HBA of Spartanburg extends Invitation to HBA of Greenville Members for Three Continuing Education Courses.

The HBA of Spartanburg has extended an invitation to the HBA of Greenville membership to participate in three continuing education courses to be held on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 for a reduced price. Continuing education credits for numerous designations are available.

These three classes are ALL NEW to the Spartanburg HBA:

• Designing Dedicated Home Theatres
• Media and Game Room Design 
• Income Tax Update/Employee vs. Independent Contractor Status. 

For more information or to register for any of these classes, please email jenniferbradey@hbaspartanburg.com or call 864-583-5471.

All classes will be held at the HBA of Spartanburg office, located at 341 East Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302.

Course descriptions:

• “Designing Dedicated Home Theatres”
• Instructor: Greg Olle of Digital Home Tech, LLC
• 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
• Cost: FREE to HBAGS members 
•  $10 to other NAHB members 
•  $25 to non-NAHB members

**1 hour Certified Master Builder/NAHB continuing ed credit, 1.0 AIA CEH, 1.0 CEU AIBD, 0.1 IDCEC CEU, 0.1 NARI CEU

 What is a home theater? This may sound like a simple question, but is it? Participants in this course will come away with a very distinct definition of what a home theater is—and what it isn’t! Discussions will also include basic acoustical physics, common mistakes in design and construction, “points to remember” to achieve a solid, repeatable process, and spatial and usage considerations. This course will provide guidance related to what goes in the room—from equipment, to wall treatments, to lights—and how to analyze common problems associated with home theater design and construction. Additionally, attendees will learn how, when, and why to engage a trained electronic systems contractor (ESC) early in the design and build process.

• “Media and Game Room Design”
• Instructor: Greg Olle of Digital Home Tech, LLC
• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
• Cost: FREE to HBAGS members 
•  $10 to other NAHB members 
•  $25 to non-NAHB members

**1 hour Certified Master Builder/NAHB continuing ed credit, 1.0 AIA CEH, 1.0 CEU AIBD, 0.1 IDCEC CEU, 0.1 NARI CEU

The demand for home entertainment spaces is growing at a rapid pace—don’t be uninformed and left behind! Participants in this course will be educated on the differences between media rooms and game rooms from a usage standpoint as well as specific design characteristics relative to equipment, furnishings, power requirements, ventilation, lighting, and acoustics. Attendees will also walk away with the knowledge of how and when to engage an electronics systems professional in the design and build process, assess common issues related to occupant comfort in media and game rooms and recognize essential timeline for engaging an electronic systems professional in the design and build process.

• “Income Tax Update and Independent Contractor vs. Employee Status”
• Instructors: Bruce Whelchel and Larry Finney of Greene Finney and Horton, CPAs
• 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
• Cost: $25 to HBAGS and other NAHB members
•  $50 to non-NAHB members

**Pending Certified Master Builder accreditation

Be prepared as you head into tax season. Learn tax changes for 2011 and items that are set to expire for 2011, and how they relate to your business. The CPA instructors will review tax best practices including not neglecting Choice of Entity, high audit areas such as your home office, and record keeping. Additionally, they’ll cover the hot button issue of employee status versus independent contractor. You’ll review a case study from the construction industry, common pitfalls, consequences, and when and how to correct the situation in your business.