Pricing, costs and fees
There are many factors that influence the pricing of any particular memorial. Pricing criteria will vary from company to company, but for us here at Patten Monument, we divide costs into a few simple categories:
- Size, style and material.
- Optional additional items, including etchings, ceramic photos, vases and plant holders
- Foundation setting fees and sales tax.
Size, style and material.
The first cost factors are style and size. For example, flush markers are easier to fabricate than other styles like bevels, slants and monuments. Custom shaped markers obviously take much more time to fabricate, thus increasing costs. Generally speaking, the more labor needed, the higher the cost. Size of the end product is another factor in price.
Material is an equally influential factor. Stones like granite and marble come in various quantities and are quarried from mines all over the world. At Patten Monument, we use granite and marble specifically graded for monument use. Interestingly, granite costs vary by supply availability, not quality. While some companies use a good-better-best pricing structure, we believe that’s misleading to the customer. All monument quality granites will endure for lifetimes and will contrast well when carved. Location of granite and transportation are also contributing factors.
The items below are included with our price every time at Patten Monument:
- Delivery and installation to your cemetery lot by our highly trained employees
- Standard design and memorial artwork
- 40 letters on single markers. 60 letter on double markers.
- Shape carving and crafting on all upright monuments
- Standard finished surfaces
Optional additional items.
At Patten Monument, we include all necessary items in the base price of each memorial. This includes cemetery delivery and installation. Granite is extremely heavy and should only be handled by trained individuals. Few out-of-state suppliers offer this necessary service, if you choose to buy from someone else be sure to confirm the stone will be completed and installed by the company you ordered it from.
The optional additional items we offer include:
- Additional finishes (e.g., polished tops on uprights, polished margins on a base, etc.)
- Attaching a veteran’s plaque to the monument
- Vases
- Engraving on the back surface of the memorial
- Custom artwork
- Hand or laser etchings (only available on black granite surfaces)
- Deep Bias Relief Carving
Foundation setting fees and sales tax.
We itemize the exact charge of cemetery foundations and/or installations for every monument at Patten. If you need assistance determining cemetery fees, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help. The last cost-influencing factor is sales tax. This, along with the cemetery fee, is listed separately on your sales order.
General monument and marker foundation and setting fees.
Nearly every cemetery requires a cement foundation beneath monuments and headstones. The purpose of the foundation is to prevent the marker from heaving with frost or settling with time. Some cemeteries may charge a specific setting fee for installation when a cement foundation is not required. For the majority of cemeteries, Patten Monument has these charges catalogued in our database.
As part of our full service to you as a customer, we typically include the cemetery/sexton charge for this fee as a separate line item in your total cost. We will also communicate the marker size to the cemetery and forward your payment on to them.
Bronze markers cost factors:
- Size
- Inclusion of vase casting
- Number of emblems, if you opt for more than two
- If the marker is mounted on a granite base
