Honestly, skipping straight to the top tier korean customs like the Lightsaver is the way to go. You end up wasting a lot less money 
agreed, but OP will need to learn more about what the assembly process entails before he can put it together. took me a decent chunk of time learning about keycaps, switches, springs/stabilizers, all that good stuff. what switches did your coworker have? there's an ongoing Gateron GB winding down, consider grabbing 100x for your kool kustom board. they're supposedly the best thing since sliced bread, and i can't wait to get my batch
hope you enjoy your stay!