How do I get a loan to build a home?

My wife and I are excited about building our own home in hopefully the near future but I have had some questions. What kinds of restrictions or things do I need to be aware of in order to get a new home? Also I don't know if this would affect the loan or our ability to get one but the house is going to be done using alternative building methods specifically a straw bale home. We are thinking we need a loan of about $200,000 to buy the land as well as construct the rest of the house. Do you have any suggestions?