Cemetery Layout and Design: What You Need to Consider Before Beginning the Cemetery Master Planning Process

Cemetery Consultants Explain What You Can Do To Maximize Cost Savings and Cemetery Success Through Proper Cemetery Master Planning

Our cemetery consultants know expert cemetery layout and design is not only essential for long-term cost savings, but also for the cemetery’s long-term success. Cemetery master planning not only helps reduce unnecessary expenses relating to future cemetery expansions and repairs, it also helps keep cemetery planning and goals in-line.

There are a few things to consider prior to meeting with our cemetery master planners, including:

Landscaping: Cemetery layout design should be flowing. Well-planned landscaping provides for cleaner mowing lines, lower maintenance, less cleanup, greater aesthetics and even enhanced wildlife. Plantings should be thoroughly researched for climate, soil conditions, flow and aesthetics. Consider which plantings are right for your cemetery and where they should be planted. Ponds and other man-made or natural water sources should also be included in the cemetery master planning process. Tree size and type is another consideration. You may want to avoid planting trees with falling nuts, seeds or fruit near cemetery plots, but rather position them along property edges instead for aesthetics and privacy. Consider planting flowers, bushes and trees like the birch tree, the weeping willow or the sugar maple on the interior of the cemetery property for beautiful, calming beauty which invites local wildlife.

Cemetery Land Use: Cemetery layout, design and documentation of local cemetery land use are critical to optimize space. From the first expansion to the last, all stages of cemetery layout and design should be accounted for. Another aspect to consider when planning cemetery land use is the interment products. Will you be including space for mausoleums? Lawn crypts? Columbarium niches? Monuments? Statuary? Will you have some interment products indoors and others outdoors, or both? It is important to account for the population and demographic trend lines of local communities to best assist you in interment products for cemetery layout and design.

Cemetery Management for Facility Operations and Utilities: Cemetery management for facility operations and utilities includes the installation of drainage piping, water supply piping, sewer piping, and storm drainage. When accounting for cemetery facility operations and utilities it’s important to make sure the most modern, up-to-date systems are installed to save you from costly replacements down the road. The systems should be perfectly sized during the cemetery master planning process to minimize up-front costs associated with over-sizing and to minimize future replacement costs associated with under-sizing.

Cemetery Master Planning and Your Community

Our cemetery consultants know the intrinsic value of including the community in the progress of cemetery master planning. Whether designing and building a new cemetery or expanding an existing one the city planning commission is not the only audience of importance. Community members are perhaps your most important audience and can serve as your biggest advocates or your biggest advisories. Involving the community in the progress of cemetery master planning not only makes members feel valued and appreciated (an important feeling to develop in the end of life profession), it also helps solidify a very important long-term connection. While ideal for your bottom line, cemetery master planning is also critical for demonstrating your permanency as a community fixture to both city planning committees and to the public.

Industry Leading Cemetery Architects Offer Remarkable Cemetery Master Planning Services

When planning 50+ years out, cemetery master planning may seem like exhaustive overkill, but the tangible and intangible benefits offer a critical difference between cemeteries which are successful and those which are not. Whether expanding an existing cemetery or creating a new one, turn to Tribute for expert advice and assistance in cemetery master planning. Our industry leading cemetery architects are highly detail oriented and exceptionally skilled in all areas of cemetery master planning.