Barry Surtees home – The Curve Bristol (Picture: BBC The Curve in Brighton)

Many of us fantasise about our dream home and, for some ambitious enough to build theirs from the ground up, Channel 4’s Grand Designs is there to document the process.

Since the show first aired back in 1999, viewers have avidly watched hundreds of couples create a place that most of us can only imagine ever living in.

But for some, what started as a dream project has turned into a nightmare storm of debt, divorce and unfinished houses – and all broadcast on national television.

Some have even been forced to complete the project and put it up for sale immediately, desperately trying to make a profit and unable to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

A prime example of this was the infamous Chesil Cliff House in Devon which appeared on Grand Designs for the first time in 2019 – one of the most popular episodes ever.

However, its popularity was due to the disasters that Edward and Hazel Short faced when what was meant to be an 18-month project turned into a decade long ordeal. It was even dubbed the ‘saddest’ Grand Designs property story.

Grand Designs revisited Chesil Cliff House in Croyde, Devon, when it was finally done (Picture: Channel 4)

Edward Short who owns Chesil Cliff House (picture: SWNS)

After starting the project in 2011, the building process suffered multiple set backs, with Edward at one point reportedly being left £7 million in debt so he could finish the home.

Despite paying £1.4 million for the original plot which came with a large 1950s home, they put up another £1.8 million to build the house but were forced to borrow an additional £2.5 million in 2016.

Meanwhile, drilling into the cliffside rocks had proved more difficult than first thought, costing the couple an extra £1 million while another £250,000 was needed to build the driveway.

Sadly, the strain of the build put huge pressure on Edward and his wife and seven years into their project, they split up in 2018. Edward admitted in an interview that his ‘ambition and vanity [had] probably collapsed the marriage’.

Unhappy neighbours had savagely compared the house to a ‘north Korean missile bunker’ but after many years of labour Edward, a father-of-two, finished the home.

He didn’t get to move into it though.

It hit the market in July 2022 for £8 million, alongside an adjacent development of his called The Eye which was listed for £2 million. If it had sold at this price Edward would have been left with a hefty profit but after discussions with a buyer fell through, the home was listed again in June 2023 – this time for £7.5 million.

Edward said building the property had taught him a lot of resilience (Picture: Channel 4)

It was then reduced again to £6.5 million in the autumn and remains for sale at this price, although it is currently not being listed online by Knight Frank.

Edward told Devon Live: ‘I have got used to being a millionaire in debt. I’ve been doing this build for more than 10 years – so have gone past headaches now and built a lot of resilience.

‘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.’

While Edward’s Chesil Cliff House may be the most notable, he and his family aren’t alone when it comes to disastrous builds.

Husband and wife social workers Sze Liu Lai and Chris Miller never managed to finish their home and it now sits abandoned.

The Medway Eco Barge was left incomplete (Picture: BBC)

The derelict houseboat “Medway Eco-barge”from Grand Designs washed up on beach at Southend-on-Sea (picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

The Medway Eco Barge in Kent was intended to be an eco-friendly houseboat with an initial budget of £50,000. But the couple went an eye-watering 60% over budget, spending £80,000 in total.

But it was clear their project wasn’t working and the couple, along with their two children, were forced to jump ship, abandoning their dream to live in it.

Despite needing a permanent mooring, the couple only began to look for one a year into the project and they were also evicted from boatyards where they were building multiple times.

Chris Miller and his wife Sze Liu Laine who planned to build a three-bedroom houseboat (picture: PUBLICITY PICTURE)

Having appeared on the show in 2007, the derelict boat was eventually found washed up and vandalised in Essex in 2011 where it was being used by squatters.

It was in a 2007 episode of Grand Designs, that we met Dean Marks. His aim was to convert the 18th century St Martin’s Church in Tipton, West Yorkshire, into a five bedroom home for himself, his wife Hilary and his daughter Abbie.

While the home was completed, Dean now reportedly lives in the property without his wife because they split just before the episode aired.

Dean and Hilary Marks who went through a divorce due to consuming nature of the restoration work (picture: SWNS)

The transformed St Martin’s Church in Tipton, West Mids (picture: SWNS)

He told MailOnline: ‘I admit I worked hard on it. I did not have a large amount of quality time with Hilary but that was a small price to pay.’

The gruelling four years it took to get planning permission for his designs and the vandals hindering the process also left Dean’s health in a poor state.

