Obviously they would have to have borders in place but I think build mode would be sooooooooo much better if it placed us in a free camera mode.

Yes times a million, i keep falling off stuff or get stuck trying to line things up

a separate camera mode for building would make settlement building a lot easier and less of a frustration

100% Not sure why they decided to do what they did. I think they were trying to make it feel as if you were making these things with your hands.

I imagine we'd need a "toggle roofs button" similar to building things in the Sims.

+1

And the option to turn off clipping, being able to place stuff through terrain, being able to copy items or selection of items.

Farcrys map editor basically.

Oh my god yes

A huge Yes to this idea, as to copying game items as mini clamp said that has been done in previous Beth Games (with mods) so it is possible, just needs the right script writer to make it and maybe a polite request to previous authors to use the idea in FO4.

Definitely. Trying to put roofs on a building while look up at it is not very easy.

My main problem with the current model is I end up building walls that veer off the straight path

Im on console and personally, the fact you cant clip buildable objects into pre-established ones annoy me;
Hangmans alley is the perfect example. Try putting stuff in the exact same place it was - you cant.
It makes for very messy walls upclose.. But i guess thats the wasteland.

The fundamental issue with build mode is that the items snap together in very specific ways that simply don't cover a lot of things that would seem perfectly reasonable build ideas. For example, you can't make a house with a veranda out front, because the wall piece that has a door in it will only go on the edge of a floor plate, never in the middle of one. Also existing objects in the environment, and uneven ground that you can't influence at all will consistently screw up what you want to build.