Before the disaster, Candace Mula had stated that her family’s newly renovated house in Santa Maria was finally starting to feel like home. But one day during an ordinary rainy afternoon, as Mula hustled her kids into the car for a dentist appointment, a bolt of lightning struck their attic, starting a fire that eventually destroyed almost all of their possessions.

With her family unharmed and a scrapbooks of photos surprisingly untouched by the flames, the Mulas set about making plans to rebuild their home on the same lot. Candace called in family friend and designer Rod Miller to help bring the space back to life.

“Friends is not the right word—we’re like family,” Miller says. “She’s like my little sister.”

Rod also worked closely with Philip Troutman and Morrow Custom Homes to make sure that the new floor plan and finishes would be even better than before, with an addition room added on and a patio expanded.

Grateful for the assistance and support her family received during their time of need, Candace says she feels blessed to be able to rebuild after such a harrowing experience.

To read more about the Mula family and how they turned a tragedy into treasure, read our article from the February issue, available on newsstands now.