Tim,
Welcome!! Planning to build a stripper? The very fact that you can form and type intelligent sentences already tells me that you have half of the required skills. And from the sounds of it, you have the use of some of your limbs, that's the other half of the requirements.
As far as waiting to start a canoe until you complete some home projects...don't wait!
The key to successful home ownership is to have as many unfinished projects as possible. If you accidentally finish one, start two more!!
Any home project (well, almost) can wait until you get a boat done.
As far as design, pick a simple hull from J Winters or David Yost. You didn't mention if you're planning a solo or tandem build, but either way, your first build will likely not be your last. You can use the first build as practice, not just the building skills part, but also as a way to feel out what you want in a canoe.
For the cost of a single, modern, quality canoe, you can build 4 or 5 boats. Maybe you will.
There's quite a group of us here, and while we don't all agree on specific techniques, we all do believe there's no better way to get a quality boat.