Self planned cheap funeral.

paddedjohn

After a conversation today it got me thinking that I wouldnt want my Wife or kids wasting money on my funeral when i die (hopefully not for another 40 yrs yet) and I was wondering if there is anything to stop me making my own plywood coffin and having it transported in the back of a van to the boneyard for either burial or cremation. What do a funeral directors do for their money that i couldnt do myself?

whitewing

You'll have trouble making your coffin when you're dead! And before then, where will you leave it? My grandmother starting telling us she was going to die ("preparing us") a good 25 years before she actually did.

paddedjohn

I could make my coffin for around £50 and store it in my shed until its needed, i just think its silly to let funeral directors take you for a ride when the whole show could be done a lot cheaper. £50 for a coffin, free lift in the back of a van, no need for expensive cars to follow the coffin a taxi would do, cremation £400ish, doctors cremation cert £124ish, grand total of about £600. Anything else i need to add onto the list?

getmore4less

You(well those you leave behind) can do it,

came across this which may be of interest.

http://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/2012/05/another-bookcase-coffin/


One thing to check are the rules at your local crem, some won't take certin types of coffin

also check the crem fee some are more than £400

Errata

Where do you suppose your body will be kept between death and disposal?

getmore4less

Errata wrote: »

Where do you suppose your body will be kept between death and disposal?

In the coffin on the dinning room table was standard, but the trend for kitchen diners makes that a little inconvenent.

Errata

The fact that there may in busy times be a gap of two weeks between death and disposal makes storage even more inconvenient.

lindens

There was a fly on the wall type documentary on Tv late last year at several funeral companies.
One of them does wacky coffins shaped like vodka and beer bottles, union jack style etc. He also hired out a flat pack wooden coffin that covered a cardboard coffin. This was so the funeral congregation didnt think the deceased was a tight-wad. But obviously the wooden coffin was taken off and packed away and just the wooden one burnt/interned.
Another deceased had a home made funeral, he made his own coffin and it was in the garage. They had someone do the enbalming and then he lay on the dining table for a couple of days, then they put him in the back of his own van (driven by son) to the service.

paddedjohn

lindens wrote: »

There was a fly on the wall type documentary on Tv late last year at several funeral companies.
One of them does wacky coffins shaped like vodka and beer bottles, union jack style etc. He also hired out a flat pack wooden coffin that covered a cardboard coffin. This was so the funeral congregation didnt think the deceased was a tight-wad. But obviously the wooden coffin was taken off and packed away and just the wooden one burnt/interned.
Another deceased had a home made funeral, he made his own coffin and it was in the garage. They had someone do the enbalming and then he lay on the dining table for a couple of days, then they put him in the back of his own van (driven by son) to the service.

Sound exactly like what I'm after, is embalming a legal requirement?

getmore4less

paddedjohn wrote: »

Sound exactly like what I'm after, is embalming a legal requirement?

Don't think so, a quick check seems to agree
http://www.naturaldeath.org.uk/index.php?page=keeping-funeral-costs-down

http://www.guidetodying.co.uk/content/embalming

http://www.havering.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Death-funerals-civil.aspx


a chest freezer off freecycle would do the job and could be modified as suitable storage if viewing was required.

Another option could be die in the winter


IN case you did not know you can now have your ashes made into things.

Diamonds are popular

here is one that does stuff in glass
http://www.ashesintoglass.co.uk/

RAS

A friend did a DIY funeral as requested by the deceased.

Cardboard coffin which was stored (occupied) somewhere cool. Family members and friends decorated it with crayons and pens.

Carried to a woodland burial site in a large estate car (friends), carried by family and friends with service held by humanist speaker.

People loved it because it was so personal. The burial site was the costly component but other savings covered it.