He suffered two heart attacks as a result of exhaustion, bone and ligament damage from exerting himself during the build and he sadly developed testicular cancer too.

St Martin’s Church in Tipton, West Mids, an 18th century Grade II-listed building – during restoration (picture: newsteam)

It’s seeming like 2007 was an unlucky year for those featured on Grand Designs, with Barry Surtees, his wife Julie and their son facing a health scare during the build.

The Curve in Brighton was designed to follow the contours of its surroundings and was four stories high, but the idea of curvy glass front had to be abandoned after it couldn’t be sourced.

However, the real stress came with Barry’s heart attack, which meant he needed not one but five heart bypasses, shortly after the build began.

Despite his pretty serious health concern though it was just three years later that the property was finished.

However, the family didn’t reap the rewards, with the property going on the market that same year for £3.5 million. Unlike the other properties though, it sold in 2012 for an undisclosed amount.

Barry Surtees’ home The Curve Brighton (picture: BBC)

Barry and Julie did manage to sell their property but for an unknown amount (Picture Channel 4)

Barry needed five bypasses while building the property (Picture: RIGHTMOVE)

Season 22 of Grand Designs featured the Hux Shard in Devon, which was a victim of Covid-19 – and the property went a jaw-dropping 199% over budget.

Joe and Claire Pridays had an initial spend plan of £835,000 but the project ended up costing £2.5 million – a total made more painful by the immense backlash the house received.

The home was built with 34 giant angled zinc shards, with host Kevin McCloud describing it as a ‘crystal fortress’. He also said that the build felt like ‘more money than sense’.

The kitchen alone cost them £125,000 and as the cost of living crisis began to take hold alongside Covid and Brexit, the couple’s home left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths.

“Huxham” known as the Hux Shard was slammed for the outrageous spend on the project (picture: Channel 4 / Malgosia Czarniecka)

Joe and Claire Pridays outside their home which went massively over budget (picture: Channel 4 / Malgosia Czarniecka)

Social media users slammed the show and the couple over the blatant disregard for their budget.

One called Taffi wrote: ‘In all seriousness, that was one sickening Grand Design. Everything about it highlighted the gulf between the haves and have-nots. What he spent on just a kitchen??! And what about the environmental cost?’

Chris and Kayo were yet another Grand Designs couple who built a home over a painstaking 10 years – only to end up selling after spending just a few years in their house.

The property Abbey Orchard House is located just half a mile from the stunning commuter city centre of St Albans and was inspired by the roman heritage of the area, as well as having Japanese influences.

But the couple went an alarming 150% over budget, spending £1.5 million rather than the intended £600,000.

Grand Designs – Abbey Orchard House in Hertfordshire (picture: CHANNEL 4)

Chris and Kayo lived in the property for six years before deciding to sell (Picture Channel 4)

This was largely due to the six years worth of planning delays but in 2017 the 5,175 square foot finished product was aired on Grand Designs.

Despite looking like a tranquil oasis the property didn’t last long as the family’s home, with it being put up for sale in 2022.

The property hasn’t shifted from the market though and is still listed on Savills at £5.95 million.

Our final Grand Disaster is a property known as The Seaside House saw owners Bram and Lisa Vis left horribly out of pocket.

The couple had reportedly made a huge miscalculation concerning the initial project costs and ended up being 158% over budget. The had planned to spend £850,000 but ended up spending £2.2 million.

The couple said on Grand Designs: ‘It was around 800, in reality it’s a lot more. It cost £2.2 million, plus the land which was in total £935,000, so we’re in for about £3.3 million at the moment.’

Bram had even said earlier in the show: ‘The mortgages are not necessarily a problem. Paying them off might be a problem.’

The Isle of Wight property appeared on Grand Designs in 2015 (Picture: Myra Butterworth)

Bram and Lisa’s property has now sold for an unknown amount (Picture: Myra Butterworth)

The property seems like the dream home at 7,200 square feet with a heated swimming pool and jacuzzi – did we mention the 3.8 acres of private beach?

However, four years later in 2018 the house was put on the market and listed for £3.95 million – then just six months later was slashed by £1 million to £2.99 million.

Bram and Lisa were reportedly selling the property for less than it cost to build and it has now been sold – although how much for is unknown.

The home has 3.8 acres of private beach (Picture: Myra Butterworth)

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Some remain abandoned and unfinished.