I built an 11'6" last year and it was a really cool experience although as it turns out I was not looking for an 11'6" float rod and it hardly sees action.
I built a st. croix blank, split grip design with pac bay aluminum reel seat, fuji guides, and cheap cork...
My biggest piece of advice is instead of making it flashy, make it practical. The rod I built is beautiful, and I love to look at it but it is far from being the best float rod I have to fish with. The split grip resulted in far too much length behind the reel which kills the available power in the butt of the rod, the cheap cork is too thin and doesn't fit well in my hand.
My worst mistake was getting too anxious, take your time with it and come out with something you really want, vs something that looks real good but doesnt function quite as you hoped.
Dont go cheap on the cork, and also remember that the blank will have a much faster action before it is tied then after.
Good luck!