Hell’s Gate remodel turns into ultimate family retreat
Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Matthew Renfro
Every issue of PK Magazine features an iconic home, and this time around the spotlight shines on a Hell’s Gate ranch that has been in the heart of it all since 1985.
This issue’s highlighted home recently was transformed from an ’80s lake house to a modern family compound by the Hooker and Inman families from Wichita Falls, who joined forces to create their ultimate family retreat.
Brian Hooker and Anthony Inman have been friends for years. They work on various boards and are active members of Christ Academy in Wichita Falls, and their families have been active sponsors of Young Life in Wichita Falls.
Hooker and his wife, Rose, have two children, while Inman and his wife, Katie, have four children. The two couples have lots of extended family and friends that love the lake, and the Hookers have been coming to PK their whole lives.
Hooker’s father has owned a condo in Sportsman’s World for many years. Both of them are avid pilots, and they love the airstrip and convenience of the runway in Sportsman’s World.
The Inmans, meanwhile, spent a lot of time at Lake Kemp near Seymour, Texas.
The two families had always talked of buying a place together, but never got around to pulling the trigger until one day during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Hooker and Inman were talking as they looked at a few properties online during lunch. The pandemic changed the way many people looked at life, and it was then that they decided it was time to buy a home at PK, while their children were still young.
The two men purchased a large Hell’s Gate ranch with a great sloping yard down to the water. The home they chose was built in 1985, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an addition with two more bedrooms. It had a wooden deck that overlooked both the expansive yard and Hell’s Gate. The structure hadn’t been touched since the 1980s, but the two families had a vision of the family retreat they could create on the property. Inman is in the commercial construction business in Wichita Falls, so a project of this size didn’t scare him – or Hooker, either.
The first thing they did was hire Joe Ross out of Wichita Falls as their architect. Ross came to the lake, and he studied how people use their homes and outdoor spaces. He helped create the outdoor vision of the house to go with the interior functionality that would make the home a modern family retreat the two families could share for years.
Construction began in in October 2020 and took 18 months to complete. The bones of the original home remain – but, other than the front of the house, the remodel was a complete rebuild.
The home now features two master bedrooms, and both overlook the lake. There also are two guest rooms, as well as two large bunkrooms that can sleep a dozen in each room. The entire home has space for 32 people to sleep, and it also includes six bathrooms.
The main living room and kitchen are built to host large groups, and the living room is anchored by three large leather sofas on one end near a large TV. At the other end of the room is a cozy seating space for four, with a fireplace and another TV above the fireplace.
The two living spaces are separated by a large dining room table that seats a dozen people. The dining space is anchored by a large wet bar and coffee bar, and the huge open space has soaring ceilings and windows that let in an abundance of natural light.
The entire back of the home was rebuilt and has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the lake and outdoor space. The kitchen is open to the main living space, and it includes a huge window that overlooks the lake and all the outdoor activities. The kitchen also features high-end appliances, two large refrigerators, two sinks and two dishwashers. Off the kitchen is a large laundry and mud room.
The home’s modern design and décor features a wealth of high-end finishes, which both families chose together. One notable upgrade in the home is the electrical outlets that can accommodate modern-day electronics under the kitchen bar space, which these days is a must for families with teenagers and friends.
A bright, open and modern feel is conveyed by the custom hardware on all the doors and cabinets, and the extra-wide hallway down to the bedrooms makes the home feel spacious, even when large groups are present. The huge parking-lot-style driveway on the side of the gated home is well-built for the many vehicles of friends and family alike, and the real showstopper is the wall of glass overlooking the outdoor space, yard and lake.
The outdoor space originally featured a wooden deck, but in its place is now a covered outdoor space with multiple seating and lounging areas. The space also includes a small pool for relaxation and watching all the activities at Hell’s Gate. The tiered patio leads down to the beautiful, sloping yard with mature oak trees, and a large gas firepit is surrounded by the mature oak trees in the yard, making it the perfect spot for campfire stories and s’mores. The patio and outdoor living space have seating for more than 50 people.
The first large event the families held at their remodeled home was the wedding of friends associated with Young Life in Wichita Falls. The program is one of the shared interests that brought these two families together, so it seemed fitting to have that wedding as the first event.
The home is now a showplace that will create memories for these two families for years to come. Some of the couples’ children are now in college or graduating, and the home will be the center of activity when they visit.
The Hookers and the Inmans said they enjoy being in the middle of Hell’s Gate, but the also love the natural solitude of the area when the boaters leave. For them, their shared home is the best of both worlds.
The old addition was torn down and new bedrooms, bunkrooms and bathrooms were added to the original Hell’s Gate home.
The original living room featured dark, paneled walls but had the bones to be converted to the ultimate family retreat.
The Hooker and Inman families have been friends for years and active sponsors of Young Life in Wichita Falls.
Shown above: Brian and Rose Hooker, along with Katie and Anthony Inman enjoy creating family memories at their Hell’s Gate lake home.
The Hookers and Inmans have built the ultimate family retreat and its always a party at their iconic lake home located in the heart of Hell’s Gate.
