How much do headstones cost?

I've been looking at headstones lately, trying to come up with ideas for Ianto's one. I've managed a few complicated designs, some simple ones, really all types. Only today have I realised i may have to consider price :lol: I have utterly no idea how much a typical headstone would cost, let alone how much one of my more detailed designs would be. So, can anyone help by telling me an average price for a simple one, and I'll take it from there? :blush:

ETA: It probably won't be getting made anytime soon, I'd just like to know how much I should save

Sweetheart - *hugs*.
I don't know much about headstones but when MIL died we had to organise a plaque to be placed in the garden at the crematorium. All up (including the 'plot' or stone where the plaque would be displayed) it cost around $2000. The plaque was quite a lengthy one, lots of words, and I think her parents wanted to get a photo on it as well which was an extra cost. If you have chosen the cemetery/crematorium where Ianto will be laid to rest or his memory honoured (ie if you're going to keep his remains with you as we have with MIL's ashes, they're in our home at the moment, we intend to inter them when the plaque is ready and her parents can make the trip up for a ceremony), talk to the staff there as they usually handle all these sorts of enquiries, and if not, they will be able to point you in the direction of someone who can (we were referred back to the funeral directors who do all the paperwork and handle the plaque's preparation).
HTH, I hope you and Scott are coping okay, and I've been thinking of you both lots.
xo

First of all big :hug:....

Not sure if it would be different for a baby's headstone but for my parents grave, well when my mum passed my dad organised just a headstone and that was 3500 and was quite plain....when dad passed last year, my sister and i decided to "finish off" their grave with a proper slab attached to the headstone which cost all up $6500.....

Not sure where you are located, but let me know if you are interested and i can give you the details of the stone masons we went with, they were so very helpful and considerate....

Have a chat to the cemetary or the funeral director, they should be able to give you a pretty good estimate, and it may be one of those things that differs on price depending on where you are. I think in general they can be pretty expensive, the thousands rather than hundreds.
I'm sure you'll end up with a gorgeous one for Ianto. Hope you & Scott are coping ok xxx

He's already been buried, so we have the plot. He's in the kids' section, such a beautiful spot - aside from the fact it's right next to the train station :( But it's so colourful there compared to the rest of the cemetery - even down to the headstones! There's not many that don't have colour of some kind, whether with a photo, a windmill, windchimes, whatever... A few parents have put up cupboard kind of things instead of headstones - they're nice, but I've seen the older ones that have started to disintegrate so I'm not keen on doing that for a permanent memorial.
So, I'm up for about $2000 plus for a plaque? That's not too bad, though I'd really love a nice big stone headstone with all the bells n' whistles...

Hey thought Id google it for you
It says about $1500 for the usual inscriptions and dates etc, up to around $3000 for the fancy ones with pictures etc

So sorry for your loss If I were you I would ask for help from a local charity when a friend of mine passed there local community charity helped pay for the headstone because the family couldnt afford it straight away

Might help get it quicker.. Just a thought

Just reviving this thread again - I've been thinking of it almost non-stop (when I'm not thinking of getting pregnant!) and it looks like we'll definitely need help with the headstone if we want it within a year. I'd love to have it up by his first birthday, but that might not be possible.

I also have heaps more questions:

• How do you go about organising headstones?
• Do you have to go through the cemetery,or do you approach the stonemason first?
• If you go through the cemetery, do they choose the stonemason?
• If you go through the stonemason, how do you shop around? I'd feel pretty guilty if I designed a headstone with someone then turned around and said "no, sorry, I was just getting a quote for this"
• There's a company called "Life's Memories" that does glass inserts for headstones and plaques - but I don't think they do the stone part. Would I have to organise that and then the stone? How would I tell the stonemason?
• Does anyone know of any companies/charities/whatever that help with this sort of thing? Some of you may know I've recently gotten involved with a UK charity along those lines, but I'm realistic and I know it'll take a while (and a hell of a lot of help) for me to start it all up here.
• And... Really dumb question here... Do I have to go in person to organise it? It's nigh impossible for me to go cold into things like this. It's the same when someone's trying to sell me something - I can't say no, even if it's a bad idea (hence how I ended up with my wrist tattoo...)

Plus I'm still confused about cost :( I want too much for what we can afford, but I want the best.

:hug: just keeping this bumped for you. I organised stuff for my dads headstone in 2006, but I can't remember many details, sorry Hun. I do remember that it was exxy though, and that in my grief stricken state (I was still 15, dunno why people thought it would be a good idea for me to do it) I put his death date one month early :o Still haven't had the money to fix it :doh: I assume it was through a headstone company, but I honestly can't remember. Hope someone can help you :hug:

You can organise them through a stone mason directly, but if you contact a funeral director in your area they will be able to pass on contact details for you. But yes, they are expensive, the more detailed, the more costly, and the type of stone used also makes a huge difference.
With the stone mason, you would sit down and discuss what you were after, and they would be able to give you a rough quote for the work if you had a design in mind. Let them know upfront that you are looking for a quote only, they will be fine with that.
:hug:

contact the cemetary trust - they will have an idea of who other people have used (as you pay a percentage of the value of the headstone to the cemetary for them to "maintain" the site)

the cost varies immensely depending on how elaborate you go, how much writing, whether it is a simple site to build the stone on, or if, like my BIL, they have to shape it around the side of a hill (so one end needed to be built up). it can take several weeks to have them designed - they will draw up drafts of what is to be written, and a quote of cost, and will send them to you to look over and accept/alter/decline. you pay a deposit on deciding to go with them, and the balance isn't paid until it is in place AND has received your approval - if it is installed and it's not what you agreed to, you can speak to them to have it altered. we dealt with Waites Robson Stonemasones and they were lovely - very compassionate and worked with us at length to get everything exactly as we wanted it. we were sent drafts more than once, and they were really helpful in designing the headstones we needed done (we had to have one placed for DH's brother, and alter his parents one to include his mothers name)

it is not an easy decision to make as to what you want - i would advise that you not "settle" for something that is not what you want, just so that you can afford to get it done more quickly to meet a certain deadline. i completely understand you wanting to have it in place by Ianto's first birthday, dont' get me wrong! i just know that even 40 years after my mum's little sister passed away, her parents regretted getting her a headstone that was what they could afford to do quickly, not what they really wanted kwim? for your own sake, it is better to get your design sorted, get your quotes, and work on saving the money, then to save some money and compromise to get something done quickly.

Yeah, you're right BG, that's one of the other things that plays on my mind. Do I want it by a deadline (yes!) or do I want the best I can get (yes!)? I suppose a little of it is a kind of jealousy as well - there's a few headstones in "our area" already, and we're only just coming up to the one-year anniversary of that bit opening. Even the two little boys that have been put in after Ianto have plaques (though I've decided I definitely want a headstone, not a plaque)