Why would he pay someone to do it, if he was already an installer?
Scott, I'd get a pro. Your next best bet is to look at a complete setup that's already been posted on this site. Most of these are very basic System On Off and devices. You appear to want a custom activity setup, but maybe this will be enough to get you started.
You got to work through that or pay someone for their time.
Support Your Local Dealer. Stop Buying From the Online Guy and Ebay.