Edward Short built the house on Grand Designs (Image: Tom Wren SWNS)
Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud has recently shed light on what came to be known as the ‘saddest house ever’.
The infamous Chesil Cliff House in Croyde, Devon garnered its name after owner Edward Short faced numerous setbacks with the property that ultimately led to both personal and financial turmoil, including a failed marriage and a staggering £7million debt.
McCloud provided insights during an exclusive chat with us, revealing: “As far as I know, it’s still on the market. Ed is in neutral waiting for that to happen. He’s very busy.”
He also reflected: “I don’t think he’s suffering in the way he was. When we did a revisit to that project, and the original was about overreaching, to an extent he was far more humble about it and there was a degree of resolution I guess. That’s the best way of describing it.”
The television presenter looked beyond the construction woes, highlighting a valuable life lesson embedded in Ed’s experience for viewers dealing with their own adversities: “Ed’s story shows if you screw up, it’s not the end of the world. Only the end of the world is the end of the world and everything else can be dealt with,” he commented poignantly.
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The ‘saddest ever’ Grand Designs house looks very different now (Image: Match Property)
Concluding his update, McCloud put things into perspective by comparing the challenges encountered by those featured on the show, saying: “It was a sad story but we’ve got people with terminal cancer and people who lost partners sometimes during the filming process, and you come to realise the problems they face – not having enough money, being in by Christmas – these are all not important.
“They’re huge in the moment but when you’re dealing with a life threatening illness and it’s going to knock years off their time here, actually there are far more important things on the planet to deal with.”
Thought to be currently on the market, the house has been touted as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for the prospective buyer.
Kevin McCloud has given an update (Image: Channel 4 / Malgosia Czarniecka Lonsdale.)
The advertisement boasts: “The property represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to take on and finish the specification and fit out one of the UK’s most spectacularly situated coastal homes.”
Detailing the unique features, the description continues: “The bespoke design has been brought to life through impressive engineering, with the building being anchored to the bed rock, blending whitewashed elevations with steel and glass, culminating with a lighthouse feature at one end giving almost 360 degree views of the coastline. The location combines privacy with a diverse range of breath-taking views, all set in around 3 acres, which includes a large area of foreshore, a private tidal beach area and coves.”
Sadly, the stress of the property build and spiralling costs resulted in the end of Edward’s 20-year marriage to Hazel.
Kevin McCloud was speaking ahead of at NEC Birmingham, the UK’s premier home and design exhibition, taking place from 2-6 October.