A through-lounge and kitchen. You quoted £28,000 all-in. Week three they still have not paid anything and the steel is sitting at the merchant. Multi-stage is not “looking fancy.” It is not working as their bank.
Skeleton (house renovation)
| Stage | Done means | Example slice |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Deposit | Accepted, slot held | 10–20% to start |
| 1 Strip / enabling | Waste gone, structure visible | Labour + skips |
| 2 Structure / first fix | Steels, first-fix electrics/plumbing | As drawings |
| 3 Plaster / screed | Dry enough to second-fix | Wait times written |
| 4 Second fix / finish | Snag list, handover | Balance |
Worked (illustrative, not a price list):
| Stage | Ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Deposit (on acceptance) | £4,000 |
| Strip and enabling | £3,500 |
| Structure and first fix | £9,200 |
| Plaster and second fix | £7,800 |
| Finish and handover | £3,500 |
| Quote total | £28,000 |
Other trades on site belong in the stage they block. If the electrician is yours, they sit in first and second fix. If they are the client’s, write “client’s electrician — delays are not our prelims.” Provisional sums for unseen structure sit in enabling, not as a quiet hole in the grand total.
What people miss
Stages that only exist to invoice early. “Stage 1: thinking about it — 40%.” They will smell it. Stages have to be real work.
No “done” definition. Then every invoice is a row. Write what finished looks like.
Prelims hidden in the last stage. Scaffold and welfare run from day one. Put them where the cash actually sits.
Changing the job and not the stages. A new steel is a variation on that stage, not a vibe at handover.
Related guides
FAQ
- How many stages?
- As many as you can finish and invoice without looking greedy. Three to five is common on a house job. A bathroom can be two.
- Do I invoice VAT per stage?
- If you are registered, each invoice follows the same VAT treatment as the quote. Do not invent a different story mid-job.
- Client-supplied kitchen?
- A stage for “first fix ready for client’s kitchen” with a date they must miss at their cost. Do not eat their late delivery in your prelims.
- What if a stage overruns?
- If the scope changed, variation. If you underpriced, that is yours. Do not silently roll it into the next invoice.
