Double Your House for Half the Money

Sarah Beeny meets newlyweds Andrew and Angharad in Northamptonshire and Vicki in Sussex, who needs more space for her two small kids. In Church Brampton, Northamptonshire, newlywed couple Andrew and Angharad Garner bought a country home with a problem - it had a neighbour's access alley running along the side wall of the house. To put it simply, if they build an extension, they will have to leave an alleyway running slap bang through the middle of their house. In East Preston, Sussex, single mum Vicki Thorne is in need of a workable home for her typically energetic four-year-old and for his big sister six-year-old Iona-May, who has (quadriplegic) cerebral palsy. Vicki and her mum have spent the last two years raising the funds from donations to pay for the £60,000 needed for the building work.

Jackie and Russell want to extend their rundown 1930s semi in Cheshire, while in Bristol Neil and Anita plan a granny flat for Anita's mum and dad. Jackie and Russell are desperate to get to work on the property they bought three years ago with a view to extending. But soon after their purchase, Russell lost his job, work never started, and they've been camping ever since in a house which is totally unsuitable. But now the plans for a gigantic extension are back on, only for disaster to strike yet again halfway through the build when Russell loses his job for a second time.

Young couple Richard and Sarah bought a picture perfect cottage in Ardens Grafton in the lovely Warwickshire countryside, which, like many rural properties, has been extended, bit-by-bit over time. The result is a hotchpotch of buildings extending out from the original Victorian house and ending with a side extension bolted on in the 1950s. Richard and Sarah have a limited budget, so to save cash they're doing the demolition themselves, which unearths a few problems. And in the gorgeous seaside town of Whitstable, Kent, Paul and Laura plan to dramatically transform their 1930s terrace. Using a long-saved but limited budget, they want to build an extension that will give them twice the space - but remain as ecologically friendly as possible.

Builder Greg Pritchard and his wife Jo bought their barely habitable Bracknell property four years ago. But with the arrival of baby Sam progress trickled to a halt. Greg and Jo have an amazing view, but the challenge is to design a property to do it justice. In Cheshire, recruitment director Becky and mechanical engineer Mark Ridley live in a 200-year-old cottage with their two children. They want to add a massive extension and give it a modern revamp while making the most of its original charm.

Two families hope to save cash and supersize their homes. In Ascot, the Ioannidis family want to create a multigenerational home by doubling their 50s semi-detached house. Daughter Helena and her fiancé Andy are paying the mortgage and parents Paris and Zanette are funding the build from their life savings. Sparks fly from the start between daughter Helena and father Paris, who also project manages the build. In Maidstone, Ben and Eloise Barratt want to double the living space in their cramped 1960s detached home. As well as having a new baby on the way, web-business owner and salesman Ben is piling on the pressure by project managing the build himself.