An old timer funeral director once explained to me how the margins on funeral products got to be what they are (big). This is anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt, but I thought it was an interesting take.
I was told that in the 80s casket companies made a pitch. That funeral businesses could lower prices on professional fees, and increase prices on merchandise. Why would they do that? Because it makes them look like the good guys with the low prices, and “aw, gee” the casket companies with the high prices.
According to this source, funeral homes took them up on this. So gradually the margins on professional services got smaller and the margins on funeral products went up up up.
The issue is that over time as a business you don’t control the prices on your merchandise, so as the costs for these products go up you have to increase proportionally. In most businesses (not just funeral service) this cost/price tension exists, and the cost of doing business is going up. Not ideal for small businesses or for the consumer.
Which brings me to:
BYOC! (Bring Your Own Casket)
In BC we are endowed with the legal right to bring our own caskets to any funeral business.
Groovy, right? This means that anyone could decide to acquire a burial or cremation container from Costco or their local carpenter. They may even decide to make it themselves.
For the curious I’m going to outline here a few things to consider when making the decision to purchase or build a casket to bring to the funeral home. It may help for someone making the decision at need, or perhaps even ahead of time.
Buying a Casket
This option is pretty straightforward. When you are purchasing a casket on your own, it may be as simple as placing the order and requesting delivery to your funeral home of choice.
Some things to consider:
- Confirm the delivery date and time with the funeral home in advance, this way they can ensure that someone is available to receive it. They are busy places, and if the casket arrives when no one is available to receive it that could result in a delay to your services.
- Check that the costs are actually better. Consider any shipping and handling, and compare with similar options available from the funeral home. If they are comparable, you may just want to order from the funeral home, they will be able to ensure quality of the product as well.
- Consider the timing. If you are trying to expedite services, this probably isn’t a great option. However, if you are OK with providing a few extra days for the processing and delivery then no sweat.
Building a Casket
This can be a great project for a hands-on community, especially with a bit of advance notice. It may also be an interesting project to bring to a local artisan or woodworker. Some families have even been able to make this type of project come together following an unexpected death.
Practical things to consider:
- Talk to the funeral home and crematorium. Giving them notice that you are planning to build your own casket will help them prepare on their end. It may or may not be something they are excited about, but as long as it is functional and reasonable it will all work out fine.
- Make sure the casket is functional and reasonable. Get accurate dimensions from the crematorium or cemetery before you start anything. Often home-made containers are much deeper than they need to be, which can be awkward for placing the body. Think about the weight and density of the materials being used. Priority should be placed on light and combustible woods with cremation, for example. One reason being that crematoriums are often staffed with a single person, and it is important to consider their safety and well-being. Make handles if you can.
- Keep in mind the legal requirements for cremation containers. For transport purposes that means they are looking for “rigid and leak-proof”. For cremation I have included the points from the legislation below:
The Humble Cardboard
Going to give it to you straight. You may have already noticed that I am using the terms casket and container interchangeably here. The reason is that, for a significant percentage of folks in BC it is the humble cardboard that is selected. The cardboard cremation container.
To write a post lauding the attributes of the cardboard would take me the rest of the day, so I’ll suffice with a list:
- Inexpensive
- Environmentally sustainable, comparatively
- Great for decorating
- Easy to store
All that being said, it is not without it’s drawbacks. A couple off the top of my head:
- If the person inside it is over ~125lbs, it will fold if picked up from either end. Therefore it is not an ideal container for transporting on your own, unless the base is reinforced with particle board for example. It really wouldn’t be recommended for anyone over 200lbs or 6’4”.
- Not very leak-proof. If there are fluids involved additional lining or bags will need to be used, likely plastic.
- If kept in the cooler the cardboard can soften, just a combination of moisture from remains and cold air. When it warms up condensation will challenge the structural integrity.
This post is about helping people make informed decisions when it comes to their caskets and containers of choice. At the end of the day, sometimes the easiest thing to do is order from the funeral home, and in the early days often easiest is best. Ideally easiest also means that we can feel good about the decision we’ve made, and to make that happen I recommend clear and open communication with your funeral provider.
They are here to help. Whether that means ordering your family a sharp-looking cardboard or receiving your Costco casket and storing it safely at their facility. And hey, if you’ve got room in your garage or basement and you’re wanting to go the DIY route, no time like the present to get started.
For inspiration, here are links to some cool artisanal casket makers around the world:
Fiddlehead Caskets in New Brunswick
Woven Farewell Coffins in the UK
Pāhiki Eco-Caskets in Hawaii - it looks like they are currently crafting urns to donate to families of victims of the fires in Maui, please be sure to take a look at their site.