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In-ground burial or vault ?
Funeral : What are the differences between an earth burial plot and a burial vault?
Is the burial plot an earth burial or a vault? Amid the emotion and shock of losing a loved one, this seemingly simple question from funeral homes often leaves families stunned. The first step is actually to understand the difference between the two.
An earth burial plot involves burying the deceased directly in the ground. In an earth burial, only the footing is mandatory, but some municipalities require what is called a false case. The false case is a concrete reinforcement (poured into a mold) 50 cm deep and typically around 20 cm wide. It is often essential for installing a monument; most professionals refuse to place a monument on an earth burial plot without a false case.
In any case, an earth burial will cause the monument to shift, and approximately every 30 years, it will need to be leveled as the monument will tilt or collapse.
Earth burial is less common in France, with a few regional exceptions.
The vault on the other hand is a masonry construction with multiple compartments . It is more expensive initially but avoids the need for regular leveling and can accommodate several deceased individuals, depending on the number of compartments. This reduces the number of burial plots needed.
How does this affect the funeral monument ?
The impacts are threefold : temporal, financial, and aesthetic. In terms of timing, it will be necessary to wait for 3 months after burial to install a monument on an earth burial plot. Installation on a vault can be done immediately.
Financially, when it comes to installing a monument, families may not realize that placing one on earth burial is more expensive. Indeed, most often, the false case needs to be built before the monument can be installed.
To reduce the weight on a false case, we recommend headstones that are 10 or 15 cm thick rather than 20 cm.
At Le Comptoir des Pierres, we will not construct the false case, as it is a masonry work and not stone cutting. This construction will be carried out by the installation company (funeral home, marble worker, mason...) before placing the monument.
Source schémas : CTMNC (centre technique de matériaux naturels de construction)
