What’s the Difference Between a Custom Mausoleum and Community Mausoleum?

If you’re considering mausoleum interment for yourself or a loved one, the first thing you need to decide is whether to look for a community mausoleum, or erect a private family mausoleum. Many factors go into the choice between a community mausoleum or a private custom mausoleum, including price. Which option is right for your family: a community mausoleum, or a private mausoleum?

What is a Community Mausoleum?

A community mausoleum is a large mausoleum designed to house many people. A community mausoleum offers hundreds to thousands of interments, and is an alternative to in-ground burial in many cemeteries. Most community mausoleums offer personal touches to commemorate your loved one, such as permanent name carvings, plaque depictions of service or faith, and vases for flowers. Some community mausoleums offer the ability to purchase an entire section to keep the family together. 

What is a Private Custom Mausoleum?

A private mausoleum, on the other hand, is a mausoleum commissioned by a family to stand on a specific cemetery plot or private estate. A private mausoleum typically houses only one individual and his or her immediate family, although larger estates may make provisions for extended family.

Price Considerations When Selecting Mausoleum Interment

Interment in a community mausoleum is more affordable than constructing a private mausoleum. Community mausoleum interment is comparable to purchasing a burial plot, or more affordable in some cases – pricing varies depending on the facility and amenities. Interment in an indoor community mausoleum typically costs more than interment in an open-air, garden-style mausoleum, for example, but location of the cemetery and other factors affect the cost of community mausoleum interment.

A private mausoleum, on the other hand, costs anywhere from $50,000 and up. For $50,000, you may construct a basic private mausoleum design from a catalog using inexpensive building materials. For a high-quality custom private mausoleum, though, built by master craftsmen and constructed from carefully selected granite, you’re looking at a price in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Additionally, you must pay for a mausoleum plot in a cemetery, that requires more space and is more costly than a basic burial plot. Alternately, you can build a custom mausoleum on private property, which negates the cost of a mausoleum plot. However, for a private mausoleum, you’ll also have to factor in the cost of upkeep.

Consider the Long-Term When You Evaluate Mausoleum Interment

Think about what you want your family’s legacy to be. Do you want to be interred in a community mausoleum next to your wife or husband? Would you like to be with your family in a section of a community mausoleum devoted to your loved ones? Or would you prefer the privacy and personalization of a custom mausoleum? Consider all of the long-term factors when you select a venue for your eternal rest.