Architect Dermot Bannon is back, bringing his signature vision to a diverse range of properties, while quantity surveyor Claire Irwin keeps the numbers in check with budgets ranging from €200,000 to €350,000. With building costs on the rise, Dermot, Claire and the homeowners juggle growing pressures, tough choices – and the occasional headache – as they fight to keep their dreams on track.
This season explores homes of every scale and condition, as families take on the challenge of downsizing, upsizing, and right-sizing for their next chapter!
From untouched time capsules to clever urban redesigns, the new series showcases: a 1990s three-bed semi-detached home in West Dublin, a quintessential "bungalow bliss" home in Co. Meath, a spacious four-bed family home in Raheny in need of major reimagining and a compact ex-council terraced house with big ambition in Harmonstown.
With budgets spanning €200k – €350k, Claire Irwin once again brings structure, clarity, and cost control to each project, ensuring dreams stay grounded in financial reality.
As always, Dermot's designs push boundaries – sparking debates, compromises, and the occasional surprise – but ultimately delivering homes tailored to each family’s needs and future plans.
Room to Improve returns 9:30pm, Sunday 4th January 2026 on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
EPISODE ONE – CLONSILLA
At Clonsilla in west Dublin, empty nesters Deirdre and Kieran Kelly plan to downsize from their spacious existing home to their beloved first home – a much smaller semi-d in a friendly neighbourhood that they couldn't bring themselves to sell 20 years ago.
To give Deirdre and Kieran the space they need to entertain friends and family, Dermot sets out to combine inside and outside with a triple-zoned ground floor, a glass corner extension and clever landscaping. Compromise becomes the watchword on this 'part downsize, part upsize’ project, as Kieran and Deirdre remove a chimney breast against Dermot’s advice, leaving QS Claire struggling to keep the costs under control. Meanwhile, with Kieran’s heart set on a ‘man cave’, Dermot introduces his client to the wonderful world of 21st century pergolas.
