Kerville7:
for example: "you need to buy arduino uno, then download the arduino code, buy the sensors you need, the switches and the remote control, write the code for the algorithm, etc
Spot on. You could use the Leonardo instead of the Uno if you like it costs less and has a few more I/O pins. You only need a Mega if you need more pins than the Uno or Leonardo has, and it sounds to me that your project doesn't need that many pins (and in any case, there are ways of multiplexing and expanding i/o pins). When you've bought your Arduino, try out the blink-without-delay sketch and then generalise it to blink two LEDs at different rates, e.g. three and five times a second. Then you will have the basics of writing code to do several things at once.
Kerville7:
If there is anyone who is experienced and would like to help (even with per hour payment) dont hesitate to ask me...
Send me a PM if you are interested in the per-hour route. However, I suspect that with your existing knowledge of C++, you can get the advice you need for nothing on this forum.