Replacing an existing site with a WordPress site

When it’s completed, I’d like to replace my existing website (http://www.davesink.com) with a WordPress site. The way I’m doing it now, I put all the WordPress folders/files in a “blog” subfolder of my existing site with no link to it so I can view and edit it while my current site is still active. I’m not sure if this is the right way to go about it though. When the time comes to replace the current site, do I need to rename the WordPress homepage “index” and relink my pages to that? I’m very new to WordPress and have just the slightest knowledge of website building in general but I’d like to learn what I can myself instead of simply handing it off to someone else. Thanks for any help.