Built by hand.
Carried by family.
Pine, oak, and poplar shaped into vessels meant to carry someone home for the last time. Every joint hand-cut. Every finish chosen by the family who'll gather around it.
Before you see the work,
meet the hands.
Elias Thorn
Lead Builder · 17 years at the benchMost people come to me not ready to talk about what they're building. I start by asking about the wood — what did they smell when they walked into their grandmother's house? That's usually where we find it. The cedar, the pine, the walnut. The smell is the memory. We build from there.
A family sanding together
Building gathering · Asheville, NC · 2025Her daughter had never held a hand plane before. By the third afternoon she was smoothing the lid herself, telling stories about her mother the whole time. The casket still had her fingerprints in the finish when we delivered it. That was the point.
Delivery day
Carrying home · Murphy, NC · Spring 2025We always carry it in ourselves. Not because we have to — because it matters that the last hands on it before the family's are ones that knew what they were building and why. We set it down quietly and then we leave. The house needs to be theirs.
Wood chosen by name.
Finished with care.
We work in pine, oak, poplar, cherry, and walnut. Every family chooses their wood, their finish, their hardware — or none at all.
White Pine, hand-rubbed oil
Made with a family in Brevard, NC · 2025
Red Oak, beeswax finish
Hand-cut dovetail corners
Poplar, milk paint
Family chose the blue themselves
The workshop in November
Where every piece begins
Questions people ask
at the kitchen table.
These aren't FAQs. They're the conversations that happen when someone finally decides to say the thing out loud.
MaterialsWhat Wood Should We Choose?
6 min read
What Wood Should We Choose?
Pine is forgiving and fragrant. Oak is heavy and honest. Poplar takes paint like a dream. Here's how families usually find their way to the right one.
Download the full guide for moreLegalitiesCan We Really Do This at Home?
8 min read
Can We Really Do This at Home?
Yes — in most states. Home funerals are legal everywhere in the US, though the paperwork varies. We've mapped what you'll need, state by state.
Download the full guide for moreProcessWhat If We Want to Help Build It?
5 min read
What If We Want to Help Build It?
We call it a building gathering. You come to the workshop for an afternoon, or we come to you. No experience needed. The work teaches itself.
Download the full guide for moreFamilyHow Do We Talk to Our Parents About This?
7 min read
How Do We Talk to Our Parents About This?
Most of the families who find us say the conversation was easier than they expected — because they led with the wood, not the death.
Download the full guide for morePricingWhat Does a Casket Actually Cost?
4 min read
What Does a Casket Actually Cost?
Funeral home caskets run $2,000–$10,000. Ours run $800–$2,400, depending on wood and hardware. We'll give you a number before you commit to anything.
Download the full guide for moreTimelineWhat If We Need It Quickly?
3 min read
What If We Need It Quickly?
We keep two or three pieces in the workshop at any time. If timing is tight, call us — we'll tell you honestly what's possible.
Download the full guide for moreStart the conversation
with something in your hands.
A free PDF covering home-funeral legalities by state, how to choose wood, what a building gathering looks like, and what to say when you're not sure how to begin.
Prefer to talk first?
hello@hearthworkshop.comWhat people carry
away from the workshop.
We didn't know what we were looking for until we found it. The pine smelled like his workshop. We chose it in about thirty seconds.
Claire Oduya
Daughter · White Pine · Asheville, NC
I've guided forty families through home funerals. Hearth is the only workshop I recommend without hesitation. They understand that the making is part of the grief.
Nadia Ferreira
Death Doula · Certified Home Funeral Guide
My brother and I built it together over two afternoons. We didn't talk much. We didn't need to. The work did it.
Thomas Bekele
Son · Red Oak · Murphy, NC