A lighthouse-inspired home that featured on an episode of Grand Designs fans labelled the 'saddest ever' has gone on the market after its owner was forced to sell.
The ambitious build in Croyde, Devon, which put a huge strain on Edward Short's personal life and resulted in the break-up of his marriage, is finally nearing completion a decade after work first began.
The Chesil Cliff House appeared on Grand Designs in 2019, following Edward and his family on a journey plagued by misfortune, leaving the home unfinished and the family plunged into millions of pounds worth of debt.
Despite separating from his wife Hazel, the 52-year-old remained unwavering in his determination to get the job done, and with the finish line now in sight, Edward has admitted he will be forced to sell his idyllic cliff-top home.
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The home is due to be completed at the end of 2021, and property consultancy Knight Frank has announced the main house and its annexe, known as The Eye, will then go on the market with a guide price of £10million.
Edward, a dad-of-two, said he had no option but to let it go to cover the large sums of money he borrowed during the build, revealing that total costs were set to reach £6million.
"I'll always be proud to have finished this," he 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."
Saying that he previously apologised to locals who were fed up of seeing the unfinished project looming large on the cliff, he continued: "These past ten years have been a marathon slog - and I have got used to being a millionaire in debt.
"I've accepted the only way forward is to finish and sell it.
"I had no idea it would end up costing so much but I've accepted now that I'm never going to be able to live in it because I have money I need to pay back.
"It was my over-confidence and arrogance that got me here in the first place so I'm doing what I need to do.
"Even though I'll be selling it, I'm still finding it so exciting to see this concrete skeleton finally coming together into a beautiful building."
Edward's creation has been anchored into the bed rock of the cliff and painstakingly engineered to ensure there is no possibility that it could be endangered by erosion.
Property agents Frank Knight expect the five bedroom home to attract "global interest", boasting four reception rooms, a sauna and a cellar, as well as a three-bedroom studio annexe known as The Eye.
Christopher Bailey, Head of Waterfront at Knight Frank, said: "It is iconic in the true meaning of the word and there is nothing else to compare it to on the market right now.
"It certainly sits at the very top of the national coastal waterfront market and I have no doubt it will attract keen interest globally."
Anyone interested in the sale later in the year should contact Frank Knight.
What do you think of the home? Let us know in the comments.
