The coffin under construction in one local entrepreneur’s garage isn’t a prop for Halloween — it’s destined to be the resting place of a Californian, even before he dies.
Mark Zeabin used to primarily build coffins but now works as a contractor, building the occasional casket and casket furniture on the side.
“On occasion, people phone me and do commission coffins or coffin kits, which then they’ll assemble themselves and it feels like they’re taking part in the process, and very, very rare, I’ll get something like a coffin bed,” he said. “I might have built 10 of these in my life and I’ve been doing it for 20 years.”
The benefit of casket furniture is that it serves a double function.
“You [can] use it through your lifetime and then it doubles as your coffin so you get your money’s worth out of it and it’s a pretty good conversation item,” explained Zeabin. “So coffee tables, pool tables, sofas, curio cabinets — anything you want and then you bury it — you and it.”
Zeabin said he’s even built a pool table for the Playboy Mansion.
Clients can find Zeabin through his website, which includes information on how to build your own coffin and how to start your own coffin building company.
The client who purchased the bed Zeabin is working on now lives in Oakland, Calif. The bed he commissioned will be lined with red velvet when it’s done and painted black.
Zeabin says the cost is approximately $3,500 CAD, but that includes the cost of shipping it freight from Colville, Wash. to Oakland.
“So say just over $3,000 for a really tight space to sleep in,” said Zeabin.
To see more of Zeabin’s work, visit casketplans.com or his Casket Furniture! Facebook page.
Zeabin said the coffin bed should be finished by Halloween and anyone interested can look for pictures on his Facebook page, but he also puts out coffins in his yard for Halloween, so be sure to take a tour of Woodland Drive while you’re out trick or treating.
“Halloween is fun around here,” said Zeabin.
