Treasury Holdings is selling a house it built five years ago on a rare hilltop site in Howth which has stunning sea views

THE HILL of Howth is one of the city’s alpha addresses. It offers unparalled sea views, fresh air aplenty and a great sense of escape from the city.

Heather Cottage is a striking contemporary house that sits discreetly into the landscape on Upper Cliff Road, on the outskirts of Howth village. The five-bedroom detached house was built around five years ago by developer Treasury Holdings. It has since been rented out, and has now come on the market through Lisney asking €2.5 million.

The detached house is the last word in discretion. Its creator, Andrzej Wejchert of AD Wejchert and Partners, passed away last year but left his stamp, imbuing the house with a sense of place. Achieving planning permission in an area of spectacular beauty such as this proved difficult, and required several redrafts.

The restrained build pays homage to the area by cladding the detached house in local Howth Stone – a yellow ochre coloured sandstone – so it sits into the landscape.

It looks like a 21st century take on the traditional ring fort. The roof is covered in zinc and offers the next owner two roof terraces from which to take in the spectacular sea views that include Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island.

The house has a two-storey bedroom wing and a split-level single storey living wing, and has 270sq m (2,905sq ft) of space.

Heather Cottage offers splendid isolation but with every modern luxury. It’s sleek without having become a slave to any one fashion. The finish throughout is superb, but never shouty, resulting in a home that is aging very gracefully.

Large areas of glazing – double-glazed thermally broken aluminium framed windows – bring the outdoors in but don’t overexpose you to the elements. The underfloor heating is gas-fired with white oiled oak floors and Liscannor tiles throughout. The kitchen is at entrance level. It’s white and contemporary with siltstone countertops. An open doorway leads into a large diningroom, which overlooks the livingroom, itself divided into two distinct areas by a dual-fronted fireplace.

Every area of the house offers privacy. Three bedrooms are at entrance level with three more down a flight of stairs.

The present owners use the sixth room as an office.

It would also make a great playroom as there’s oodles of storage. The joinery, flooring, glass balustrades, open shelving and niches are all beautifully crafted including great hinged-door wardrobes in some of the bedrooms.

Given the roomy feel of the living quarters, the main bedroom feels small but has a big en suite that includes a flat-screen television above the bath.

The second bedroom has a roomy shower en suite and a glass sliding door to its own private terrace.

The largest double is downstairs and has an open wardrobe.

Each bedroom is en suite, with three of the five having baths. The bathrooms throughout are bigger and better than most hotels with top drawer Philippe Starck sanitaryware and Hansgrohe showers.

The house is set on 0.85 acres. A ring of wild gorse shields it from view on almost every side. The garden isn’t huge but is big enough to kick a ball around in.

The location offers the freedom to enjoy bracing winds and watch sea and yacht life surrounded by excellent golf and schools, as well as fast public transport links into the city.