Grand Designs host shares update on ‘saddest house ever’ years after tragic episode

Callum Boyle

Kevin McCloud labelled it the ‘saddest ever’ project to appear on the show

Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has provided an update on the “saddest ever” house to appear on the show.

Edward Short, 52, featured on the show in 2018 however his dream project was met with setback after setback that left him in millions of pounds worth of debt. Short himself even said he thought he “was cursed”.

Speaking to the Daily Star in 2022, Short admitted he had to overcome several hurdles in the aftermath of the build.

He said: “It’s a very long list and sometimes you do feel cursed by it all.”

At the time Short’s project aired on TV, viewers said it was the “saddest ever” after seeing the toll the lighthouse-inspired property in Croyde, Devon, took on Short.

Short spent more than a decade on the project but even after the final result created a stunning property, he was unable to sell it and he was eventually forced to split it into two listings.

During a recent interview with Metro, McCloud revealed that he still keeps in touch with the 52-year-old.

“Ed and I still communicate by email now and again,” he said.

“It’s not always the case you keep in contact with people, but in his case, it was such a special project and we had a lot of shared interests in common and we share a mutual friend.”

Although he is still yet to find a buyer, Short has hope he can still sell the property.

“He is still battling along with it.

“We went back for the revisit which was great and rather redemptive and now I think it is still on the market.”

While there is still some optimism, Short admitted that it has put him off doing any similar projects.

“I can not make any plans of what I do next until it is sold – but I would be very surprised if they involved any more big build projects. I think I need a physiatrist and help with PTSD.

“I’ll always be proud to have finished this. 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.

“These past ten years have been a marathon slog – and I have got used to being a millionaire in debt.”