How would you like to live in 204 square feet of space, in your own 8.5’X24’ tiny house? Maybe in a RV community, where you are amongst 40 or so other homes on wheels? Where would you like this home to be? Maybe walking distance to a beautiful beach on the Oregon Coast? It’s a very possible lifestyle! Meet Brenda Schwerin (aka “Tiny B”), who lives this dream in her movable home she named “Just B Tiny 2.0!”
Tiny House, Giant Journey
Last February, Jenna Spesard – the blogger, YouTube creator, and star of “Tiny House Giant Journey” reached out to Brenda to coordinate an interview and video tour of “Just B Tiny”. Brenda, whom I met doing a gig for a tiny house builder, reached out to me to join her during Jenna’s visit. I was excited for the adventure, and the opportunity to take “behind the scenes” photos. Understandably, the interview was pushed off during the “stay home” orders related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the states slowly eased up restrictions, Jenna coordinated her trip.
Jenna learned about the RV park where Brenda lives, and added an extra day to her trip so she could document it too. It’s a good thing, because with the wacky Oregon weather (rainy, and then sunny, and then rainy again), Jenna had to shift up her schedule for the sunny times to record outdoor scenes.
Jenna has a drone – which to me looked almost like she was walking her dog…a flying dog! A few days later I watched some of her other videos and saw she is quite talented with the drone. The birds-eye views aren’t just “hip and cool,” the way she uses the clips add to her stories.
Tiny Tranquility
Finding a place to park your tiny house can be a big challenge. Finding a movable (not ‘mobile’!!) house community on the ocean is a dream come true! Brenda currently lives in Tiny Tranquility Tiny House & Vintage RV Park, which has 43 sites filled with creative little homes and vintage trailers. Some of these are open for daily or weekly rentals. At the moment, the park has a waiting list for those wanting monthly rental spots!
Jenna created a tiny house tour of the park. Watch “Is this Coastal TINY HOUSE COMMUNITY the Ideal Lifestyle?” to see the entire park.
Behind the Scenes
The day of the YouTube shoot, I arrived just before Jenna was ready to start showcasing Brenda’s tiny house. She has quite a transformational and adventurous story about how she came to live in her current home. Brenda said she likes to title her personal journey “From Hollywood to Homeless to Happy.” Although we had been virtual friends for months, I learned so much more about her during this visit.
One thing you can’t tell from photos is just how comfortable “Tiny B” has made her space. Brenda made sure to have space to showcase mementos from her life, room for her cat, an office and extra counter space for when she cooks – and she loves to cook! Often-times when you see images of tiny homes, the décor is white and sparse (to make it appear bigger). Brenda’s eclectic, yet organized, collections made her home feel exactly that – homey.
Just B Tiny 2.0
The reason she calls her tiny house 2.0 is because this is her second tiny home. The first one, which was even tinier at 20’ long, was in an accident during its third trip. It was built in Oregon, and then delivered to Las Vegas. From her mobile base, she stayed in Vegas over a year to take care of her widowed and disabled mom.
In her past, Brenda had lived in Northern California in a 4,100 square foot house. Can you imagine what a process she went through to now live in 204 square feet? I downsized from a 1,800 square foot house, so I have a huge appreciation for what she went through in her transformation. After her time with her mom, a job opportunity opened up in Northern California.
Summer of Smoke
Brenda enjoyed where she lived and worked. However, during “2017 Summer of Smoke” she had to move on. Her place was surrounded by fires, and she feels fortunate her home could easily be pulled out of the situation. It was during that last leg of escaping Northern California to safer havens in Oregon that her rolling home had a major accident on the highway!
Once again homeless, her tiny house builder went to work to build her a bigger, better- but still small house. While her new house was being built, the builder lent her one of his other already-built models to live in. The additional 4′ of length of “2.0” gave Brenda a multi-purpose office, which floods with light through a skylight. Months later, her Just B Tiny 2.0 arrived at her current residence on the coast of Oregon.
Brenda’s tip: “Make sure you get proper insurance for your tiny home on wheels! The dwelling, trailer and your personal belongings. Do a thorough inventory of your belongings…you probably own more than you know!”
1975 Overlander Airstream
The night of the video shoot, I stayed in a vintage Airstream. Not just any old Airstream, but one that is the same length, year and model as mine! A 27′ 1975 Overlander Airstream. (Want to know more about my baby? Check out: “Introducing Wednesday, our Airstream Adventure”).
How incredible to be able to sleep a night in something so similar to my future home. Waking up to the pitter patter of raindrops on the aluminum roof was comforting – I knew for sure that I would be fine when it comes time to be lying in bed listening to the steady drumbeat of rain.
Minimalist Living Advocate
Brenda is happy living in her compact home. She has everything she needs, and continues to explore the minimalist life. At the RV park she meets interesting people, often profiling them in her lifestyle blog. She is involved in tiny house associations. Brenda supports the American Tiny House Association and an active member of the newer Tiny House Industry Association. If you’d like a custom house on wheels that looks similar to hers, check out Tiny SMART House.
Check out the full video “Her 1st Tiny House Crashed??!! So She Made a Better One ?” on the Tiny House Giant Journey YouTube channel!
As I left the next day, I’ll remember our laugh over how well we get along. She said we have to get together again and “Just B Adventurous!“
If you’d like to learn more about Brenda, follow her on Instagram @justbtiny or check out her blog, Just B Tiny.
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Awesome! I shared with my daughter who is saving for a tiny home.
that’s great! If she has any questions, have her reach out to me!