How we work
Our 5-Step Headstone Design Process
Designing a memorial shouldn't feel like guesswork. Here is exactly how we move from a first conversation to a finished stone — with a proof in your hands at every turn, and nothing carved until you approve it.
Before anything else
Check your cemetery’s requirements
Every cemetery sets its own rules about the styles, sizes, and materials it allows — and those rules come first, because they shape every decision that follows. Some memorial parks accept only flat markers set flush with the ground; others require bronze. Traditional cemeteries may allow upright monuments, benches, and full cremation estates.
A quick call to the cemetery office is usually all it takes. If you’re not sure what to ask, tell us which cemetery you’re working with when you call — after 47years we’ve worked with most cemeteries in the region, and we’ll help you sort out what’s allowed.
Read our guide to cemetery regulationsThe shape of remembrance
Choose your memorial style
We make six granite styles, plus cast bronze — from the quiet economy of a flat marker to the full presence of an upright monument, each with an honest published starting price. And if you can picture something that isn’t in the catalog, we can customize just about anything.
Room for every word
Select the right size
Size follows purpose. A single-grave marker with one name calls for different dimensions than a companion memorial for two, or a side-by-side stone spanning two plots — and the amount of lettering and artwork you want matters too. A flat marker for one name starts at 24" × 12", while a side-by-side can run to 48" depending on the artwork.
Every product page publishes a full sizing table for its style, so you can see standard dimensions before you call — see flat markers, slant headstones, and upright monuments for the most common configurations.
Read our headstone sizing guideThe stone itself
Choose your granite
Our standard color is Sierra White — a clean, classic granite that’s included in every published starting price. Beyond it, we source granite from quarries around the world, with a full range that runs from deep blacks through grays to warm earth tones. The right color depends on your design: darker granites carry fine etched detail, lighter granites suit bold sandblast lettering.
Whatever you choose, the finish is built to last. Painted surfaces carry a ten-year warranty, and ceramic memorial photos are warrantied for life. See our pricing page for what each starting price includes.
Read our granite color guideWhere it becomes theirs
Personalize — and approve every proof
This is the step families remember. Names, dates, and a verse are included in every starting price, along with a design from our catalog. From there you can go as far as you like: custom artwork, laser etching, and ceramic or porcelain memorial photos — which carry a lifetime warranty, and which we can enhance by merging photos or removing and replacing backgrounds.
Every idea becomes a proof you can hold and react to. We revise together — words, layout, artwork — until it’s right. Nothing is produced until your family signs off on the final proof and places a deposit. Not a letter is carved before then.
After the final proof
What happens once you approve
You can order at any time — there's no deadline on remembrance. Once the final proof is signed and the deposit placed, production begins.
- Stock granite
- 6–10 weeks
- after final proof approval
- Custom designs
- 3–6 months
- depending on complexity and granite
- Overall production & delivery
- 1–6 months
- cemeteries usually prepare the ground before delivery
We install everything we fabricate throughout Nevada and Northern California. Some cemeteries require their own installer — in that case we deliver the finished memorial to them. Local pickup is available too, and families anywhere in the U.S. can order the same way.
Est. 1979 · Reno, Nevada
Start step one with a phone call
Tell us which cemetery you're working with and we'll take it from there — styles, sizes, granite, and a proof for every decision. Call 775-323-1835 or email us to begin.