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Daily Mirror
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John James & Joel Leaver & Tom Bevan

Grand Designs 'saddest house ever' owner says he's 'cursed' as he reveals latest setback

The owner of an unfinished property which featured on the "saddest episode ever" of Grand Designs has said he feels "cursed" after revealing yet more delays to the project.

Edward Short, 52, has been working on the beachside Chesil Cliff House in Devon for more than a decade, with him now saying it's nearly in a position to finally go on the market.

The property was showcased on the popular Channel 4 renovation programme in 2019, with viewers saying it was the "saddest episode ever" after the completion of the build was hindered by a series of setbacks.

Talking to the Daily Star, Edward said: "It is not finished yet but it is due to go on the market in May or June so hopefully we are near the finish line."

Edward Short and his unfinished property, pictured in 2019, previously appeared on Grand Designs (Tom Wren SWNS)

He added the latest setback is the tiling of the swimming pool as the temperature needs to be above nine degrees.

Edwards also plans to retarmac the drive after all the lorries have vacated the property, with him then expected to be in a position to finally open it up to bidders.

He added: "After the monster years I have been on it, this doesn't really feel like a delay, I think I'm only about a month behind schedule on the finish.

The property is still under construction (SWNS)

"I've been doing this build for more ten years - so have gone past headaches now and built a lot of resilience, it's nothing too bad though, also for somewhere like this, if you pick a month to market it is always better to do it in the summer."

Over the years, the project has strained Edward's finances and personal life, with it understood he separated from his wife and the family plunged into debt from the spiralling costs.

The property, pictured in 2019, was the focus of what was described as the 'saddest episode ever' of the Channel 4 show (Tom Wren SWNS)

The swimming pool tiling is the latest delays to the project, which has had a number of setbacks including the banking crisis and a struggle to get materials - as a result of the pandemic and isolation restrictions.

Edward however remains optimistic as he told the publication the tiling the pool is the "very last thing" to sort but added the list of delays has sometimes made him feel like he is "cursed".

The property, pictured last year, is said to be almost ready to go on the market (Edward Short / SWNS)
Edward said tiling the pool is one of the final jobs to complete (SWNS)

He added some previous reports of it going on the market last year "seemed to jump the gun," stating that it should be ready for potential bidders by the end of May.

The father-of-two - who has worked with property consultancy Knight Frank - said the property in Devon was "only ever going to go on the market when it was finished."

Edward, pictured in 2019, has said he feels 'cursed' by all the delays to the project (SWNS)

The main property comprises of five bedrooms and bathrooms, four reception rooms, a sauna and a cellar. There's also a three bedroom studio annex as well as a double garage.

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Edward said the two properties were being split in two, with the £10 million guide price for both. He said it would equate to around £8 million and £2 million the buildings.

It's hoped the property will be on the market later this year (Edward Short / SWNS)
It's been under construction for around a decade (Edward Short / SWNS)

Edward said he has no option but to sell the property to cover the amount he had borrowed, with the total costs of the project expected to reach £6 million.

A spokesperson for Knight Frank has described the property as "iconic," with them speculating it is expected to "attract keen interest globally" when it finally does go on the market.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

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