Frameworks are great when you got a team of developers working on the same project. The MVC controller integrates the designer + programmer beautifully. However, creating "framework-like" elements and "reinventing" the wheel isn't such a bad idea. If you're working on a huge project, it's better to get down and dirty with your code and customize EVERYTHING to fit your needs. It'll become a stronger product as it will be developed entirely for the project.
