One of Grand Design’s most infamous builds, a lighthouse-inspired mansion that plunged its owner into a £7m debt, has finally been completed – and its creator said he cannot wait to sell it and “close the chapter” on the construction.
It was dubbed the “saddest ever episode” by viewers, and for years it appeared Chesil Cliff House, in Devon, might not reach completion.
The expensive decade-long build cost Edward Short from Devon his marriage as well as his bank balance.
Now the house is on the market for £10m – despite not having either a kitchen or bathrooms fitted, a decision which Mr Short says will allow new owners to “put their own stamp” on the place.
But what it lacks in utilities it makes up for with its own private beach cove, panoramic sea views, and an infinity pool, and it has already begun to attract interest from potential buyers.
Mr Short first bought the cliffside house in 2008 and appeared alongside his then-wife Hazel on Grand Designs in 2018. At the time, he was making good money as a record executive, but things began to take a turn when streaming and downloading replaced physical CDs, and the cost of the project began to climb.
After knocking down the original house, and with a budget of £1.8m and expected completion of 18 months, things quickly spiraled out of control.
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“I was borrowing, borrowing, borrowing. I got my masters in borrowing,” he told Sky News.
“Now I just need my PhD in paying it all back.”
He said every pound he put into the house did add value, but it eventually reached a point where it would be too expensive for the family to move in, forcing it to be sold upon completion.
The couple and their two daughters lived on site for seven years “living and breathing” the construction.
“It took away the stability that we had got so used to. That was a lot of motivation to make sure it got finished,” said Mr Short.
Once the sale is complete, he said he hopes to pay back Hazel and “give her some stability” again.
New Grand Designs episode will ‘close the chapter’
A lot of the issues came down to the house’s location, with money poured into specialist mining equipment. Throughout all of it, Mr Short refused to be swayed from the house’s original design, much to the surprise of Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud.
McCloud has returned with a crew to film a second episode on the house, to be aired this autumn, which Mr Short said will “close the chapter” on the build.
“I think we all have post-traumatic build disorder. I want to sell it and move on,” said Mr Short.
However, despite the problems and the fact he has “many regrets” about the project, the thought of selling is still bittersweet.
“I thought it was going to be easy to sell,” he said. “But it’s getting harder.
“When we had the hot spell, I thought the best place to be was down by the [infinity] pool, and it was like living a life I never could have imagined.”
The ‘saddest ever’ house has a happy ending
But Mr Short said he hopes the house can lose its “saddest ever” tag – insisting the family have all found their happy endings.
He is engaged again and said he is “in love at a level that I did not know I had in me”.
His ex-wife has also found a new partner and he said all four are friends.
“I am proud we have managed to keep our family together, even if it looks different from when we started,” he said.
