DOES executive experience, or GENERAL experience matter?

Forgive the length of this question, but I want to make sure everyone understands the question. I'd also like to know not just WHO you'd hire, but WHY. JUSTIFY you answer, please.

Picture this. You're building a 7,500 sq.ft. custom home. It is going to cost you 1/2 a MILLION dollars, and is going to house your entire home. You and your spouse, your children and grandchildren, and has a pair of 2,500 sq.ft. inlaw suites for yours and your spouse's parents. AND, don't forget the family pet. Now, after weeding through the chaff, you have whittled down your choices for a home builder down to two choices. One, is an old guy, who's been in business for 40 years. The other is a relative newcomer, who is young, hip, inspiring, and has a lot of really novel ideas for decorations and a flair for design. The old guy, is surrounded by a staff of loyal supporters who have helped him build fine homes for royalty and dignitaries the world over, is one of the world's most celebrated designers and archetects, and has established one of the world's most highly respected construction companies, utilizing time proven techniques combined with groundbreaking new technologies. While the other guy, though younger, with a definate flare for the dramaitc, with grand,sweeping entrances and can draw a really pretty picture, only has experience in hiring a couple decent crews for assembling some decks, playground equipment, and has organized the construction of a few habitat for humanity houses. Since graduating college with a degree in something or other, with a minor in construction engineering, he's not even built a deck onto his own house with his own tools and knowledge. Yet the old guy, has not only built magnificient homes for decades, he has gone into urban areas and saved condemned buildings, built multi cultural and multi ethnic housing and gathering places, and has worked with a group of fine craftsmen to save buildings that were on the verge of falling, full of people, showing great heroic prowess and the ability to operate under the highest degree of stress imaginable. While it can be said that either man is competent for the job, it can also be said that one has earned the right to do the job, and proven his ability through experience and hands on knowledge of the job at hand. And the other guy, while he may posess the knowledge to do the job, may not, because he is a virtual unknown entity, with questionable knowledge and experience, because he hasn't HAD the experience and hasn't had the opportunities to prove himself in this arena. And while I'd not take away his education or his desire and drive, nor would I just overlook his design ideas out of hand, I WOULD greatly suspect his abilities to actually oversee a project of this magnitude. After all, my ENTIRE extended family is going to reside in this home, and I intend to leave it to my heirs one day. I know which guy I'm going to hire for the job already. Which guy would YOU hire for the job if you had it to do? Because people, you DO have the job to do, and the responsibility to hire the right guy. You had better get it right. You have to live in that house. So tell me....Who are you going to hire? The flashy new guy with a lot of un-proven ideas, or the experienced hero in the field, who while traditional, uses leading edge technology to give the house the best that there is to give. Not to mention, the old guy has recently hired the best interior decorator on the PLANET to complement him, while the young guy, for all of his forward thinking, recently hired an old fashioned decorator who hasn't had an original idea since the 1970's, and decorates in the style of 1970-80's Soviet bloc. Who would you hire for this job???