If you’re thinking about renovating – there’snever been a better time. Ben Murnanespoke to architect Dermot Bannon, of RTE’sRoom to Improve, to get his top tipsthe sewing room could become oneroom and then you have an extra roomto make part of the living space.”

Sometimes, people find half theirhouse is dark while the other half facesthe light; for example, the kitchen andliving area might be dull and drearywhile the bedrooms are nice andbright. In this case, Dermot would rec-ommend flipping the house around:putting the bedrooms where thekitchen is and the kitchen where thebedrooms are. After all, you only useyour bedrooms at night – it doesn’tmatter so much if they’re dark!

“If you are adding an extension,think about how much extra space youneed. Again, an architect can gothrough that with you.”

Another thing to consider is the ageof the building. “There’s a huge differ-ence between doing work on a housethat’s 10 years old and on one that’s 110years old,” continues Dermot. “Be con-scious of the condition of everything in

your house: heating, plumbing,electrics. And then for older houses,the general condition of the build.” Allof this will affect renovation.

Despite the economic situation, thisis a good time to renovate, according toDermot – because builders’ prices havedropped, and there are many sales andbargains on offer. There are also a fewbasic things you can do to reduce yourcosts.

“If you’re able to do the legwork,source materials and plan things your-self in the initial stages, you can save alot of money. I’ve noticed that a lot onRoom to Improve this year – clientshave gone out and done the legwork,shopped around and saved themselvesa fortune.”

Particularly if your house is an olderbuilding, you can make huge savingsover the long term by upgrading yourBuilding Energy Rating as you reno-vate. “If you’re going to be rippingapart your kitchen, you may as well

insulate it, and maybe get that newboiler. It’s a good time to do it.” All thisis good for reducing your carbon foot-print – but you will also see the savingsin your own pocket when your home ismore energy efficient.

Finally – what can we expect fromthe fourth series of Room to Improve,beginning next month?

“It’s a very different series this year,”Dermot enthuses. “All the develop-ments we worked on before wereexempt from planning permission –but this year we’ve had longer to workon the series so we’ve gone for plan-ning permission. It’s really opened upthe possibilities for what we can do.I’m very excited about it!”

The new series of Room to Improvebegins on RTE One in April.For more information on DermotBannon Architects visit www.dermotbannonarchitects.com

INSIDEOUT08

RENOVATE

MAKING A

SPACE“Try and link

an outside spacewith an inside

space – that’s thecheapest and most

efficient way to create a feeling of

bigger space”

Home improvement, says Dermot Bannon, “is a bit likeacupuncture – a small inter-jection somewhere can have a huge effect”.

The architect and star of RTE One’srenovation series Room to Improve iscurrently filming the fourth series ofthe popular show, which will reach ourscreens in April. He’s taken time outfrom his hectic schedule to chat aboutways to add space, warmth and light toyour home.

The first thing to do, Dermot tellsme, is analyse what you have and whatyou need. If you’d like to add a feelingof more space, often an extension isnot necessary.

“The first thing that will increase theappearance of size and the generalambience of your home is light,” saysDermot. “Even just knocking out a walland putting in some glass will give theperception of increased space, andmake a much brighter room. Try andlink an outside space with an insidespace – that’s probably the cheapestand most efficient way to create a feel-ing of bigger space.

“I’m a big fan of skylights – they’re agreat way of bringing in light. If youlive in a house with high boundarywalls around it, sometimes the onlyway to get extra light in is through theroof. Skylights are perfect for that.They can really throw light into themiddle of a room. I’ve got rooflights inmy own house and I wouldn’t be with-out them.”

You should also look at whetheryou’re using all your rooms to their fullpotential.

“You might be under-using half ofyour house. An architect can gothrough your needs with you, examinehow you use the different spaces. Canyou double up some of the functions?Do you have an office and a sewingroom, for example – and they’re neverused at the same time? The office and