A Grand Designs home dubbed the “saddest ever” has finally gone on sale 11 years after work started on it – but it’s still not finished.
The incredible Chesil Cliff House at Down End Point, a renowned beauty spot in North Devon, is a four-storey luxury clifftop home designed to look like a lighthouse.
It comes with panoramic sea views, a private beach, 60ft infinity pool and it’s very own ‘Storm Room’.
But whoever buys owner Edward Short’s five bedroom waterfront home will still have to add bathrooms, a kitchen, flooring and light fixtures – despite its £10 million price tag.
The home – which became one of the most infamous self-builds in the UK – also plunged Edward millions into debt and ended up costing him his marriage to wife Hazel.
Get all the biggest showbiz news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror Showbiz newsletter.
This means he has to sell and can never live in the dream house he set out to create over a decade ago.
A very different story to when the family appeared on Grand Designs in 2019 when Edward confidently told presenter Kevin McCloud he would spend no more than £1.8 million.
Even if the property sells for its asking price, music producer Edward is unsure whether he will break even.
The 54-year-old, who shares daughters Nicole, 22, and Lauren, 21, with his ex-wife, told The Times : “I can’t say, because the time from now to when we sell could be six to eight months and I’m racking up interest.”
Explaining his reason for ‘finishing’ the ill-fated project, he added: “I didn’t want to saddle the family with a failed building legacy.
“I didn’t want my wife and girls to be associated with my messed up dreams.”
Although the house tore their family apart, Edward says they are all “proud” of what he has achieved.
Former wife Hazel was the first person to swim in the new pool and was “blown away” when she saw what he had done with the house.
“I’ll always be proud to have finished this,” Edwards said. “I owe it to my family to have a real end result, but the time has come to move on. I will have achieved what I set out to do, never deviating from the plans, and for that I’ll always be proud.”
Edward himself has moved on and now has a new partner Jalia, an NHS nurse, who he lives with in Bath.
Although once the sale of Chesil Cliff House goes through, they plan to buy a place in Devon.
Property firm Knight Frank are selling the luxury home, which is made up of a main house and an annexe known as The Eye, so buyers have 5-8 bedrooms to play with.
Their website says: “If you’re looking for a waterfront property with the wow factor, this unique self-build project has it in (buckets and) spades.
“Set on a clifftop with panoramic views over popular Devon coastal spots, Croyde and Saunton Sands, the beautiful home has an infinity pool and 3 acres of land."
The listing adds: “The lighthouse-inspired, clifftop home in North Devon has private coastal access, sensational sea views and a separate annexe. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream home, and it could be yours.”
The property is set to feature in a new episode of Grand Designs, expected to air in the autumn.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
