Analyse it

People often feel a sense of dissatisfaction with their home but can't really put their finger on it and tend to express it as a lack of space problem. They often conclude that they need an extension but don't really know why. Yet you can modify homes to improve them without undertaking a lot of building work. When you analyse it, the actual problem may be that the house is too dark, yet people feel that somehow by moving out into the garden, in an extension, they will rectify it.

Call in the architect

You need to assess the problem, find out what's wrong and why your home isn't giving you the kind of use you want. This is a good way to use an architect - you don't just have to use one for building work.

Open to suggestion

You have got to be prepared to be open and inventive in the way you think about the space, so that the end result may give you things you didn't anticipate at the outset.

Follow the sun

Many of my clients don't even know the orientation of their home, but this is really important when deciding how to use it effectively. If you're aware of where the sun is you can get the most out of it. Putting in new windows or roof lights can improve existing spaces enormously. It won't make the room feel bigger but the increased light will make it more attractive to be in.

The big picture

When you assess the problem you have to think of your total area, including the house and garden, because what's important is not just the available space but the perception of it. You may find that if you link a room with the garden you make it feel bigger.

A special space

Sometimes a bay window seat with a view over the street or next to the garden creates a special space and gives the room a whole different quality. Installing something small and well made, like a piece of jewellery in a house, can work like magic and transform your home.

Be ruthless

Lots of people find it very difficult to throw out furniture, even if they are not attached to it or think it's ugly, because they feel obliged to give it a place in their house - like granny's old dining table. You have to get over this if you are going to optimise your space. Most people have something which serves little purpose but occupies valuable space. You have to be ruthless.

Stairway to space

A house can be enormously improved by moving the stairs, although people are very reluctant to do this. One of my clients created a bathroom on the second floor of a small home by relocating the stairs to release what was formerly the upstairs hall.

Built-in storage

If you reduce the overall room size by installing built-in storage, you'll enjoy the space that's left more because you eliminate the feeling of clutter.

Knock the walls down

Sometimes its the scale of space that a house lacks. Its rooms may all have the same proportions so that you're limited to doing the same kinds of things in each one. Larger rooms give you more flexibility because they can be used in a number of different ways. Most houses need a decent sized space so that you can have friends in on a Saturday night or your family round for Christmas. So dividing rooms is rarely a good idea. A lot of small rooms in a house doesn't tend to improve it and certainly doesn't make it feel any bigger or enhance the quality of light. It is better to have one decent living space and three small bedrooms than two small living spaces and three small bedrooms. In this case you may need to consider knocking down an internal wall.

Eileen Fitzgerald is an architect who worked with Renzo Piano in Italy before taking up a post at the School of Architecture in UCD. She now runs her own practice.