Stages of a Single-Family Home Design Project: What Really Happens

You’ve decided to build your dream home. You’ve found an architect you trust. Now comes the question almost every investor asks sooner or later: what exactly happens in a project, and when?

The architectural process is much more structured than most people expect. It’s not a single document handed over at the end — it’s a sequence of stages, each with clear deliverables, approvals, and dependencies. Understanding them helps you ask better questions, avoid delays, and know when to push and when to wait.

Here are the main stages of a single-family home project in Poland.

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Stage 1: Preliminary Concept

Duration: 2–4 weeks

This is where your architect translates your brief into a first visual idea. You’ll typically receive 2–3 concept variants showing different approaches to the layout, massing, and style.

What happens at this stage:

• Initial site analysis (orientation, terrain, access, utilities)
• Sketch floor plans and facades
• Discussion of your functional requirements (rooms, lifestyle, future-proofing)
• Budget orientation (does your dream align with your budget?)

Your role: Be specific about what you want. Bring photos of houses you like, describe how you live, mention things you hate. The more the architect understands you now, the fewer revisions later.

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Stage 2: Conceptual Design

Duration: 4–8 weeks

Once you’ve approved a concept direction, the architect develops it into a proper conceptual design. This is still not a building permit document — it’s a refined vision with enough detail to understand the final product.

What you receive:

• Floor plans at 1:100 scale
• All four facades
• Cross-sections
• Visualisations (optional but recommended)
• Preliminary surface calculations

Key decision point: Changes here are cheap. Changes at the execution design stage are expensive. Take this seriously.

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Stage 3: Building Permit Design

Duration: 4–10 weeks (plus permit processing time)

The building permit design (Polish: projekt budowlany) is the formal document submitted to the local authority. It includes architectural drawings plus coordination with structural, HVAC, electrical and plumbing engineers.

What it includes:

• Site development plan (zagospodarowanie terenu)
• Architectural drawings to required standard
• Structural calculations and drawings
• Installation concepts (HVAC, electrical, plumbing)
• Formal statement that the design complies with local planning conditions

Once submitted, the authority has 65 days to issue the permit (or ask for clarifications). In practice, preparation and back-and-forth often adds time.

This is the stage where most delays happen. Make sure your architect has all required documentation before submitting.

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Stage 4: Execution Design

Duration: 6–12 weeks

The execution design (projekt wykonawczy) is what contractors actually build from. It’s far more detailed than the permit design — every wall, beam, junction, and fitting is specified.

What it includes:

• Detailed architectural drawings (1:50 or 1:25)
• Construction details for foundations, walls, roof
• Structural drawings with all connections
• Full HVAC, plumbing, electrical layouts
• Material and quantity specifications

Why this matters to you as an investor: A good execution design reduces surprises during construction. Contractors who price a job from a detailed execution design give more accurate quotes than those estimating from a permit design alone.

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Stage 5: Author’s Supervision (Construction Phase)

Duration: For the duration of construction (typically 12–24 months)

Once construction begins, the architect’s job isn’t over. Author’s supervision (nadzór autorski) means the architect visits the site periodically, answers questions from contractors, approves material substitutions, and ensures the building is constructed per the design.

Typical visits: once every 2–4 weeks, more frequently at critical stages (foundations, structure, envelope).

This is often undervalued by investors — until there’s a question on site that nobody can answer, or a contractor proposes a substitution that looks fine but has hidden consequences.

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How ArchFlow fits in

Modern architectural offices use tools like ArchFlow to give investors real-time visibility into which stage their project is at, what’s been completed, and what’s coming next — without calling the architect every week.

If your architect uses ArchFlow, you’ll have a direct link to your project dashboard: stage progress, documents, and a message thread. You’ll know when the permit application was submitted and when a response is expected — without chasing anyone.

Ask your architectural office if they’re on ArchFlow.