If you’ve started researching and what it’s like to work with an architect, you’ve probably come across the phrase “RIBA stages” or the “Plan of Work” (indeed they’re mentioned a few times on this website). It sounds quite formal (and the stage names can be quite intimidating when relating to a modest domestic project) but think of the Plan of Work as a logical sequence of clear stages for the entire design and construction process, whether that’s a new Passivhaus in the Weald or a home extension in Hampshire.
This post walks through each stage from your perspective: what’s happening, what you’ll experience, and what to expect emotionally as well as practically. To make it concrete (or technically timber-framed), I’ll use a real project as a thread throughout – an extension and remodel of a 1980s chalet bungalow in Kent.
Before the drawing board: Stages 0 and 1
Stage 0 is ‘Strategic Definition’ – working out whether a project is the right move at all. Sometimes grouped together with it, Stage 1 is ‘Preparation’: commissioning site surveys, developing the brief, and understanding constraints and opportunities.
For most clients, this is where the first conversation happens. It often begins with a vague idea (“we need more space, but we’re not sure how”) and ends with something much more defined. If you haven’t had that initial consultation yet, this post explains what it involves and why it matters.
At Pembury, Stages 0 and 1 involved a careful look at what the clients were wanting to achieve, the existing layout, and what opportunities were present – available space on the site to extend the building footprint, and space above the existing garage at the front of the house to expand as well as create a more defined, statement entrance.
The brief that emerged was specific: an open plan kitchen-dining-living space that connected to the garden, a laundry, a fifth bedroom, another bedroom enlarged, and an office. Further to that were a series of “nice to have’s”.
The dominant emotion here is usually curiosity with an edge of anxiety. You’re starting on a grand journey.
The exciting part: Stage 2
‘Concept Design’ is where possibilities start to appear on paper. For many clients, it’s the most exciting part of the whole process, and occasionally the most unsettling. It is iterative by nature – based on our discussions I will present several different responses to them, which you review and provide comments, and the design gets refined. It’s a continuation of the conversation.
The design we developed for Pembury went through a number of options, of massing, orientation, and materials. The relationship between new and existing emerged through the design process rather than arriving fully formed from the brief. That’s normal, and it’s worth saying clearly: your first reaction to a concept matters. A good architect wants to hear it, whether you love it or it makes you uncomfortable.
Into the system: Stage 3
Stage 3 (‘Spatial Coordination’) is where design is developed into a firm proposal for the planning submission. The spaces, nebulous to this point, crystalise, materials get confirmed.
And then the pace of a project changes noticeably. This is often the stage clients find hardest. There is genuinely less you can do. The decision rests with the local authority, and while good design improves your chances it doesn’t guarantee an outcome.
The honest thing to say here is: this is the stage where trust in the process matters most. I will be managing the submission carefully, responding to any queries from the planning officer promptly, and keeping you informed. But some of the waiting is simply part of it.
Out of sight but important: Stage 4
‘Technical Design’ happens largely out of the client’s view. The developed design becomes a full set of construction documents – drawings, specifications, structural calculations – that Building Control will check, and contractors will price against and build from.
It’s less visible than the previous stages, but it’s where the detail that protects you gets locked in. At Pembury, this included thermal performance specification, the structural design to open up the existing living room to the new kitchen and dining area, and careful coordination of drainage and services. Decisions made here affect build quality, energy performance, and cost certainty.
On site: Stage 5
The ‘Construction’ stage is what most people picture when they think about a building project. It’s tangible, physical, and usually brings equal measures of excitement and disruption – particularly if, like the Pembury clients, you’re living in the house throughout.
At Pembury, the main build took around 6 months. Even without a formal site inspection role, I was involved throughout: picking up a timber beam installed too low, highlighting where the insulation could be fitted better, and providing further guidance when questions arose about how elements should fit together on site. Small interventions, but the kind that matter to the finished result. Stage 5 is where having an architect involved in oversight pays off most clearly, and it’s a subject worth its own post, which is coming in a few weeks.
The handover: Stage 6
‘Handover’ is brief but important. The contractor’s formal involvement ends, a snagging list is agreed and worked through, and Building Control issues a completion certificate. You’ll also receive the building’s manual – a package of information covering materials, systems, and maintenance requirements. On a domestic project like Pembury it’s a relatively quick stage, but it shouldn’t be skipped over: it’s the point at which responsibility formally transfers to you.
Living in it: Stage 7
‘Use’ is the most underrated stage of all. It’s where the building is tested by real life. I’ve been back to visit the Pembury clients and spoken to them a number of times since completion, and those conversations have been some of the most useful of the whole project, discussing what works well, what any future plans might entail, how they actually move through the spaces. That kind of reflection feeds directly into how I approach future projects.
What the stages are really for
The RIBA work stages aren’t bureaucracy for its own sake, they’re checkpoints that keep the project aligned – between you and me, between the design intent and what gets built, between aspiration and reality – whatever the scale.