Hi......
.......Lawrence and welcome aboard. The "spirit" of the regs mandate that an experimental be homebuilt for education and experience/enjoyment. If the previous builders were amateur builders and not fabricators for hire, the spirit of the law is upheld. Many airplanes are built by several helpers/builders. My buddy's -4 was on the gear and complete from the firewall back, including a fitted and mounted canopy, when he bought it. We just documented what he did thereafter and passed without question and he also has the Repairman cert.
Regards,