At the best of times, the expense of moving house is daunting. In a cooler property climate, the trading-up market is noticeably less active, with owners asking the question: 'Do we really need to move house at all?'

Hidden potential There is hidden potential in every house, and a cost- effective way to release space is to re-configure the existing layout. A starting point is to ask yourself if every room is working as hard as it could?

Period properties, in particular, often suffer from a layout of a warren of rooms that no longer serve their original function.

'Knocking down the dividing wall' has been a hallmark of the property boom of the past decade with new owners of the classic Victorian house creating larger, more open and family-friendly living spaces.

But before hammer hits plaster in any project, it's sound advice to draw up the new layout on paper . . . and the best person to do that is a professional architect, particularly one who specialises in spatial planning. An initial consultation with an architect could cost in and around the 300 mark, but this could be a saving in the long run as a simpler reconfiguration plan may arise. An architect can also advise on any necessary planning or building regulations, or whether any alteration will affect the saleability or value of the property in a positive or negative manner.

Box Architects have worked on domestic projects in this area at the upper end of the housing market. "It's infinitely easier to move walls around on paper than it is in reality, " says Gary Mongey.

"With anyone hoping to remodel their existing space, we would first get them to think about the function of specific rooms. On paper, you can work out the pros and cons of removing walls and swapping rooms around."

Opening up space Neville Knott is something of a champion of the openplan layout, having re-configured the internal layout in his own home.

"It's quite straightforward, particularly in a modern apartment with stud partition walls.

"A really interesting way to approach it is not to remove the entire wall. For example, if there are double doors between a dining room and living room and you remove these, you are left with an arch. But it's much more interesting if you also remove the space from the top of the door frame right up to the ceiling . . . this leaves two rectangular forms either side.

These can be turned into an architectural feature with interesting lighting or funky wallpaper, " says Knott, who presents RTE's Showhouse series, and is also course coordinator of the BA in interior and furniture design at DIT.

"Your guest room is the most unused space in the house . . . why keep it solely for occasional use? There is an unwarranted reverence in Ireland for the traditional, three-bed home.

"In reality . . . particularly when a property is not destined for family use . . . converting the space to a large two-bed with a really luxurious bathroom or en-suite and dressing room is just as appealing.

"An attractive option, rather than having the ensuite as a tiny separate room, is to pull the bed more to the centre of the bedroom and put up a screen or partial wall behind the headboard.

"Placed behind this are the bathroom fittings . . . and modern bathrooms with their free-standing baths and state-of-the-art shower enclosures are too good to hide.

"A division like this, well planned, and with clever lighting, makes the bedroom more of an indulgent, private haven . . . and uses the space more efficiently."

Listed buildings There may be some red-tape issues if your house is listed, says Gary Mongey.

"If it's a protected structure, the owner may be limited in what can be altered.

Uncertainty as to whether a property is listed or not can easily be checked with a call to the local authority. If it is listed, the owner can apply for a certificate of exemption and this will make clear what they can, and can't, do."

Aside from conservation issues, if the property is terraced or semi-detached, then that could be problematic if party walls are affected. An owner would need 'negligence insurance', in case an adjoining property is damaged in any way.

This insurance is generally quite difficult to get, adds Mongey, and again, an architect can advise.

Turning back time Life, however, has an uncanny knack of upsetting the best-laid plans . . . what if eventually an owner decides they want to go back to the original? Can you reconfigure the open-plan back to a more conventional layout?

"If you haven't removed an entire internal wall, but left those partial structures either side of the walkthrough, then it could be possible to install glazed, sliding doors that recess back into what remains of the original wall either side, " says Knott.

"Glass is becoming more and more important in terms of internal walls and dividing spaces as it's so versatile and lets valuable light through more spaces."

>> Box Architects: 01-473 7106; www. box. ie
>> The Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland: 01-676 1703; www. riai. ie
>> Dublin City Council has a street by street list of the city's protected structures under the planning/conservation pages of its website:www. dublincity. ie