First - thanks for all the recommendations in this thread :beer1: :beer1:
I'm currently not free for design work, however I'm always available for a quick chat if you're looking for advice.
Wordpress is a hosted CMS and so your site is split between the uploaded files (which are basically the WP core files, and any themes / plugins you add to it) and the content, which is held in the database. It's not straightforward to make a WP site locally and then publish it like you're used to with Dreamweaver (although there are things like XAMPP - www.apachefriends.org - which will let you install a PHP / MySQL server on your Windows PC, but that's not for the light hearted).
I've found a hosted WIP location which is then switched to a the live "www" location is the preferred method if you're new to Wordpress, and if you want to give it a go I could set you up on a subdomain of your main domain (e.g. http://wp-wip.yourdomain.com) and you could safely find your way around that way. If you then wanted to make what you end up with live, it's an easy process to move it to the "www" version...