Thanks @bernhard, I'm digging into module creation as we speak. I've been lurking the forums here for a minute and soaking up all the useful tidbits I can to be sure.
As far as front end flexibility goes, the way it works now is all the content sections are templated and language translatable ( template can be switched in admin ). Most sections are set up as blocks to be placed wherever you need. Of course there will be quite a few changes which will be made to bring it into line with PW and hopefully be attractive to most audiences.
Thanks for the offer to help, if I decide to go the open route I will surely give you a shout ?