CodeIgniter suitable for my project?

[eluser]Rok Biderman[/eluser]
Honestly, if you aim to use Codeigniter for a single project and don't know any php it will be painful, inefficient as well as unpredictable timewise (I suppose you're on a deadline). Not trying to scare you away, I encourage anyone to try it, because it's a fine tool, but it has requirements.

Codeigniter isn't really a suitable starting tool for php development, much the opposite, really, since you are expected to know php, as well as understand OO and MVC principles pretty thoroughly. You seem to have a skillset that works for you at the moment, I suggest you stick with it and try Codeigniter (or pure php for starters) on your own pet project with no time/client/feature constraints.

Maybe it will help in decision if I show you a couple of threads with similar questions:
Learning Codeigniter
How to get started