The budget is not very high. 1000-2000$ really. This is something I was planning on working on for the next year or so. Going at it slowly to spread the cost out.
As the client are you talking something like this?
Thin Clients - comparison results Small & Medium Business - HP
What kind of server do I need for a setup like that? Is it something I can build out of a normal PC or do I need special hardware for it.