Lisney is guiding £2.5 million prior to auction for The Paddock, a 4,700 sq. ft four-bedroom house on almost nine acres on the southern slopes of Howth Head. At the end of a long driveway and screened from the road by newly planted birch trees, it is at the Carrickbrack end of St Fintan's Road, on Middle Mountain. Agent Peter Kieran's guide prices is on the cautious side, given its superb location on one of the best sites on the Howth peninsula.

The house enjoys wonderful sea views from virtually all its rooms. On a clear day you can see the Wicklow Hills, the Mourne Mountains and Wales, with views over the city to the West. Howth's famous Red Rock is a landmark on the eastern side. Woods and grassy banks sweep down almost to the shoreline where the owners have donated a narrow coastal strip to the County Council to ensure its preservation. Designed by architect Brian O'Halloran, the house was built five years ago.

The south-facing living quarters and the four double bedrooms are separated from the bedroom wing by a double-height rotunda which forms an imaginative inner hallway. Rustic brick and reclaimed Bangor slates have been used on the exterior. Concealed radiators, antique pine flooring, hand-made bookshelves - no expense has been spared to create something special to complement the landscape.

There is a long formal drawing-room in the centre of the house with old timber floorboards and a marble fireplace. Off an inner hallway is a dining-room, study, cosy family sitting-room and a big country-style kitchen with every conceivable appliance.

There is a utility room and a cloakroom by a side entrance door. A conservatory off both kitchen and family room has a tiled floor and doors to a slate terrace. The flow of the rooms is particularly suited to entertaining. The bedroom wing is on the opposite side of the hallway. There are three double bedrooms on the ground floor, each with bathroom en suite, and a huge main bedroom and bathroom upstairs. This room has separate dressing and seating areas and bird's eye views over Dublin Bay and the city. The large attic is suitable for conversion.

All the time, the eye is drawn outwards to the picture-postcard views. A detached garage with a storage area overhead has an outside lavatory and a log-store.

The paddock and hill garden are nicely landscaped, with several species of trees and flowering shrubs. A pathway winds from the back lawn down to a birch wood skirting the sea.