Sounds great and go for it!!!
Absolutely with the neck this is where you need your luthier to get it spot on, it’s so important, a slightly scruffy body is mojo (that’s what I tell myself with my builds!) but necks have to be spot on.
Templating isn’t pretty easy actually, just get some big sheets of MDF, and make sure you have a dust mask as it’s bike stuff, even pick up and neck pockets are easy to rout, and there are loads of tips for reference points out there, bang me a PM with your email and or number and I’ll share what I have gleaned over time if you are interested.
For all things finish related I have found Dartfords to be about the best company in the U.K. for stuff
Hardware is so personal, but there is a reason Hipshot and Gotoh stand the test of time - I particularly like the Carbon-o-lite series if you fancy splashing the cash!