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You don't need a lot of equipment to build a rod.
You can make a support out of scrap lumber, furniture casters, or even a wooden box. You can make a tension device out of a book. You turn the rod by hand (millions of rods have been built this way). The guide layouts are not difficult after a little research on the internet (or he could just copy a layout from a similar length rod).
A rainshadow blank, although a decent rod, is nothing special. A professional will need to charge you labor to strip the rod (and refinish it if he is concerned about putting out high quality work with his name attached) as well as rewrap it and provide the materials. Doing it yourself , if function is the priority, you can ignore the cosmetic bit (i.e., being able to see where the old wraps were).
There is another cheaper option. If he swaps braid for fused Fireline 20# (the waxy black stuff) the rod will probably cast and fish fine.
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