East-West TeaHouse

— Fine Artisanal Structures for the Home & Garden —



 

Scheduling & Timing

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:

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For more information about East-West TeaHouse — or to place an order with us — please contact:


:


East-West TeaHouse

P.O. Box 923 — Ojai, California  93024

Phone:   805-646-7355



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