Yeah, well, I find that it's high time I start over. In my last game I cheated my way to every available perks (once they're available in-game), and now the game doesn't feel right anymore (cheated 10 intense trainings). I want to experience New Vegas The Way It's Meant To Be Played.

So! Back on topic, here's the character I want to make:

• Female, hardcoe mode.
  
• Will have Small Frame and Skilled traits.
  
• Primarily focuses on rifles and muskets
  
• Will not take Quick Draw (mostly to avoid the "weapon in you" bug. I hate it)
  
• Will take Weapon Handling
  
• Will have high repair for Jury Rigging. Survival only as high as Pack Rat needs
  
• Will avoid angering people and try to talk her way out of trouble if possible
  
• Smart but not trivia master. Charismatic, quite agile and pretty perceptive, but not suited for physical work. Luck follows the rest.
  
• Mostly travels in Light Armor, but will switch to Medium Armor for medium/major battles. Especially Desert/Veteran Ranger.
  
• Sides with NCR (again) but will try to see what's best for the community. Truth be told, up until this point I've never finished the game. This is the 6th attempt.
  
• Will be quite versed in explosives, mostly to lay traps around sniping point.

Now, questions:

• What's the recommended starting SPECIAL? I'm going to use ED-E for quite some time. I've never used Rex so I wanna try him out for a while.
  
• What's the minimum Strength needed to effectively handle Anti Materiel Rifle? I'll take Weapon Handling btw. I want to focus what points I have for other stats
  
• How high should Explosives be? Should I take Hit the Deck?
  
• Should I take Educated/Comprehension?
  
• Should I take Fast Shot/Trigger Discipline? If so, which one, and should I switch it with Skilled or Small Frame?
  
• Should I improve my medicine? If so, to how much?
  
• What's the companion best suited for me? Was thinking of Boone (Spotter, obviously) but then again, I thought that since I'm already a ranged type, might as well get someone who can do something once the enemies are close (or we're in interior).
  
• Since I'm going to spread some explosives around my sniping camp, is a companion even safe?

And last (and pretty much the least). Any of you have a recommended Player House mod? All this time I've been using Novac hotel for my house, but for some reason (maybe because I have 6 companions with me at a time) Novac lags pretty bad.
I just want a house with enough containers to split my loot in categories, I don't need special features like "build your own home" or "awesomesauce stuff", etc (though I wouldn't mind, it's just that they're secondary). I usually split my loot into these:

• Weapons (any weapon)
  
• Armors
  
• Clothes
  
• Ammo (including case both bullets and energy cells)
  
• Valuables (unique items, money, etc)
  
• Food and Drinks (in the fridge)
  
• Medicine (chems, medkit)
  
• Misc (loot that doesn't really do anything)

Any input will be greatly appreciated!