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The owner of the “saddest ever” Grand Designs house has revealed that it not only destroyed his 20-year marriage but also left him a “minus millionaire”.
What began as an ambitious project to create a sprawling art deco family home based on the original lighthouse in Croyde, Devon, ended up as a nightmare situation for Edward Short – and it is still not over.
Despite sinking over a decade and millions of pounds into the property, it remains unsold after first hitting the market for £10m in February 2022 – and reportedly catching the eye of potential buyers including Harry Styles.
However, the property which Short began building in 2012 was still incomplete, without bathrooms or a kitchen and a sale failed to materialise.
While the price has since been reduced to £5.25m this year, Short has admitted that unless he replaces the crumbling driveway, he believes the luxury property will remain unsold.
Cecil Cliff House had an initial budget of £1.8m over an 18-month timeframe, but due to the building’s complicated location, costs soon spiralled.
Grand Designs followed Short as he continued to borrow money and his initial £1.8m loan increased to £2.5m and then to £4m.
The situation was so bad that his daughters, Nicole and Lauren, actually held car boot sales in a bid to raise the money needed for the ambitious project.
By the time it appeared on Grand Designs in 2019, Edward’s marriage was over because of the stress the build put on the family, although he and his former wife Hazel remain good friends.
Short stressed that while the house was a significant factor in the breakdown of his marriage, it was not the only reason he parted ways with his wife.
Now six years on from its appearance on the show, Short is in debt “a lot higher than £5.25m and plans to borrow a further £2m to replace the crumbling driveway.
“I’ve managed to turn to the dark side and become a minus millionaire,” he told The Sun.
“Mentally I already know I’ve lost everything I put into the house so it would have to be a miracle upon miracles but the only exit plan, in my opinion, is to build a new entrance. Without that, I don’t think it will sell.”
The house, which is inspired by luxury Spanish villas, has attracted criticism from locals who have argued that it looks out of place compared to the original 1950s home, which Edward purchased with the site for £1.4m in 2009.
It contains several impressive features including panoramic lighthouse-esque views, an infinity pool and a private beach cove.
The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, so it is a spacious abode for whoever takes it off Short’s hands.
Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud admitted earlier this year that the situation was so dire when filming the 2019 episode that he was more worried about Short than the fate of his grand design.
At Grand Designs Live at London ExCel he said: “I had more concerns about Ed’s wellbeing and his family’s wellbeing. But yes, I did have concerns about the house halfway through.
”It was unfinished, and because he couldn’t proceed with works. The water was getting in and it cost him tens of thousands of pounds to remediate the steelwork and glazing because it was damaged. The building wasn’t fully watertight and that’s a great shame.”
At the start of the episode, which was dubbed the “saddest ever” by viewers, McCloud admitted: “If a lighthouse has a single message that it shouts out, it is this: ‘Stay away – or risk destruction.”
Short ultimately described the property as a “messed up dream” and said he would always feel bad about what he put his former wife and family through in its pursuit.
