Grand Designs viewers were left stunned as one of the most famous properties ever seen on the series made a return - and looked almost unrecognisable.
Presenter Kevin McCloud revisited the lighthouse-inspired home in Devon, which had been under construction for more than a decade. It first appeared in a now-infamous episode of the Channel 4 show in 2019, dubbed the ‘saddest episode ever’ by viewers.
Kevin, 63, met Edward Short and his now ex-wife Hazel on the original episode as they were in the process of constructing the giant coastal home. Edward assured Kevin at the time that the project would be finished in just 18 months, at a cost of no more than £1.8 million - but the colossal task of building the property ended up leaving him £7million in debt and spelled the end of his 20-year marriage, The Mirror reports .
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The house was finally finished this year, taking 100 tons of steel to build, with Edward putting it on the market for a neat £10 million despite originally planning to live in it himself. Now called Chesil Cliff House, it looks worlds away from its unfinished state during its last Grand Designs appearance.
The whitewashed property has had floor-to-ceiling windows installed offering stunning views of the coast, and even boasts an infinity pool. There are several bedrooms inside, complete with stylish furnishings too.
Kevin branded the made-over house as “superb” as he was given a tour, adding: “Everything here is epic” - after branding the house in its first episode “a sad and cautionary tale about overreaching”. A Tweet from the official Grand Designs account read: “In the face of overwhelming odds, Edward pushed his dream to the end - and achieved the near impossible.”
And viewers were relieved to see that the famous house was finally complete. One viewer said on Twitter : “Great to see this build finished after so many years,” while another Tweeted: “Finally we all have closure on the saddest ever Grand Designs build”.
But many felt that it was a bittersweet ending to the saga. One fan added: “I've thought about this house many times over the years and I'm so glad it's finished, but the ending makes me feel sad. All that work to still never get your dream.”
“This episode ripped part of my soul tonight - so relieved to see it finished but just devastated for that family,” another said. “What a journey.”
Others questioned whether the many years - and bank-breaking amounts of money - it took to build the house was worth it. “It’s one of the worst ugly builds I’ve seen on this show,” one critic said on Twitter. “Not worth £10 million and the heartache that’s gone into it.”
Grand Designs continues on Channel 4 next Wednesday (October 26) from 9pm. You can catch up with the latest episodes on All4 .
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