Architect vs. Contractor - Good Cop/Bad Cop

I have a Bachelors degree in Architecture.  Post graduation, I worked in several smaller architecture firms in LA, taking on responsibilities from designer, project manager, CAD Monkey, model builder, to coffee brewer, binder organizer, and phone answerer.  But no matter what I was doing, I didn't mind because whenever someone asked me what I did for a living, I could say, "I work in an architect's office."  And egotistically, I thought that was kinda cool.  I was on the team that created, drew and delivered in built form, people's dreams.
When my husband decided to start his own construction company a few years back, (Libiano Construction, Inc.) I was really excited for him.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and had worked so hard to build his career and it was time to venture out on his own.  At the time, there was a lull in the firm I was working for, so I started reevaluating my own career.  I thought it would be a good experience for me as a future architect-to-be, to learn the ropes about how buildings are actually built.  I thought it would make me a more "well-rounded" designer.  So, I temporarily jumped ship from the architecture side and went to work for the construction side.  Today, I work with and for my husband's company...
Despite the fact that we are really slow these days because the economy blows, I find myself doubting if I made the right decision.  Not because of the husband/wife dynamic.  We work well together for the most part, it's more the architect vs. contractor dynamic that makes me feel... well, weird.  For starters, I feel like I am personally losing my design inspiration and oddly worrying too much about how materials and labor are way too expensive.  This is not what I imagined when I signed up to learn about construction.  I simply wanted to walk around job sites with a tool belt on (like Tim the Tool Man's assistant) and learn how to use a recipro saw.  Not about budgeting nightmares and how clients want everything done yesterday because on HGTV, a house can be built in the time span of one episode.
This is a really pathetic analogy, but lately, now that I have seen and understand both sides of the coin; architects and contractors are kind of like the oil and vinegar in a salad dressing and the client is the salad that brings them together.  You need the ingredients (architects and contractors) to make the dressing (project), but they don't really bend well together.  And a salad just isn't a salad without the dressing.
My biggest issue is that I am a designer at heart.  I love the over-designed details, the expensive materials and the budget disregarding creativity of architecture.  But now that I have a good handle on what goes into getting a building built, I feel for the contractor too.  The architect is often times the "Good Cop" who breathes life into a project, and the contractor is by default the "Bad Cop" who wants to deliver the goods, but has to handle a lot of crap along the way.  I know that there are perfect clients that love both parties, but I have only experienced this scenario play out twice at the most. *  The architect designs the cedar lined closets and the lighting for the house that costs 200K, then the contractor comes in and tells the client how much it all costs.  The client then spirals into a deep depression and the architect has to go back and "re-design", making cuts that are just inconceivable in order to build the perfect house, but necessary because the client only has "X" amount of dollars to sink into his/her dream palace.  Why does this have to happen?
I am a big proponent of Design/Build projects.  Having the contractor on the design team from the very beginning is brilliant so that the budget can be monitored before the design runs too far off the mark.  Furthermore, Design/Build teams by definition, are a group of professionals that get along and respect each other's profession and their ultimate goal as a team is to get the job done right the first time for the benefit of all.  My goal is to get my license ASAP so maybe my husband and I be a Design/Build team.  Why I STILL don't have my license already is another story all together, but I think I am weary of the two sides being like disparate ingredients in dressing.  I want to design again, and build responsibly within the budget.  I want a good balance between the wonderful side of architecture as problem solving and the wonderful side of construction, where everything goes just as planned.  The city approves the plans without any corrections, the inspections are passed on the first go, materials are delivered on time, and the plumber and electrician get along as they run their lines side by side...**

* Note: When the client has oodles of money, it doesn't really matter how much things cost, but there still is the architect/contractor dynamic that has to be addressed.
** Thankfully, we at Libiano Construction, Inc. have had nothing but great experiences with the architects we have worked with so far.  Knock on wood...  This does not mean that we have not had "issues" with our projects, for if there is one thing that I have learned from both architects and contractors; there is no such thing as a "perfect build."  Much like unicorns and pots of gold at the ends of rainbows, it simply does not exist.