[Bill Schwab]

The most frustrating part of the mix with installing Feng Shui is in fact the people who live in the house. Not all, but usually, they come from the touchy feely side of life. With that, you can be working on the project, and, it is very common to be asked to stop so the owners can meditate before the design is actually installed. And the changes come. "We really got a feeling of insecurity with this brick" as they point to the one at the bottom of the fireplace which has been built a week before. We are working on Coronado island at a home doing a water garden and glass bridge. As we were cracking the driveway out the lady next door, who is very Feng Shui came over and peacefully asked us to stop because it was upsetting her chi. After I explained, with the homeowner we are working for, who happens to be a retired concrete mason, that it was impossible, she took a concrete gargoyle off her flower beds and carried it upstairs and pointed it at our job (the house we are working at). She hopes bad things will come of us as we work on this project....Give me a break!
In yet another unrelated instance, an owner who wanted us to install a meditation space, and an medicine wheel (a place where they stand around and chant) stopped the work, only to have his swami come to the job and "train\' our employees to be in the proper mindset. It's California right? We declined, moved on, and, still have not gotten paid for those 2 days we were there....

As shown and written in books, these gardens are fun, very attractive, and one of those things every landscaper would love to sink their teeth into. The book only shows the picture of the garden and not the tale of how the garden came about.

So, my personal thoughts are that if you take this challenge on, keep your change order tablet handy, make sure if they need you to stop that you get paid for that stop, and pencil extra time to compete the project, chances are you will need it.. It's all about the production and the money along with the end result, and your client needs to be made well aware of that.