Pasadena resident moves into newly built fire-resistant home after Eaton Fire

At the top of Riviera Drive in Pasadena's Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood sits a brand new home, designed for a family's brand new reality.

Jun Li Lujan and her husband were among the first to have a rebuilt home in Pasadena after they lost theirs in the Eaton Fire one year ago. 

Lujan doesn't sugarcoat what happened, calling it a nightmare. But she made a conscious decision to look optimistically toward her opportunity to design a new home.

"You need to look forward and not stay in a bad nightmare," she said. "You still had a good time in that place. No one can take your happiness away. No one. You can bring the happiness to a new place."  

So for the last 12 months, Lujan has stayed busy by designing, decorating and furnishing her new home — her new happy place — for fresh memories and opportunities for her family.

As a home builder and designer, Lujan was able to rebuild her home to fit the needs of her and her family. Her husband's health, for example, was taken into consideration.

"I made the bathroom doors a little big. My husband is going to be 80 ... might need a wheelchair," she said. "So you need to make the door big."  

The couple quickly filed their insurance claim after losing their house last January and were lucky enough to have approvals in time to rapidly build their new home. A new point of emphasis was ensuring that the home be fire-resistant, with new aluminum siding, non-flammable furniture and a metal roof. The pool can be used as a water source and there are sprinklers along the ceiling.

Lujan wants other fire survivors to feel hopeful when they see her home.

"Tomorrow is another day, it might be the day is the best day in your life," she said. "I want people to think about the positive."