A cliff top mansion currently being offered in the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw saw £2million slashed from its asking price, we can reveal.
The four-bed mansion in the Cornish coastal village of Porthcothan – close to millionaire’s playgrounds of Padstow and Mawgan Porth – is described as being worth ‘over £3million’.
But little over a year ago the same house was marketed with a £5million asking price.
While the final sale price hasn’t been released, shortly before the sale progressed to the company behind Omaze, its guide price had fallen to £3.5million.
This week neighbours told the Daily Mail the house – named Llawnroc, which is Cornwall spelled backwards – has never been lived in since it was built over a decade ago.
One said: ‘The previous owner thought it was terrific but I wasn’t surprised when it appeared in the Omaze draw.
‘The £5million asking price was laughable. It would probably sell at about £2.5million.
‘I know a lot of people around here have bought a ticket for the draw but if I win it’ll be up for sale the next day.’
A cliff top mansion (pictured) currently being offered in the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw saw £2million slashed from its asking price
The four-bed mansion in the Cornish coastal village of Porthcothan – close to millionaire’s playgrounds of Padstow and Mawgan Porth – is described as being worth ‘over £3million’
little over a year ago the same house was marketed with a £5million asking price
Bath-based management consultants Colin Price and Sharon Toye spent £1million building the house in 2014 having demolished a 1960s three-bed house bought for £1.75million three years earlier.
But the construction was far from straight-foward as Mr Price acknowledged in an interview with Homebuilding & Renovating magazine following its completion.
He said: ‘The build was tricky and it would have been something of a disaster if we damaged the cliff while digging down but our builders managed it with great skill, and the project was finished on time even considering we experienced one of the worst winters on record.’
In 2014 during construction a spectacular rock arch in the bay cliff collapsed after it was battered by towering waves and storms.
Even before breaking ground on the new house, a number of residents voiced concern about whether the cliffs would be impacted.
One wrote: ‘The amount of bed-rock that will have to be removed to lay the foundations and accommodate the new building is both startling and very worrying. I assume that a comprehensive geological survey has been carried out on the site (which is very close to the cliff edge) and to which accountability may be applied in the case of structural damage to any of the nearby properties and especially the cliff itself.
‘In the absence of such a survey I would hope that the Planning Authority would undertake one before any permissions are granted as the ramifications of any damage occurring in this area of the cliff are too serious to contemplate. I would like to see any assurances in writing.’
Even before breaking ground on the new house, a number of residents voiced concern about whether the cliffs would be impacted
The original design was refused by Cornwall Council and an appeal also upheld the decision leading to the removal of a circular roof for a more conventional pitched roof
The striking design has four ‘lenses’ of floor-to-ceiling glass – intended to mimic binoculars looking out to sea
The striking design has four ‘lenses’ of floor-to-ceiling glass – intended to mimic binoculars looking out to sea.
Ten years on a number of neighbours still grumble about the design – which saw the home double the size of its processor.
The original design was refused by Cornwall Council and an appeal also upheld the decision leading to the removal of a circular roof for a more conventional pitched roof.
One said: ‘The first design was completely unsuitable for this bay and was rejected by the council, they also lost on appeal but what they have built is actually worse if anything.
‘So this is what we are left with, most people still think it’s wrong for the area but what can you do?
‘People walk along the coast path all the time and stop to look at the houses, you can see into almost all the rooms because they have glass walls.
‘I personally wouldn’t be keen on having people staring into my sitting room or bedroom.
Another neighbour, who has lived in the village for 45 years, added: ‘There used to be a community along the clifftop but now just three of the 15 houses are lived in.
‘It used to be a quiet lane but now it’s like the M1 with people rushing back and forward, different people every week on holiday.
‘I have no idea who any of my neighbours are, you see different cars going up the road every week, they could be up here burgling for all we know.
‘I would love to leave this house to my family but there’s no way they could afford the inheritance tax bill. I feel sorry for the young people around here.’
The quiet cove of Porthcothan Bay, is dubbed one of Cornwall’s ‘best kept secrets’
The unique design is energy efficient and the bedrooms have been planned to capture the morning sun from the east
The quiet cove of Porthcothan Bay, is dubbed one of Cornwall’s ‘best kept secrets’.
The unique design is energy efficient and the bedrooms have been planned to capture the morning sun from the east, with the main living areas placed in a triangle widening towards the sea views and sunsets.
The property has 3,390 sq ft of accommodation. On the lower ground floor there is a bedroom with en-suite, a home office that could also be another bedroom, a utility and a large open plan kitchen/dining room with a pantry and walk-in fridge and bi-fold doors that open to the garden.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an impressive sitting room.
Outside it has driveway parking and a secure garage, a partially covered terrace dining space, a sunken fire pit in the garden, and an outside shower to wash off sandy feet from the beach.
The property has a gate leading onto the coastal path and the beach below.
While a winner of the latest Omaze dream home has yet to be selected, the competition already has a track record of winners quickly putting the homes on the market – dubbed the Omaze curse.
In June the youngest ever winner Lauren Keene, 24, followed in the footsteps of the vast majority of winners by cashing in on her six-bedroom Hollywood-style home in the Wirral, Merseyside, by putting it on the market for £2.5million, a discount of £500,000 on the original £3million valuation.
The full time nanny and her partner Ryan Mitchell spent only a few nights at the spectacular house due to them living and working almost 200 miles away in Gloucester.
Like many other winners of Omaze’s Grand Designs-style homes, Lauren is also said to have been put off by the expensive running costs of her new dream home.
Instead she and her Ryan, a software engineer, are buying themselves a much smaller and more practical semi-detached home in Gloucester.
The Mail can now reveal that all, but a handful of the 39 winners of Omaze home draws in the UK, have sold or are planning to sell their multi-million pound prizes.
An Omaze spokesperson said: ‘All Omaze winners are free to live in their new house, rent it out, or sell it the moment they get the keys to become a cash multi-millionaire – the choice is entirely theirs.
‘Our Grand Prizes include £250,000 in cash to help winners settle in and cover any running costs – and the properties come mortgage-free, with no stamp duty or legal fees to pay. Full estimated running costs are available on our website, and with the settling-in money alone, winners could comfortably enjoy the home for years.
‘Each house comes with all the furnishings and essentials featured in the adverts – with an average value of £150,000.
‘If winners are already paying rent or a mortgage elsewhere, those savings could go towards the running costs of their new home, or they could rent out either property for additional income.
‘Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic, life-changing options available to them.
‘Omaze is immensely proud to have created 39 millionaires while raising over £97 million for good causes in the UK.’
