Creating a Linux distribution and using it on a daily basis requires a LOT of time and knowledge. It is very interesting to do as it teaches you how it works. The hard way. If you are interested, there is a project called LFS (Linux From Scratch) which is a book tutorial explaining the different steps, listing compatible program versions etc. It already makes it a lot easier, while staying quite hard.
I personally prefer Arch Linux, which is a good balance between the two.