Hey Anchorite, I'm not sure if it can help, but with the whole issue with that telephone/telegraph, I think they are allowing you to get refunded for character and a new ticket for a new character on CIS. But if you can wait you can properly do a char transfer at a later time. There might be a hit to your skills if your moving from a high skill gain server to a low skill gain server but it wont need you to start over again. In any event I wish you luck. (It could also mean a skill gain if you move from a slow skill gain to a high skill gain)
On a side note, I think you can still power train construction, it just changed the buildings you need to mass produce to level up. I'm not 100% sure but I think they have increased the paving skill gain. Also I hear that using clay tiles on a house increases construction quite well. But it requires you to do material prep or get someone else to make them for you.