Safe mode & PEAR

Hello, As many ISP:s are using PHP in safe_mode, it is impossible to use the installed PEAR modules as the installation directory normally belongs to root. My ISP has installed PEAR to /usr/lib/php (root owned) and the customer directories are of the type /home/customers/acmecorp (of course owned by the customer acmecorp). This results in a typical safe_mode restriction error when I try to use module DB, for instance. Is it possible to install PEAR to a customer directory, for instance /home/customers/acmecorp/phplib and still use the Apache PHP module or do I have to build a PHP compiler of my own and use it as a CGI executable? If so, any hints about how this can be done? Any help will be appreciated! Markku