THE owner of a disastrous Grand Designs lighthouse which took almost 11 years to build has revealed his nightmare is not yet over.
Edward Short, who racked up debts of £7million building the coastal home, says he could be skint by Christmas unless a buyer is found.
Edward ran up massive debts to finish the luxury lighthouse-inspired house. In 2019 it was still half-finished
Edward loves the completed build but will sadly never live in it after racking up massive debts
One Direction star Harry Styles has shown an interest in the property but so far no deal has been made.
The brochure for the house, which also cost Edward his marriage, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times by potential buyers and nosey Grand Designs viewers.
But Edward, originally of Plymouth, told The Celeb Report: “The fact is, I still don’t know if I’ll end up with £1 or do alright until we get those final bids in.
“There are two possible end games here. Either a happy one or a very sad Christmas tree job coming up at the end of the year.”
The pad also caught the eye of Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard Matt Fiddes but music producer Edward blasted him as a “time waster.”
Fiddes said he wanted to convert the building into 12 luxury flats but then failed to make an offer.
Edward started building Chesil Cliff House and its annex known as The Eye, in North Devon, in 2011.
It was meant to take 18 months to build but when Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud visited it in 2019 it was a “carcass” which he described as looking like a wreckage on a sea shore.
Edward split with wife Hazel due to the pressure of the build – although his daughters say they may have broken up anyway
The stunning build boasts an infinity pool
Kevin this week returned for a catch-up and viewers were amazed to see Edward had finally finished the house – but has to sell up because investors want their cash back.
The pressure of the build caused his marriage to fashion buyer Hazel to collapse but it has now gone on the market for £10 million.
Edward says he felt “disappointed” watching the ‘Revisited’ episode because he felt the show went over too much old ground.
Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud described it as a “carcass” in 2019
Viewers were also struck by the transformation of Edward and Hazel’s two daughters – who were young teens when they first appeared on screen in 2016.
Lauren, now 21, and Nicole, 22, told how they were relieved the house had finally been finished – and claimed their parents probably would have split eventually anyway.
Edward said he watched it with Hazel and Steve, her new boyfriend, to make sure they could phone the girls to “check they were alright” afterwards.
He says: “The girls are very relaxed and confident and strong – as a parent that’s all you want from your children.
Growing up in Grand Designs’ most famous build. Lauren, 24, and Nicole, 22, grew up amid the chaos of the build
Edward and his daughters with Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud
“Lauren watched it but Nicole’s in New Zealand so hasn’t seen it yet. I know it goes to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America, in all 52 countries.
“So it’s a huge amount of exposure and we need to see what comes back.
“Lauren was very, very pleased and a bit relieved. I think they’ve done quite a bit of work with her on camera and I think she was worried about some things that she shouldn’t be worried about.
“But for Hazel and me, it was quite a choking moment when you suddenly see your children at ages you can just about remember, but it just seems so far away.
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“They’re sitting there on a bunk bed at age 10 or 11 and then coming home from school, and now they are young women of the world.
“So it’s quite a long time span and that really brings it home. It’s a proper punch.”
