Sometimes a permanent sea view is not always guaranteed, building work can encroach on your view and extensions and rooftops can start to appear in your picture perfect coastal outlook.
There's no better way to secure the 'forever' sea view than to live in a lighthouse - the gulls' nests are the only nearby homes to worry about.
But a lighthouse, as with other unique homes with a former function, are not only rare to the market but can be a challenge to convert into a modern home.
However, for someone with abundant vision and arguably a budget to match, a windmill, lighthouse or industrial structure can be a truly unique building to transform and call home.
The Old Lighthouse at St Anne's Head, Dale just might be a unique enough proposition to tempt someone away from a conventional home in the city.
Situated at the mouth of the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire this is a building that not only guarantees spectacular sea views, especially from the top of its tower, but also offers a new owner a chance to indulge in their own interior design style inside and create an incredible dream home by the sea.
According to the Trinity House website, a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, the mouth of the deep water estuary has been lit since 1714 via two leading lights, a pair of beacons used in navigation built apart and usually small towers.
The website states the owner of the land, Joseph Allen, agreed to build two lighthouses and keep them in good repair. The two towers were built and coal fires lit in June 1714.
To assist in the cost of the maintenance of the lights, Allen was allowed to collect a fee from the shipmasters at Milford Haven of one penny per ton of cargo on British vessels and two pence on foreign vessels.
It is thought that this particular lighthouse for sale was the rear light of the two towers and was decommissioned in 1910.
Both lighthouse sites still remain, albeit not as they were originally built, so for any lighthouse enthusiasts St Anne's Head in Pembrokeshire is an exciting place to visit.
But you don't have to love a lighthouse to love the thought of what living in one could be like.
This lighthouse, looking more like a look-out tower these days, has been converted into a property that not only optimises the stunning sea views but is set-up to be as sociable and fun as possible.
The tower has been surrounded by single-storey buildings that house some surprises, including an indoor swimming pool with its own incredible sea views to enjoy while you paddle in the pool plus a sauna and even a mini hot tub.
The pool might not be the biggest ever built inside a house but arguably it's the biggest built inside a lighthouse.
The centre of the property (and arguably the heart of the home) is an open-plan kitchen, dining and lounging area all zoned around a central brick fireplace and electric log burner that is surely an inviting spot to linger when the temperatures plummet.
The kitchen is tucked away next to the round base of the tower and has a built-in breakfast bar that is curved, mimicking the curved shape of the adjoining structure.
In fact this whole room can boast a unique, jaunty shape, with visual angles enhanced by the pattern created above by the ceiling beams.
Of course there are amazing views out of each window, and these can be fully accessed by wandering outside onto the clifftop terrace.
From blazing sun to blowing a gale, this area of the property must be an enticing place to experience all the weather this west Wales location can throw at you.
At the top of the tower is the viewing gallery with plenty of room for multiple seating areas.
Maybe this is a newer addition as the design does not seem to conform to the usual layout and massive windows of a conventional lighthouse, as seen just a few hundred metres down the country lane to the lighthouse at the end of St Anne's Head.
Whatever the history of this section of the tower, it can definitely claim the best views in the property.
Obviously from its elevated position the views are uninterrupted and stretch for miles along this rugged coastline in both directions.
For anyone a bit nervous of heights or those who are not keen on climbing the stairs to the top, there is a ground floor, indoor viewing area at the base of the tower that looks out over the fields of St Anne's Head to the coast and sea beyond.
Part of the lighthouse ground floor buildings is a self-contained three bedroom annexe called Lighthouse Cottage, that has been rented out as a holiday let.
In fact over the years, the site has been an eight bedroom escape to the coast for holiday makers as a whole property or as two separate rentals.
For the new owner there are a variety of options to consider, as the location certainly lends itself to at least partially renting to guests, but wouldn't it be wonderful to be selfish and keep the lighthouse all to yourself?
The location of the lighthouse within the region is a good base for exploring the county, from coastal path walks and the pretty harbour village of Dale just on the doorstep to the beautiful blue flag beaches of St Bride's Bay just a short drive away.
St David's, Tenby, Pembroke and Haverfordwest are all easily accessible for a day out offering historic sites and a choice of restaurants, pubs and shops.
The lighthouse is for sale for a guide price of £995,000 with Purplebricks, call 0800 810 8008 to find out more.
