On a sunny day it seems as if the whole of Howth is on holiday. They're enjoying seafood lunches and sipping chilled drinks from glasses frosted with droplets of condensation at the Bloody Stream beside the Dart Station, while halfway up the road to Howth Hill, the back garden of Heath House is basking in the spring sunshine.

There’s a patio, lawn, and a rill of water that can be illuminated to throw patterns of light and shadow on the walls above.

It’s all lovely enough to inspire jealousy in the neighbours, I think; except that, in this case, the owners were the neighbours.

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Living next door until five years ago, they designed their dream home, had it built, and moved on over – bringing that idea of keeping up with the Joneses to a whole new level. So what, I wonder, did they improve on, from one house to the next?

“This is much more open,” the owner says. “You can go into separate rooms, but there’s a lot of glass, so you can see who’s about, and who’s doing what. We also made indoors and outdoors connect more, so there’s a great deal of light and airiness.”

They were also careful to protect the mature trees on the site, so that in one of the front bedrooms upstairs, you look out onto a world of foliage. “We call that one the tree house,” says the owner.

The house is high spec, with underfloor heating both downstairs and up, with setting controls for individual rooms. There’s an integrated sound system, video intercom for the electronic gates, and (my favourite) a wine fridge that chills the white, while keeping reds at a steady 12 degrees. A great deal of thought has gone into creating a house that works well, while providing a sense of style and ease.

Downstairsthe accommodation includes a study, sitting room and more formal dining room, and a large kitchen with space for sitting, that opens up to the garden and patio. There are cupboards everywhere so, as the owner says, you get to “feel as if you’re tidy and organised”, which is handy as the house is finished with that high-shine polished stone and wood look that doesn’t welcome the general dishevelled chaos that many of us don’t manage to rise above – whatever our intentions.

A dramatic Art Deco-inspired wooden stair leads to the five bedrooms, including the main bedroom, which is en suite, and possibly larger than some city-centre studio apartments.

A six-bed house in nearby Thormanby Woods sold in late 2012 for €1 million. While the phrase “trophy home” can be overused, if you have the money and feel like rewarding yourself, Heath House, with its views of the Hill of Howth, could be just the ticket.