Ailish and Patrick Bates are a young couple running out of space - fast! They live in a small 3 bedroomed bungalow in Ballinteer, Dublin 16.

Peter, Lisa and their twins Grace and Louise (9) live in a four-bed house in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.

There's only one thing wrong with the Declan and Anne Conlon's bungalow in Edenderry, Co Offaly and that's the entire ground-floor layout.

Marie Duffy moved into her Victorian townhouse off the South Circular Road four years ago. Her friends all thought she was mad to buy it because there was so much work to be done.

Declan and Judy Cadwell from Clontarf share a small terraced home with their three sons, Christopher 19, Ross 17 and Jake 13. But only just.

This week, Dermot comes to the rescue of Cathy and Michael Keane who bought their house when it was being used as a cowshed.

In programme two of the brand new series of Room to Improve Dermot is in Timahoe, Portlaoise with Dolores and Donal O'Connell.

Room to Improve starts with Martina Mullin and Padraig Whelton, recently married and are living in a dark, dreary ex-council house in Donnycarney.