the one you previously built.
Easy...... ;-)