Since each East-West TeaHouse is built to order, we don't
typically keep fully pre-fabricated TeaHouses standing by and
waiting, "on the shelf."
Instead, after you have settled on what you want, we will create an
individual and unique TeaHouse just for you — one that best
captures and reflects your exact needs, tastes, preferences and specifications.
To help you anticipate and plan ahead, and to help us better coordinate
and fit with your own schedule and timing, please scroll down —
or follow these links — for more information on:
Scheduling — Lead Time on
Building Your TeaHouse, Meeting Your Schedule
Planning Ahead — Site
Preparation, Shipping/Delivery/Pick Up, Assembly & Installation
Scheduling
Lead Time - to Create Your TeaHouse
In general, it will take us about six to ten weeks to create
your East-West TeaHouse — from the time we
receive your check confirming your order, until your TeaHouse
is ready for pick up, local delivery, or shipping.
Within this general window, factors that can affect the building
and timing of your TeaHouse include:
Complexity of the Project
— We are typically able to build our basic models of
TeaHouse with standard options more quickly and efficiently
than projects that require special materials or include custom
designs, features or elements.
Time of Year — The
period from late spring to early autumn tends to be our busiest
season, so we may experience slightly longer lead- and build-times
during these warmer months.
Meeting Your Schedule
If you anticipate being out-of-town or traveling when it looks like
your TeaHouse will be ready and complete, or if you have a
shorter deadline that your are trying to meet, please let us know.
Within the context of our other projects and commitments, we do
have some flexibility with regards to the scheduling and building
of your TeaHouse, so it may be possible to adjust our timing
to:
Postpone Until You Are Ready
— If you know you will be away when your TeaHouse
is due to be completed, we can often postpone its construction
to better match your calendar, while at the same time keeping
your "place in line" with the builders at our shop.
Make Your Deadline —
If you are in a hurry to receive your TeaHouse, sometimes
it may be possible for us to rearrange our other commitments
to better meet your shorter timeframe — please let us
know, and we'll do our best to work with your tighter schedule.
Planning Ahead
Site Preparation
Between the time you place your order and the completion of the construction
phase, you may want to look ahead and prepare the location where you
plan to site your East-West TeaHouse.
Often the place you have in mind is fairly straightforward,
and the floorplans and elevation diagrams available in our downloadable
.pdf Catalogue Pages
will provide you with more than enough information to proceed
with confidence in preparing your chosen site ahead of time.
Other times, you may find you need some extra information —
in that case, please let us know so we can share additional advice,
for example on:
Footing Details —
Details and advice on footing placement are included with
your TeaHouse, but these can also be helpful to have
ahead of time — especially if you plan on putting your
TeaHouse on anchored piers or custom pads, if you are
looking to integrate your TeaHouse into an environment
with some well-established landscaping, or if you want to
place it next to a pre-existing feature, such as a waterfall,
fountain, hot tub, or koi pond ...
Hillside Siting —
Typically, TeaHouses are sited on level ground —
but if your preferred site is on sloping or uneven ground,
we can offer you some additional advice and strategies on
how to prepare sound footings for your TeaHouse.
Getting Ready for Pick-Up, Shipping
or Delivery
As your TeaHouse nears completition, it will be time to plan
and schedule its shipping, our local delivery, or your pick up directly
from our shop in Ojai, California:
Shipping by FedEx Freight
— For destinations further than 100 miles or so
from our home in Ojai, California, we will typically
wrap your TeaHouse and ship it to you by FedEx
Freight .
Transit Times —
It generally takes FedEx two or three transit
days for locations between San Diego and the Bay Area
in California, perhaps as many as five transit days
to the East Coast, Florida and New England, and up to
a week or more for Hawaii, depending on departure dates
for cargo vessels to the islands. And it can be a good
idea to plan on one additional day on the receiving
end to give the local FedEx depot a chance to
coordinate with you for final delivery to your home.
Local Delivery by East-West
TeaHouse — If you live within ready driving
distance of our home in Ojai, California (within 100
miles), it's usually better for us to deliver your TeaHouse
to you on our own truck — thereby saving the time
and effort involved in wrapping and shipping. In this
case, we would coordinate with you directly, and together
we would pick the best delivery day and time to fit
our mutual schedules.
Pick Up from Our Shop
— If you have access to a suitable vehicle of your
own, and you don't mind a drive to the scenic Ojai Valley,
then you could pick up your TeaHouse "free
on board," directly from our workshop. If this
is a good choice for you, we can also advise you on
the size and weight of your TeaHouse so you can
plan and prep your vehicle accordingly, and we would
coordinate with you on the best day and time for you
to come to Ojai so your TeaHouse would be standing
by, ready and waiting for you to pick up at our dock.
Assembly & Installation
Each East-West TeaHouse comes as an easy-to-assemble
kit, with a complete set of hardware, and a comprehensive booklet
of illustrated instructions that thoroughly outlines each step of
the assembly process.
These resources, along with our basic designs and support, give you
several options to consider for the assembly and installation of your
new TeaHouse:
"Do It Yourself"
— Invite your friends and family to a "barn raising,"
and make a party of putting up your TeaHouse together.
Generally, the most complex tools you will need are a screw
gun and ladder, and our illustrated instructions in non-technical
"plain-English" make the process very simple and
straightforward. Working steadily, two or three people can
usually put up a simple TeaHouse in a long afternoon
— or over a weekend for some of our larger models with
extra features. And many people relish both the experience,
and the opportunity to spend quality time among friends, working
together to make something appear with their own hands.
Hire a Local Contractor or Handyman
— If you would rather hire someone else to put up your
TeaHouse for you, again, our illustrated instructions
make it easy and simple for you to consult with a local contractor
or handyman, to solicit competitive bids, and to supervise
the process with authority to your complete satisfaction.
Have Us Assemble Your
TeaHouse — If you are in nearby Southern
California within 100 miles of Ojai, and we deliver
directly to your home, then you can also elect to have
our crew assemble your new TeaHouse for you on
site. We aim to put up any of our basic models in a
single day, and our assembly pricing varies according
to the type of TeaHouse you purchase, along with
any options or special features it may have. All you'll
need to provide is a level site and your choice of footings,
and we'll do the rest.
For more details on ordering your East-West TeaHouse,
please visit our page on:
