Thanks guys, excellent advice.
I have moved since I had the gaskets done the first time so going back to the first mechanic isn't an option. All I know about the guy I went to the other day is he specializes in European cars.
What steps should I take to protect the engine while I have the valve covers off? I don't have access to an enclosed space to leave it; just my carport. Is closing the hood enough to keep the engine safe?
You can do this yourself and you will save a ton of money!. I did this last year and documented it in a post with plenty of pictures, descriptions and torque values.
It wasn't hard, it was just time consuming. Like pizzaguy said, if you're going to do it do it right. Be careful with the coil pack plugs, they are fragile and may break. No big deal, they are available and easy to replace.
Here's a link to my post, there are 3 parts do to picture limitations:
LINK: Valve covers, breather covers, and spark plugs