To order a custom Buddha statue from Bali you follow six steps: send
a detailed brief (pose, size, material, budget), receive a quote and
timeline, approve a deposit, review carving progress through photos,
approve the finished piece, then pay the balance and arrange crating and
worldwide shipping. From first message to delivered statue, a bespoke
commission typically takes six to twelve weeks depending on size and
complexity. Done properly, it costs only a little more than buying an
off-the-shelf piece — and you get exactly the statue you imagined,
carved by hand from genuine Balinese stone.
I am Wayan Suryana, founder and master carver at Suryana Buddha
Atelier in Batubulan, Bali. I personally approve every commission that
leaves our workshop. This guide walks you through the entire process the
way I explain it to clients, so that by the time you send us a brief on the contact page you already
know what to expect. If you want to see the finished quality of our
bespoke work first, our custom Buddha
statue page shows commissions we have completed.
Why commission a custom
statue at all?
There are three reasons people choose a bespoke Buddha over a
ready-made one.
Size. Standard statues come in standard heights. If
you have a specific niche, a particular garden focal point, a hotel
lobby with a defined ceiling, or a spa platform of an exact width, an
off-the-shelf statue rarely fits perfectly. A commission lets you
specify the height to the centimetre. This is the most common reason
clients come to us for a custom size Bali stone Buddha
statue.
Pose, mudra and detail. Perhaps you want an
earth-touching Buddha in black lava at 1.4 metres, or a reclining Buddha
long enough to span a specific pool ledge, or a family of three matching
heads. Ready stock will not have it. A commission does.
Meaning and provenance. A commissioned piece is made
for you, from a stone you chose, carved by a named artisan
whose lineage you can verify. For many buyers — especially those
furnishing a home meditation space or a wellness business — that story
is worth as much as the object.
Step 1 — Write a clear brief
The quality of your final statue starts with the quality of your
brief. The more precise you are, the more accurate your quote and the
fewer surprises later. A strong brief includes:
- Pose and mudra — meditating, earth-touching,
teaching, standing protection, reclining, or a head. If you are unsure
what each means, read our guide to Buddha poses and
mudras first. - Material — paras Kerobokan limestone-tuff (softer
grey, fine detail, classic Balinese look) or black volcanic lava from
Karangasem (denser, darker, very weather-hardy). We will advise if your
choice suits your climate. - Height — the finished height you need, and whether
that includes or excludes the plinth. - Placement — indoor, covered outdoor, or fully
exposed to sun and rain. This changes the stone and finish we
recommend. - Finish — natural raw stone, aged/mossy antique
effect, or smooth polished. - Budget range — an honest range lets me propose the
right stone and size rather than guessing. - Deadline — when you need it delivered, so we can
confirm the timeline is realistic. - Reference images — photos or sketches of statues
you like are enormously helpful.
You can send all of this in one message through our contact and quote form or directly on WhatsApp. Do
not worry about getting every detail perfect — part of my job is to
refine the brief with you.
Step 2 — Receive your
quote and timeline
Once I have your brief, I confirm feasibility and send a written
quote. A proper quote itemises: the stone type and size, the carving
labour, the finish, the plinth if any, and a separate line for
crating and shipping to your country. Beware any supplier who bundles
everything into one vague number — hidden shipping costs are the most
common complaint I hear from buyers who were burned before finding
us.
The quote also states a realistic carving timeline.
As a rough guide: a small head or a sub-metre seated Buddha takes about
three to five weeks of carving; a one-to-1.5-metre statue takes six to
eight weeks; large or reclining pieces over 1.5 metres can take ten to
twelve weeks. Ocean freight is then added on top (see our shipping timelines
guide for region-by-region estimates).
Step 3 — Approve the deposit
For bespoke work we ask for a deposit — typically around half —
before carving begins, with the balance due once you approve the
finished statue and before it ships. This is standard practice for
made-to-order craft worldwide: it commits both sides and covers the cost
of the stone block and reserved carver time. A transparent supplier will
always hold your balance until you have seen and approved
photos of the completed piece.
Step 4 — Watch it being
carved
This is the part clients love most. Because your statue is genuinely
being carved by hand, we send progress photos at key stages: the
roughed-out block, the defined form, and the detailed near-finished
carving. If something needs adjusting — the tilt of the head, the depth
of a robe fold — this is when we catch it, while the stone can still be
worked. You are effectively collaborating with the carver in real time.
For a balinese Buddha statue custom order, this
feedback loop is exactly what separates a commission from a gamble.
Step 5 — Approve the
finished statue
When carving and finishing are complete, we photograph the statue
from every angle in good daylight and send it for your final approval.
Only when you are happy do we proceed. If you have any concern, we
address it before packing. This approval gate is your protection — you
are never shipping-and-hoping.
Step 6 —
Crating, payment and worldwide shipping
Once approved, you settle the balance and we build a custom timber
crate around the statue, with internal bracing and foam so the piece
cannot shift in transit. Stone is heavy and unforgiving, so professional
crating is non-negotiable — we cover exactly how we do it in our guide to
packing and crating a stone statue for export. We then arrange
export documentation and freight to your nearest port or, for smaller
pieces, door-to-door courier. Everything about our export process is
explained on the shipping and export
page.
What a custom
commission typically costs
Because every commission is different, there is no single price — but
as a benchmark, a bespoke piece usually costs only modestly more than an
equivalent ready-made statue of the same size and stone, because the raw
carving labour is similar; you are paying mainly for the reserved time
and the made-to-order specification. For a full breakdown of stone
statue pricing by size and material, see our Bali Buddha statue
cost guide. The genuine extra costs to plan for are always the same
two: crating and international freight.
A word on trust
The Indonesian government actively promotes Balinese handicraft
exports through official trade channels, and Bali’s stone-carving
villages — Batubulan chief among them — are recognised craft centres
(documented by Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade export-promotion
resources). But a recognised craft origin does not guarantee an honest
supplier. Commission only from a workshop that names its carver, shows
its process, holds your balance until approval, and quotes shipping
separately and in writing. We built our authenticity
and buyer-guarantee page precisely so you can verify these things
about us.
Start your commission
If you can describe the statue you want, we can carve it. Explore our
finished bespoke work on the custom
Buddha statue page, read our full story on the Suryana
Buddha Atelier homepage, and when you are ready, send your
brief.
Message Wayan and the atelier directly on WhatsApp
at wa.me/6281128590000, or submit your commission brief through our contact
page. Tell me the pose, stone, size and destination — I will send
you a clear, itemised quote and a realistic timeline within a couple of
days.