The Ricketts want more room in their detached house in Hinckley, Leicestershire, but money is tight, while the Ellises in Bristol hope to transform the damp basement of their small Victorian flat.

Buckinghamshire couple Edward and Louise Croft-Baker want to build a two-storey extension on the side of their property, but must overcome the problems caused by a two-metre sheer drop in their garden. Meanwhile, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Lindsey Adams, who was born with dwarfism, has a £40,000 budget for a kitchen extension - though her fears about doing the wrong thing mean she has made little progress on the project.

In north London the Siddiqis want to enlarge their home with not one but three extensions, while the Boyes in Sheffield are halfway through an ambitious £180,000 revamp.

In Surrey, Stuart Allan, his wife Fiona and their two daughters are desperate for more space. They have saved for nine years to turn their ugly duckling of a house into a New England-style dream home. In Liverpool, Vicky Holmstock has an untouched Grade II listed windmill that she dreams of turning into a luxury designer home. Vicky has submitted five planning applications, worked her way through four architects and still hasn't got her permission finalised.

In Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, three generations of the Franklin family live on top of each other in a cramped bungalow. They would love to own a spacious two storey house, but their budget doesn't stretch that far. Instead they decide to turn their current home into a family friendly haven. The Riglers in Sydenham, London are desperate to double their bedrooms and bathrooms. They can't build out, so they're building up into the loft. By doing so they will lose all storage space but Sarah is on hand to help them find clever solutions and keep the budget on track.

In Whitstable, on the Kent coast, Maureen Shaw aims to turn her run down 1960s bungalow into a four bed family home. But without a tight schedule, Sarah is worried that the budget might slip. In Christchurch, Dorset, Paul and Judith Turner are in the middle of a massive extension project, making for a longer house but without access to any natural light in the middle. Sarah is keen to come up with some practical solutions.