West Side Rebuild from 2022 Tornado

Story by Steve Nussbaum

The entire roof, screened in patio and back of home were rebuilt from 2022 tornado.

Possum Kingdom Lake is a magical place for Ellie Bomar, but even she will admit it’s not the easiest place to live.

She likes it that way, though.

Bomar lives on one of the most isolated roads on PK’s western side, and she recently completed a two-year rebuild of her magnificent home after a tornado raced across the lake on March 21, 2022. Bomar has managed to persevere despite the tornado, floods, wildfires, supply chain issues and reluctant contractors who didn’t want to take on the large rebuilding project.

With the help of Jake Womack Construction & Cornerstone Pools out of Graham, Texas, in addition to designer Cindy Terwilliger from Furnishings With Flair in Grapevine, Texas, Bomar has taken a lovely lake cabin and turned it into a rustic modern designer showcase.

The home is a designer’s dream, but Bomar was thoughtful in leaving many of the design imprints that the previous owners, Robert and Andrea Jennings, had left in the house. For Bomar, it was the original character of the home, which the Jennings built, that drew her to the property in the first place.

Andrea Jennings owned an antique store in Graham, and her husband built a log cabin in the front of the property for his woodworking shop. When Bomar bought the home, it was filled with Andrea Jennings’ art and her husband’s whimsical woodworking.

“The home was wonderfully decorated,” Bomar said, adding that she loved the rustic design.

The Jennings left everything in the home, and Bomar made it her own. That all changed in March 2022, when a tornado ravaged the property. It had been a stormy day, Bomar recalled, with multiple severe weather alerts. She and her dog, Indy, were home alone about 3 p.m. that afternoon when Bomar saw the tornado enter Elm Creek Cove. She said she felt her ears pop before rushing under the house’s stairs with Indy. Ten minutes later, her roof was gone, along with one side of the home, and Bomar said she could see the sky when she opened a closet. Water was rushing inside.

Bomar began the rebuilding process, cleaning up and working with her insurance company. She rented an apartment in Fort Worth but spent plenty of time at the property, too, living in the bunkhouse and using what was left of the kitchen and bathrooms in the main house until the repairs were completed in February of this year.

Bomar was a COVID-19 pandemic transplant to PK back in 2020, after having lost her husband to multiple sclerosis the year before. She said her spouse had always mentioned Possum Kingdom fondly before he passed away.

After her husband died, Bomar moved in with her father, who was in declining health. One weekend during the pandemic lockdowns, the two of them decided to make a weekend trip to Lush Resort on the east side of PK, where they met Bo and Gelasia Bennett, the resort’s owners. Bomar and her dad fell in love with the lake and asked Bo Bennett to help them find a lake property.

Bomar, her father and her son Zach all moved to Possum Kingdom in August 2020. She said she loved living in the multigenerational home, and the three of them had lots of fun living at the lake. Her father loved the lake, she said, and he spent many nights sitting at the bar at Possum Hollow.

Bomar said she’s grateful for the generosity the staff at Possum Hollow showed her dad, who passed away during the final days of the pandemic. It was around this time that Bomar’s son moved back to Dallas, too.

“Between the tornado and fires, my home was on the PK Lake ‘disaster tour’ for two years,” she said.

About halfway through her rebuilding project, Bomar decided to give the home a more modern design while still retaining its rustic charm. She took a mix of high-end furnishings, consignment-shop finds and discount home-decor discoveries to create a designer showcase, all while paying tribute to the former owners.

The grounds of the home are covered in lush St. Augustine grass and dotted with beautiful large cedar trees; in fact, the former owners nicknamed the property “Big Cedar.” After the tornado, Bomar added a three-car garage to the front of the home and kept the original stone walkways in the garden to the front door and alongside the rocky cliff to the modern dock. The dock is one of her favorite spots to watch sunsets and stargaze.

The small log cabin where Bomar and her dog lived during the rebuilding project is now a well-appointed bunkhouse, and the entire property is fenced and gated mainly because of the prevalence of wild hogs. In fact, Bomar has a wild hog statue in the yard as a humorous tribute to these annoying animals.

The inside of the home is gorgeous, but it’s the outdoor spaces that are special. The main level of the home has a wraparound screened-in porch that anchors the home and is the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee, read a book or just relax. It is Bomar’s favorite part of the house, but it had to be totally rebuilt after the tornado. On the second level is another beautiful outdoor living space with a fireplace, living and dining space.

“Each level gives a different view and feel of the lake,” she said.

On the side of the home is a barbecue deck with an outdoor shower.

Guests enter the home’s great room, which is open to the main dining, living room and kitchen areas, and the whole space has decorator touches galore. Roman shades from Indonesia, custom furniture and rustic wood floors are just a few of the many embellishments, and one of Bomar’s favorite items is her original Susana Sierra painting in the dining room. It’s modern, but the colors match the color scheme in the home.

The main living space was rebuilt to match the original plastered walls, wood beams and wood accents that can be found throughout the home. The kitchen is outfitted with Viking appliances and original brick flooring, and the black granite countertops and antique accent pieces show off a unique designer kitchen.

The entire home is filled with rustic homage to the original owners. All the doors are unique and add character throughout, and even the laundry room has rustic touches, such as an old wood chair that’s been converted into a hanger rod for clothes. The secondhand treasures and modern pieces mix to make a perfect lake setting, including an old phone cabinet located down a hall that contains a handheld phone Bomar found in a thrift shop.

Off the garage is a game room, and all the bedrooms have designer window treatments and designer bedding.

The structure is large, measuring 3,800 square feet with four bedrooms and an office upstairs, but it feels like a charming lake cabin.

Bomar said she enjoys it when her two sons, Zach and Luke, visit, and she added that the best part of having a lakehouse is when it is filled with people. One of her fondest parties was a “girls weekend” when she entertained 12 friends from Dallas, playing a game called mahjongg and enjoying the ladies-only weekend escape.

Bomar’s tenacity, hard work and a desire to create a beautiful space are what drove her to rebuild her home at Possum Kingdom and share it with family and friends.

The bunkhouse where Bomar and Indy lived while the home was under construction.  It was originally a work shop for the previous owner.

The kitchen is a mix of modern Viking appliances, cabinets and converted antiques.  The unique brick flooring were saved from the original home.

The wrap around screened in porch was completely rebuilt after the tornado and is now one of Bomar’s favorite parts of the house.

The home is a mix of antiques and modern accents with custom window coverings throughout.