"It's up to the homeowner to decide the course of the install and how he wants me to put it in."
Whaaaa??? WTF man? YOU are the professional. YOU are the one to tell the homeowner the courseof the install and how it is to be put in. This is what you are paid for. The homeowner only has the option to agree or disagree, nothing more.
With that reply, you just went down a few notches in my opinion of you RadioMan. Be the professional you claim to be.