Thanks for your concern. I know I'm asking newbie questions, but we all have to start somewhere.
This may, in fact, be beyond my abilities, but I'd like to decide that for myself. If it sounds too difficult for me once I have the facts, I'll hire a pro.
In this case, I think it's more a lack of knowledge than ability. This is a project I'm interested in doing, and I'm willing to do the research to do it right. Maybe someone can recommend a book or a website with tips for beginners?
I'm pretty good at reading and following directions.
I've been building my own computers for 15 years, and I still enjoy doing it. The satisfaction with completing a project on my own has always been more important to me than the warranty I'd get from buying one off of the shelf. This may be a bit different, but I enjoy the challenge of learning something new.