Headstone Design and Carving Workshop

Families arranging a memorial, funeral homes that refer clients, and cemeteries or churches that commission markers.

A price per memorial based on stone, size, design and lettering. Extra charges apply for custom carving, bronze plaques, foundations and later inscriptions.

• Stone cutting, lettering or engraving
• Design and layout
• Sensitive, patient customer service
• Careful, accurate work

• Rules for selling memorials differ by province, so check your provincial cemetery or consumer regulator, especially for selling in advance
• Each cemetery sets its own rules on size, material and foundations, so check before quoting
• Stone dust (silica) is a health risk, so check workplace health and safety rules for dust control and protective gear
• Commercial general liability insurance and WCB/WSIB coverage once you hire
• Heavy stone needs safe lifting equipment, and frozen ground limits installation in winter
• Quebec has French-language requirements, so check them if you operate there

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on the equipment, premises and stone stock you need. Treat this as a rough guide and get your own quotes for machinery, safety gear and lifting equipment.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how many memorials you complete and how much work comes from families, funeral homes and cemeteries. This is revenue, not profit, so material and workshop costs come out of it.

Things to check: provincial cemetery or consumer rules, especially on advance sales, and each cemetery's size, material and foundation rules before quoting. Also check silica dust and safety requirements, insurance and WCB/WSIB coverage when hiring, and Quebec French-language rules if you operate there.