What an architect does at each stage of your project
The short answer
An architect's job runs in stages: understand the brief, design the concept, secure planning, produce technical drawings the builder and building control work from, then - if you keep them on - administer the build itself. You can stop after any stage. Most homeowners buy up to planning or building regs; full service to completion is worth it when the project or the builder needs supervising.
The stages, in homeowner English
The industry runs on the RIBA Plan of Work's numbered stages; you don't need the numbers, just the sequence:
- 1
Brief and feasibility
What you want, what the site and budget allow, what planning will wear. A short feasibility study can kill a bad idea for hundreds of pounds instead of tens of thousands.
- 2
Concept design
Sketch options become a preferred design: layouts, massing, light, how the extension meets the garden. The stage where a good designer earns the fee - iterate here, not on site.
- 3
Planning
Drawings and documents tailored to your council's policies, application managed, questions handled. Or confirmation that permitted development covers you - see our planning permission guide.
- 4
Technical design
Building regulations drawings, specifications, coordination with the structural engineer. This package is what builders price accurately - and what building control inspects against.
- 5
Tender and build
Full-service territory: comparable builder quotes, contract set up, site visits, valuations checked before you pay stage invoices, snags chased. The architect acts as contract administrator between you and the builder.
Where homeowners sensibly stop
After planning drawings: simple projects, confident builder, tight budget - the fixed-fee package plus a builder-led build. After technical design: the popular middle path - full drawings, then the builder runs the site and you manage quality. Full service: complex builds, absent owners, big budgets, or any project where an independent professional certifying payments protects you from the largest sums at stake. Fee ranges for each scope are in the architect fee calculator.
Starting a project?
Verified architects and designers quote stage by stage, so you buy exactly the involvement your project needs. Free, no obligation.
Compare architect quotesCommon questions
Will the architect find me a builder?
Full-service appointments include running a tender to builders they trust plus any you nominate - one of the quiet benefits, since architects know who actually finishes jobs. Drawing-only clients tender themselves.
Who deals with the structural engineer?
The architect coordinates; the engineer calculates and carries their own appointment and insurance. Expect the engineer's fee separately, and check whose quote includes the coordination time.
What if planning is refused?
Options are amend-and-resubmit (councils often signal what would pass) or appeal. Most practices include one resubmission round in their planning-stage fee - ask up front rather than after a refusal letter.
Do I need an architect for the build if I have full drawings?
Need, no; the drawings stand alone. Site-stage involvement buys independent inspection and payment certification - the value scales with project size and how much you trust the builder. It's a stage you can add later if the build wobbles.
Sources and further reading