Footy icon selling his penthouse
FOOTY legend Paul Vautin and his wife Kim want more than $4m for their Mermaid Beach penthouse.
Nestled one street back from Albatross Ave and Nobby Beach, the five-bedroom apartment at 3/89 Seagull Ave is a haven in one of the Coast’s most sought-after suburbs.
Spread over two floors and accessed via a private lift, the Vautins bought the apartment as a new-build 13 years ago for $1.8m, and initially used it as their holiday home.
“This place was just being finished. As soon as we walked in we just knew we had to have it,” said Vautin, also known as “Fatty”.
“I think we might have overpaid but we didn’t care, we wanted it and we have lived comfortably here ever since.”
The penthouse – one of only three apartments in the building – has panoramic views from the expansive rooftop terrace, which could easily fit up to 100 people.
A cosy lounge area with a huge TV screen above a gas fireplace is shielded from the weather by a retractable screen on one side and shutters on the other.
A full kitchen, guest bedroom, bathroom and storage complete the space.
On the lower level are the living rooms, master suite, two further bedrooms and a study.
The decor is coastal fresh and contemporary, which Vautin said was the handiwork of his wife, who he calls “the renovation queen”.
It is Mrs Vautin’s love for renovating that has prompted the pair to sell the penthouse, which is being marketed by Jan and Dave Emblem of Queensland Coast Realty.
“Kim has always wanted to build her own home,” Vautin said, “so we’ve decided to sell this, bank the money and then take our time to look around for something else.”