Is a Community Mausoleum Right for You?

A community mausoleum offers affordable mausoleum interment options for families whose budgets don’t support private mausoleums. Community mausoleums have benefits beyond price, though there are some areas in which private mausoleum interment offers more customization and peace of mind.

Community Mausoleums Offer Affordable Interment Options

One of the primary reasons that families choose interment in a community mausoleum instead of a private mausoleum is the affordability of community mausoleum interment. Being interred in a community mausoleum is a fraction of the cost of a private family mausoleum.

Community Mausoleum Interment is Convenient

Many of today’s larger cemeteries offer community mausoleum interment. Being interred in a cemetery mausoleum is convenient, particularly if other family members are buried in the cemetery – it’s possible to combine multiple visits into a single trip.

Community Mausoleums Negate Upkeep Concerns

When you’re interred in a private mausoleum construction, you must factor in the cost of maintaining and repairing the mausoleum. In a cemetery setting, these costs are substantial, but you have the benefit of experienced staff to maintain the grounds. If you’re interred in a private mausoleum on private property, however, you’ve got additional upkeep concerns regarding mowing the lawn and taking care of the landscaping.

Being interred in a community mausoleum negates all of these upkeep concerns, as maintaining the community mausoleum is the responsibility of the cemetery or facility where the mausoleum is located. These facilities may sometimes pass on a small portion of the fee to individuals interred in the community mausoleum, but it’s a more affordable cost than maintaining a private mausoleum – and many facilities factor in the cost of a maintenance or upkeep fee in the initial price of interment, with no ongoing costs.

Privacy Differences in Mausoleums

One of the major factors in the difference between a community mausoleum and a private family mausoleum is privacy. A community mausoleum houses hundreds to thousands of individuals’ remains, so privacy is minimal for family members visiting their loved ones. A community mausoleum offers a chapel for reflection, or semi-private alcoves, but on the whole privacy is minimal.

A custom family mausoleum, alternately, offers an extremely private option for family members to visit their loved ones. With only family members interred in a private mausoleum, visitors never have to worry about public scrutiny when they visit loved ones. Privacy is one of the key factors that lead families to select private mausoleum interment.

Community Mausoleums Offer Limited Customization

The other primary difference between community mausoleums and private family mausoleums is the level of customization and personalization available. In a community mausoleum, you may have a custom plaque, and perhaps a niche to hold flowers or a memorial item, but customization is limited. A private family mausoleum, however, is itself a personal statement reflecting the family members interred within. Personalization is the key factor that sets a private custom mausoleum apart from community mausoleum interment.

Ultimately, many of the families who choose community mausoleum interment do so because the price is more consistent with their budget. Private mausoleum interment is chosen for privacy, stature, longevity, and customization.