How to review your architect's first sketch designs in Wimbledon

The first drawings of your home can be exciting. A room that existed only in conversation suddenly has a shape, and a new connection to the garden begins to feel possible. But a sketch-design meeting is also a chance to ask difficult questions while the proposal is still being developed.

For a Wimbledon extension, refurbishment or new home, the useful question is not simply whether you like the drawing. It is whether you understand how the design answers your brief, what it asks you to compromise on and what still needs to be checked. These questions can help you give your architect clear, practical feedback.

Start with the problems you wanted to solve

Bring the conversation back to your original priorities. Perhaps the kitchen feels isolated, a hallway absorbs too much space or everyday activities compete in one room. Ask your architect to show how the proposal addresses those specific problems.

Our architectural process begins with an outline proposal and brief, followed by sketch designs that can include hand drawings, computer drawings and 3D models. Use that stage to test the connection between the brief and the emerging layout. If your priorities have changed, say so rather than judging a new design against an old brief.

Walk through an ordinary day

Imagine arriving home with shopping, preparing breakfast, working quietly and having friends over. Follow each journey through the plan. Where do coats and bags go? Does someone passing through interrupt the kitchen? Can a person rest while another uses the main living space?

Ask for furniture to be shown where it helps you understand a room. A generous outline on a plan does not tell you how the room works with a table, chairs, storage and doors in use. Discuss the activities that matter to your household, including needs that may change over time, rather than relying on a familiar room label.

Ask what each drawing can tell you

A plan is useful for relationships between spaces. Other views can help explain height, roof form or the connection between inside and outside. Ask your architect to explain which questions the drawings and models are intended to answer, and which details remain open.

Do not treat an early visualisation as a promise about every finish or construction detail. Ask which materials, dimensions and technical decisions are provisional. RIBA's Concept Design checklist includes testing proposals against the project brief and undertaking design reviews. It is a framework for decisions, not a reason to assume every part of a sketch is settled.

Compare the compromises, not just the pictures

When more than one option is being considered, ask for the differences to be explained in words. One layout may keep more of the existing house; another may give a clearer connection to the garden. A larger room might come at the expense of storage, privacy or another space you value.

Avoid combining favourite pieces from different options without asking how they work together. Each proposal has its own relationships and assumptions. Describe what you like about a particular idea, then let your architect explain whether that quality can be carried into the preferred option. Our refurbishment and extension service covers several forms of intervention; the right combination depends on the existing home and the brief.

Keep budget and unknowns in the conversation

Ask how the developing proposal relates to the budget discussed at the outset. What information supports the current view of cost, and what could change it? RIBA's Concept Design checklist calls for major design decisions to be considered alongside the cost plan and for changes to be agreed with the client.

Make a separate list of questions that drawings alone cannot settle. Depending on the project, these might include existing-building condition, structural input, surveys or planning advice. Ask who will check each point and when the answer is needed. A preferred sketch is not, by itself, confirmation that a proposal has consent or can be built within a particular cost or programme.

Finish with a clear record of your feedback

Separate your comments into what works, what needs reconsidering and what you do not yet understand. "The dining area needs to work for six people every day" is more useful than "make this bigger". Where your household disagrees, explain the competing needs rather than sending contradictory instructions.

Before the meeting ends, confirm the preferred direction, the changes to explore and the questions still outstanding. The Architects Registration Board highlights clear briefs, agreed services and good communication in its client guidance. Keep that conversation going as the design develops. Explore our selected residential projects for ideas, then discuss which qualities are relevant to your own home. A good review leaves you able to explain the next decision, not simply admire the next image.