Dermot's Top Five Tips

1. Light:
If you're planning an extension think about where the light is coming from. Light is the most important thing in any building. If the place doesn't have the proper sunlight you can throw you hat at it.

2. Function:
Make sure your functions relate to each other. Think how you will use the house. Maybe open plan will suit you and maybe it will not. So think holistically. See how you live your life and prioritise the rooms accordingly. If you don't cook very much there's no point in putting the kitchen at the back where the light and view is.

3. View:
Always maximise the views. For Room to Improve we did a house in Glasnevin that had a lovely south-west facing garden. There was a door at the back with two tiny windows and heavy blinds so you couldn't see the garden. If you have any kind of an outside space, make your house relate to it because it is another room.

4. Keep it pure and simple:
If you're planning an extension think about where the light is coming from. Light is the most important thing in any building. If the place doesn't have the proper sunlight you can throw you hat at it.

5. Proportion:
Everything has to be in proportion. Treat a room as a volume and not a plan: that is three-dimensional rather than two-dimensional. In practical terms, it means that a large room will require a higher ceiling so that you don't get that tunnel effect. The elevation of a wall is like a blank canvas - all windows and doors have to be in proportion to that space.