Anita Merritt visited a hill-top home near Teignmouth which has more in its favour than just a fabulous view of the sea.

I WOULDN'T know whether it's true that money can't buy you happiness, but what I am certain of is that it can help you to build the house of your dreams.

Hazel Bale is the picture of contentment as she proudly shows me around her exceptional and luxurious six-bedroom home set in eight acres of grounds in Higher Exeter Road, Teignmouth.

Since coming on the property market a short while ago it has understandably caused a huge stir because of its uniqueness and strong architectural design that provokes a 'wow' reaction.

Luckily Hazel is good at visualising because she knew the hilltop location with a sea view had the potential for something special.

For three years, Hazel and her husband Tony, who run a family business in liquid waste management based in Honiton, looked for the perfect property, and their search finally brought them full circle.

Hazel recalled: "We wanted a house that was by the sea with an indoor swimming pool, a music room – because everyone plays an instrument or one kind or another in our family – and I wanted an Aga. That was our wish-list but we couldn't find anything that fitted it.

"We had previously come to view the 1930s house and land that was here in the past, but at that time you couldn't see the sea view because there was lots of fir trees on the hillside and the owner was trying to get planning permission to sub-divide the plot.

"We crossed it off the list, then two years later we heard it was being sold as a single plot. The estate agent convinced us to go back for another look. The trees had been cut down and suddenly you could see the view and that was it – we had found where we were going to live."

Neither Tony or Hazel were put off or daunted by the fact that they had no experience of building a house.

"It was a huge building project to take on as your first new build," admitted Hazel, whose previous home was on a farm.

"But we had a lovely architect and some very good builders and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had no preconceived ideas: We just wanted to make the most of the view.

"We have bent the shape of the house to see the view more. It's a beautiful spot in stunning grounds. The previous owners ran a plant nursery and planted the garden from scratch and it is just beautiful.

"The experience of a new build was not stressful – I loved it and luckily I was not working at the time.

"We wanted a house to accommodate all our four children and five grandchildren and one on the way! Our home has always been the hub of the family and we wanted to be able to have all the family here. The most we've had is 24 people sleeping at the house and no one slept on the floor. That was brilliant."

The versatile accommodation extends over three floors to include a superb lower ground floor swimming pool and leisure space.

But far from being completely hidden away, the galleried dining room above has a section of glass floor looking down onto the pool. It is just one of many unique features of the house that make it so special.

As beautiful as the house is, what makes it even more endearing is the emphasis placed on comfortable family life rather than pristine, show-home living. It means that despite its size it still feels cosy and relaxing, and clever little touches have been added to make life easier. These include a laundry chute running from the top of the house to the utility room downstairs, two dishwashers, a shower tray and hose for their dogs, and a sophisticated music system running throughout the house.

It also has a secure "secretly" accessed extensive basement hiding beneath the lower ground floor, with ample space for a wine collection and plenty of room to spare.

The house took 18 months to build and after two-and-half years of living in their dream home, Tony has grown so fond of the sea view that he now wants to get closer to it, and Hazel admits she is itching to experience that same excitement of building a new home again. "Knowing what I know now I want to do it again and Tony wants to be able to walk down the garden and put his toe in the water," said Hazel. "I've found a couple of possibilities which I'm quite excited about. If I can be that excited about a new project then I know it's the right decision to move on."

Longpark House is being sold through Wilkinson Grant & Co for £3m. For details call 01392 427500.