The fixed assets of a full-scale, full-time conventional funeral home comprise:

• Mortuary with cooling facility
• ‘chapel of rest’
• office space
• arrangements room
• storage space
• equipment
• garage
• vehicles.

Different models of CFS require different fixed assets and, therefore, differing capital investment when starting up.

A CFS1 requires all the fixed assets of a conventional, commercial funeral home.

A CFS2 requires no fixed assets at all, but it might wish to have an office.

A CFS3 requires, at the very least, an equipped mortuary, part of which might serve as a space where families can visit their dead. A CFS3 might wish to look after its dead in a public mortuary. Alternatively, it might opt to own its mortuary. Such a mortuary might be purpose built, it might occupy an outbuilding or a room in a bigger building – each community will have its own options. So long as it is big enough and has electricity and running water, it is suitable.

A CFS3 will also need a vehicle suitable for bringing its dead to the mortuary. Instead of buying its own vehicle it might rely on members of the community – but it will need more than one vehicle owner if it is to be able to offer constant cover.

At its outset, or over time, a CFS3 might buy its own hearse for funerals. Or it might share a hearse with other CFS3s. Or it might hire a hearse, as required, from a carriagemaster prepared to work with a CFS.

A CFS3 might also want its own office.

Though the startup investment required for such a small-scale operation is high, running costs and maintenance of a mortuary would be relatively inexpensive.

The rest of the operation can be run from volunteers’ homes or from an office in a community facility.

Next: read about Staffing a CFS